What that ‘Succession’ bombshell episode will mean for the Emmys

The real drama of “Succession” is behind the scenes, gearing up for awards season.  

Note: Spoilers ahead for “Succession” Season 4, Episode 3, “Connor’s Wedding.” 

Sunday night’s episode of “Succession” shockingly killed off Logan Roy (Brian Cox). He’s been in bad health since the beginning of the series. But, it was still unexpected for the event to happen so soon in the final season.

“I’m very proud of myself, that I managed to keep this secret. You know, I thought, wow, Brian, for the first time ever, you’ve actually kept a secret. It’s such a big secret,” Cox, 76, told Deadline. “I’m eager to see how it shapes up, eager to see how … because it’s a slightly different show when you don’t have Logan. It’ll be interesting to see how Logan’s shadow looms, but I really don’t know, because I’m out of it.”

And after all the Roy siblings reacted to the news in the episode, viewers were already clamoring for all the awards. 

“Apologies to every show competing against SUCCESSION in literally any category at this year’s Emmys lol,” one fan tweeted. 

“Thoughts and prayers to all the Emmy hopefuls working on a dramatic series not named ‘Succession,’” another viewer commented. 

But realistically, with an ensemble cast, what do “Succession’s” Emmy chances look like – especially in terms of who is considered a “supporting” actor versus a lead actor, which will pit these cast members against each other?

According to Variety, behind the scenes, there’s some drama brewing. The outlet reports that Kieran Culkin, who plays the irreverent Roman Roy, and Sarah Snook, who plays the savvy Shiv Roy, are both considering switching to the leading actor category. Both of them have been previously nominated twice in the “supporting actor” categories, and neither has taken home a trophy, yet.

The Emmy submission deadline is on May 9th, and their teams are reportedly still deciding. There are seven more episodes left in the show’s final season, and the events of those episodes will impact their choice over what category to submit in. 

Meanwhile, Brian Cox has three different acting categories that he could compete in – guest actor, supporting actor or lead actor. 

The Emmys rule for 2023 states that “Only performers appearing in less than 50% of the eligible episodes can submit in the guest performer categories.” 

Although Logan is dead, there’s a chance that Cox could still appear in the remaining seven episodes, if there are any flashbacks. That could nix his chances for submitting in the “guest actor” category, if he gets more screen time.

If Cox submits in the lead actor category, he’ll likely face off against his on-screen son, Jeremy Strong, who Cox has dissed in the past over his method acting.

Variety reports that if Cox was nominated for lead actor, he would have the shortest screen time of any actor in that category – become the Emmy version of Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs,” (when he memorably took home an Oscar, even though Hannibal Lecter was only on-screen in that film for 21 minutes, total).

But, if Cox opts to submit in the supporting actor category, he’d likely face off against fellow cast mates Culkin, Alan Ruck and Matthew Macfadyen (who won last year). And if Cox submitted in the guest actor category, he’d likely face off against Alexander Skarsgard. 

The real question isn’t “who will succeed Logan Roy,” but “who will take home the Emmys?”

“Succession” currently airs Sundays at 9 p.m on HBO.