'Succession' Season 4 SMASHES ratings record with shocking Episode 3

The third episode of 'Succession' Season 4 achieved a new high in viewership,
Brian Cox and Matthew MacFadyen in a still from 'Succession' Season 4 Episode 3 (HBO)
Brian Cox and Matthew MacFadyen in a still from 'Succession' Season 4 Episode 3 (HBO)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The entire Roy family suffered a devastating blow in the latest episode of ‘Succession’ when the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), died on a private airplane. It was undoubtedly one of the most shocking moments in the show’s history and no one expected that Logan would be killed off so early in the season. However, the good news is that a record number of people were around to watch one of the most shocking moments in television history.

The third episode of the show’s final season primarily focused on the wedding of Connor and Willa, but Logan’s death changed the entire mood of the episode and fans couldn’t believe what they saw. So, it doesn’t come as a shock that a record number of people tuned in to watch the latest episode and nabbed another series viewership high.

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Kieran Culkin (Roman) and Jeremy Strong (Kendall) in a still from 'Succession' Season 4 (HBO)
Kieran Culkin (Roman) and Jeremy Strong (Kendall) in a still from 'Succession' Season 4 (HBO)

'Succession' Season 4 reaches new series high

According to Warner Bros. Discovery (via Deadline), 2.5 million viewers watched the third episode of the HBO series over the course of Sunday night. The production giant noted that these numbers combine data from Nielsen and its own HBO Max streaming numbers. The numbers indicate that the show saw a 22% increase in viewership over last week’s audience of 2 million. Previously, the record of the most-watched episode was held by Season 4 premiere, which saw 2.3 million people tuning in on its debut night.

The premiere has now been watched by nearly 7 million viewers across platforms since its release.

What happened during the episode?

The episode marked a massive shift for the series with patriarch Logan Roy dying off. As mentioned above, the episode primarily focused on the wedding of Connor and Willa, but things take a drastic u-turn when Tom (Matthew MacFadyen) calls the Roy siblings that their father is dying and if they wish to say anything, this might be the right time to do so. Kendall was devastated but controlled his emotions. However, Shiv and Roman were left broken when they heard the news of their father’s death. Shiv was crying and shaking while talking to her father one last time while Roman refused to believe the news and said he would need to see his father’s body to believe he is actually dead.

Sarah Snook as Shiv in 'Succession' Season 4 (HBO)
Sarah Snook as Shiv in 'Succession' Season 4 (HBO)

In the concluding moments of the episode, Shiv talks to the press and announces her father’s demise. Roman is able to see his father’s body and gets really emotional.

There’s a lot of curiosity among fans as to how the Roy sibling – Kendall, Shiv, and Roman – will now handle the business after their father’s death. So, it won’t come as a shock if these viewership numbers went even higher next week.

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