Count Matthew Macfadyen among the people feeling conflicted about “Succession” ending its run after the upcoming fourth season. The actor, who won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for her performance as the awkward Tom Wambsgans, told the New York Times he had mixed feelings about the HBO hit series coming to an end.
“It was a really lovely bunch of actors,” Macfadyen said in the interview, published Tuesday. “It’s a weird thing, the grief when you finish a job. It’s sort of awful and heartbreaking, but at the same time, there’s a slight relief — a complicated mélange of feelings.”
Creator Jesse Armstrong confirmed the news of the series ending in an interview with the New Yorker in February, revealing that the decision had been made while the writers plotted out Season 4.
Other than his big win at the 2022 Emmys, Macfayden has enjoyed a sense of popularity in his role as the awkward yet power-hungry Tom. Over most of the show’s run, Tom played more as a henchman to the machinations of Waystar Royco CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox), while being mostly overlooked by his wife Shiv (Sarah Snook). His working (and in many ways toxic) relationship with the Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) also helped cement Tom’s status as a fan-favorite of the series.
“I don’t know how he’s managed to make such an obsequious and bullying character likable, but he has,” Snook told the New York Times of Macfayden. “He’s one of those actors who’s got such love and empathy and compassion and curiosity for the world that he can really fashion a character into anything he wants.”
Snook herself spoke out about her feelings on the end of the show in a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, admitting she was not happy when the creative team shared the news during the show’s final table read.
“I was very upset. I felt a huge sense of loss, disappointment and sadness,” she said. “It would have been nice to know at the beginning of the season, but I also understand not being told until the end because there was still a potential that maybe this wasn’t going to be the end.”
She added that she agreed with Armstrong’s decision to wrap up the series, however, emphasizing she will miss the cast and crew.
“Emotionally, all of us weren’t necessarily ready to be done with the show because we love each other so much,” she added. “But everything has to come to an end, and it’s smart not to let something become a parody of itself.”
How will the final season fare for Tom? Season 3 ended with the executive making a big power move, selling out his wife and her siblings by telling Logan plans for the future of Waystar Royco. With his alliances in place with the family patriarch, we’ll have to wait and see where Tom will land after the dust settles on this final chapter.
“Succession” Season 4 premieres Sunday, March 26, on HBO and HBO Max.
