How Much Time Has Passed Over The 4 Seasons Of Succession?
The final days of the Shakespearean tragedy that is "Succession" are upon us, and a lot of questions remain unanswered. Five years have passed since the series premiered, but just how much time has elapsed in the universe of the Roy family? Only a few key moments have indicated the passage of time over the series, but not every detail is consistent. Is the timeline meant to remain ambiguous, or is there a concrete answer to this oft-wondered fan question?
The show kicks off with Logan's birthday, where the Roy family is notably wearing coats, hats, and scarves. His daughter Shiv is anticipating an upcoming senate election, which is set to take place in several weeks. This indicates that Logan's birthday is likely sometime in the fall, cold enough for coats but still some weeks before early November. This places the beginning of the first season somewhere in late September or October before a senate election.
A few episodes later, the family celebrates Thanksgiving in one of the few episodes that firmly dates the show. In episode 6, Shiv makes an offhand mention of the wedding happening in March. This means that about six months have passed since the beginning of the season. The plot of each episode in the first season indicates very little time between each episode, which means that it's unlikely that an entire year and a half has elapsed. The first season's timeline is spread out over several months, but by season 2, time starts to get a little fuzzier.
Season 2
Season 2 kicks off just a few days after Shiv's wedding, and the first episode spans a single weekend — presumably still in March. In episode 2, Tom mentions that only a week has elapsed between their time in the Hamptons in episode 1. Lester dies in episode 3 and Connor dons a coat to his funeral in New York one episode later, which means that it's most likely still March or April in episode 4.
Roman enters a six-week management training program in this episode, which he takes a weekend away from in episode 5 but has completed it by episode 6, which suggests that the Argestes conference in episode 6 occurs in late April at the earliest. The cast is wearing vests and light jackets, but the mountainous setting could mean cooler temperatures at any time of year. By episode 8, the Roy clan is seen both with and without jackets outside in Scotland, which sets the episode in the early spring.
Even if all but the final two episodes of season 2 are set in May, the final two episodes have a few indicators of time that will present some loose ends later. The congressional hearings in D.C. start in episode 9 and it's warm outside, meaning it's May at the earliest. Kendall points out that Senator Gil Eavis has appeared on the Roys' news network ATN "14 times in the last four months." All but one of these appearances would have taken place after Shiv's wedding, where Shiv brokered a deal between Gil and her father. This would place episode 9 in July at the earliest. However, in the same episode, Roman addresses the Scottish soccer team The Hearts ahead of a game that Saturday. Their season typically begins in August and ends in May, making June and July an impossibility.
Season 3
We do finally get some clarity on the impending timeline in episode 9 of season 2, when Frank mentions that the important shareholder meeting is two and a half weeks away, slowing the timeline of season 3 way down. The premiere of season 3 picks off right where the previous season ended, and the meeting doesn't happen till episode 5.
The following episode is where things start to get wonky. Senior White House staffer Michelle-Anne tells Logan that President "Raisin" will be "out of a job in six months" and that the Republican party is "six months to election day with no candidate." This would place the convention in May. So, have only two months elapsed since the season 1 finale? And if it had only been two months, what about that senate election that Shiv had worked on at the beginning of the series — aren't senate elections two years apart from general elections? Or was that a special election, perhaps?
Season 3 presents another issue — Kendall's kids, who looked no more than 10 in the first season, seem to have gone through puberty by season 4. Could it be a dramatic summer growth spurt, or has more than a year passed since Thanksgiving in see? Series creator Jesse Armstrong told The New Yorker that some of these conflicting details are:
"[T]he time frame is where I have to hold my hands up and say, 'Look, TV is just really hard.' We've been doing the show for six or seven years, and people have aged, but the story moves at a pace that the story demands. I think that there's probably been a couple of years elapsed in story time, but, to an audience, and indeed to ourselves as writers, it feels rather longer. The show has to live in a weird TV reality."
Season 4
Despite the blurry timeline in the first three seasons, season 4 sets a few things into perspective. Kendall mentions that he has been speaking to potential investors about his collaborative venture with his siblings, The Hundred, for three months. All three months would have followed their falling out with their father in the season 3 finale.
The first episode of the final season is set on Logan's birthday, just like the series premiere, which places it firmly in the fall. Connor also mentions that it's the "final days" til election day, suggesting that the episode takes place in October. In episode 2, Tom mentions that ATN is running a "countdown 'til election day," confirming that most likely less than a month remains before the general election.
This places the beginning of season 4 about five months out from the middle of season 3, the May before the election. If this season kicks off in mid-October and it's at least three months after the season 3 finale, that means that Caroline's Tuscan summer wedding at the end of season 3 took place no later than the previous August and no earlier than late May.
It may seem crazy, but the most likely timeline between the first ever episode of the series and the season 4 premiere is a single year. When it comes to some of the minor details, or Kendall's kids, or Shiv's haircuts, we will simply have to suspend our disbelief. The story is so good, it certainly justifies a little tweaking and time-jumping to keep things exciting. There might be some inconsistencies along the way, but these details are so small that they don't really grate on the impact of the show — which is, if it may be said, one of the best television shows of all time.