The Roys are back — and bigger than ever, according to HBO.
Season 3 of HBO’s family-dynasty drama “Succession,” which premiered Sunday night, drew over 1.4 million viewers across all platforms, the network said. That was a viewership high-water mark for the series, and it was the best premiere-night performance of any HBO original series since the launch of HBO Max in May 2020.
The “Succession” Season 3 premiere increased viewership 21% versus the Season 2 finale and was up 13% over the Season 2 premiere, as well as up 39% compared with the series debut in 2018.
The growth for “Succession” in its third-season opener was driven by its performance on digital, according to HBO. The S3 premiere episode had the biggest digital premiere for an HBO series since “Big Little Lies” Season 2 in June 2019.
Read a breakdown of the “Succession” Season 3 premiere with creator Jesse Armstrong.
Digital viewing for “Succession” Season 3’s premiere episode was up 214% from last season’s premiere and remained the top title overall on HBO Max for the weekend. In addition, according to HBO, the new season drove catch-up viewing of past seasons (as expected): HBO said the series reached an all-time high in monthly viewership on HBO Max in September 2021 and a new daily high Sunday night with the premiere.
According to WarnerMedia, episodes of “Succession” Season 2 went on to average nearly 5 million viewers across all platforms.
“Succession” explores the themes of power and family dynamics through the eyes of billionaire patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his four grown children, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Siobhan (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck).
In Season 3, Logan finds himself in a perilous position, scrambling to secure familial, political, and financial alliances after he was ambushed by his rebellious son Kendall. After Kendall’s impulsive decision to expose the company’s sprawling scandal, the family is left to each contemplate their future. Tensions rise as a bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war, with the Roy family navigating the looming question of who will take over in a post-Logan world.
