There will be no mention of COVID-19 or the pandemic in Succession season 3 because the wealthy weren't as affected by it. The critically acclaimed HBO series follows the Roy family, spearheaded by Logan Roy (Brian Cox), CEO of media conglomerate WaystarRoyco. His four children, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) all jockey for their father's love and affection in increasingly extreme and sometimes humiliating ways. The main crux of the series is the debate over who will take over control of WaystarRoyco as Logan becomes older and more unsure of himself in running a company with an increasing need for modernization.
This all culminated in the Succession season 2 finale when an internal scandal was blown wide open by troubled son and former CEO-in-waiting Kendall as he blamed his father for all the unethical practices at the company. Succession's season 3 trailer teased an all-out civil war between the family as various members of the clan and the employees close to them are forced to pick sides between Kendall and Logan. The third season has faced a slew of delays due to the pandemic, finally picking up production at the end of 2020. Now, Succession season 3 is set to premiere in October, but don't expect the pandemic to be incorporated into the story.
In an in-depth look at the show's third season from Vulture, it was revealed that creator Jesse Armstrong decided not to rewrite any of season 3's scripts to incorporate the pandemic. The majority of season 3 was written before the onset of the pandemic, but the real-world events won't be incorporated because, the way Armstrong and some of the cast sees it, the wealthy weren't really affected by the pandemic. Shiv actress Sarah Snook elaborated:
These are really wealthy people. And unfortunately, none of the world’s really wealthy people were going to be affected by the pandemic.
Succession has gone to great lengths in its efforts not to glamorize the wealthy. In fact, the Roy family is often depicted as arrogant, petulant, and petty. While audiences may have come to know and maybe even love some members of the Roy family, especially sulky puppy dog Kendall, the clan isn't exactly made up of virtuous and moral people.
Many shows in recent months have made efforts to incorporate the pandemic into their plots. Grey's Anatomy's recent season saw the hospital deal with the pandemic and HBO Max's recent Gossip Girl reboot took place in a post-COVID world. All of this has led to mixed results, with many unsure of how to process the fictional depiction of the pandemic as it still rages on in the real world. Additionally, it's likely for the best that Succession season 3 won't address it. The series really hit its stride in its stellar second season and rewriting its third to incorporate the real world events could have only served to undermine what has become one of the funniest and most incisive satires on the air today.
Source: Vulture