Succession Season 3 Just Broke A Massive Record

The third season of HBO's drama "Succession" has arrived, and the premiere has set a new record for the premium cable channel and its streaming service, HBO Max.

"Succession" tells the story of the wealthy Roy family, whose leadership structure surrounding the company they run, Waystar RoyCo, is thrown into chaos as the health of the family patriarch Logan (Brian Cox) is called into question. The series has been a hit with critics and audiences ever since it debuted in 2018, and "Succession" even took home an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series on the strength of its Season 1 finale, "Nobody Is Ever Missing."

Fans have been eagerly awaiting the show's return for just over two years, and the release of a super-dramatic trailer for "Succession" Season 3 that revolves around Kendall Roy's (Jeremy Strong) shocking revelations at the end of Season 2 has only intensified that anticipation. News that "Succession" would add a huge star to its cast by hiring Alexander Skarsgård pushed fan excitement to a fever pitch, and the impressive numbers that the premiere episode for Season 3 put up is a testament to that strong reception the show has received.

Here is the massive record that "Succession" Season 3 just broke.

Season 3 of "Succession" had a massive opening night when it premiered on HBO various services on October 17, 2021. As reported by Deadline, "Succession" drew over 1.4 million viewers across all HBO platforms. That level of success gives "Succession" the biggest premiere audience of an HBO original since HBO Max officially launched in May 2020.

While the all-encompassing streaming platform HBO Max may be relatively young, having succeeded services such as HBO Now and HBO Go, which operated for most of the 2010s, the numbers "Succession" pulled remain impressive. Deadline observes that the Season 3 premiere pulled in 13% more viewers than Season 2's, and the show's performance was the most significant digital premiere for an HBO program since the 2nd season of "Big Little Lies."

The return of "Succession" may represent a return to normalcy for HBO's schedule. Deadline noted that production on "Succession," alongside "Barry" and "The Righteous Gemstones," was delayed due to COVID-19, leaving the network without some of its most high-profile original shows.

HBO Max has had some moments of success during this period, but many of its early records were set by films like "Godzilla vs. Kong" that premiered on the streaming service, which likely would not have if not for the global pandemic.