Looking at the bigger picture, there are essentially two kinds of finales in TV history. There’s the type that leaves fans teary-eyed, debating, and maybe even applauding, while the other leaves people opening Change.org petitions at 2 a.m. Game of Thrones gave fans the latter in 2019. It was a cultural event that ended with social media meltdowns, late-night hosts cracking jokes, and Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) becoming king in a scene that felt more like an HR promotion than a dramatic payoff.
Then came Succession. Four seasons, no dragons, no sprawling fantasy maps, just backstabbing, sarcasm, and endless thrills. Yet, when it bowed out in 2023, the finale hit like a gut punch. It didn’t need CGI, just clarity. Fans didn’t all like the ending, but they respected it. That’s the difference: one finale broke trust, the other doubled down on it. This article explores the main differences — payoffs, character arcs, and legacy — between the two series.
Why Succession’s Finale Felt Earned, Unlike Game of Thrones’
Most cinephiles and critics would agree that the first rule of finales is that the ending has to feel like it belongs to the story everyone has been watching. Unfortunately, with Game of Thrones, that was just not the case as the writers sprinted through six episodes as if they had dinner reservations. For instance, Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) dramatic transformation into the mad queen was always hinted at, but it needed seasons, not scenes. Critic Emily Nussbaum said, in The New Yorker, that she was basically disappointed by the ending of a show that offered so much promise in the beginning. Furthermore, by the time Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) pitched Bran as king, fans were still reeling from the ash of King’s Landing, not nodding along.
Succession, on the other hand, played the long game. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) wasn’t denied the crown in a shocking twist; instead, he unraveled in a way viewers saw coming. From the Season 3 poolside breakdown to his erratic speeches, the finale simply pulled the last thread. Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) fateful “no” vote wasn’t random either, as fans had been debating her pragmatism vs. family loyalty for years. When she eventually pulled her hand away in that boardroom scene, it hurt — because it made sense. That’s what pay off looks like. Not happy endings, but endings that respect the breadcrumbs left behind.
From Kendall Roy to Daenerys Targaryen: How Finales Honor or Break a Character
This distinction is clear when viewed through the lens of character arcs. Finales don’t just tie up loose ends; they tell audiences who the characters really were all along. For Game of Thrones… well, let’s be honest, it fumbled. Case in point is Daenerys going from breaker of chains to queen of ashes. That part wasn’t necessarily unbelievable — it was just massively underwritten. How about Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) going back to Cersei after years of character growth? That arc still feels like “character assassination” to fans of the show. To top it all off, Tyrion’s corny monologue about “stories being the best rulers” felt like it belonged in a freshman screenwriting class.
Back to Succession. Kendall’s finale — slumped on a bench, staring at the water with Colin (Scott Nicholson) hovering nearby — wasn’t some shock twist. It was the culmination of years of denial, addiction, and misplaced entitlement. The tragedy wasn’t that he lost Waystar Royco; it was that he had nothing left without it. Similarly, Shiv’s decision to pitch her tent with Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) in that cold limo scene wasn’t love; it was survival. She chose stability over chaos in a way that eerily paid tribute to her father, Logan (Brian Cox). Sure, some viewers hated it, others respected it, but nobody could say it didn’t fit her arc. Meanwhile, Roman (Kieran Culkin), sipping his martini with that half-smirk, walked away as the only Roy who seemed free. He wasn’t victorious, but he wasn’t shackled either. Ultimately, the major difference between the two endings is simple: Succession honored its characters, even as it crushed them, while Game of Thrones bent its characters to fit the ending.
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Pacing, Themes, and Why One Finale Landed Better
Additionally, even the most die-hard Game of Thrones fans will agree that the pacing of the show’s finale remains one of the reasons it didn’t resonate with audiences. It just felt out of place for a show that once thrived on slow-burning political chess to wrap its epic finale in six overstuffed episodes. The finale rushed big themes like the corruption of power and cycles of violence through speeches or overshadowed them with dragon fire. Rebecca Nicholson, writing for The Guardian, put it bluntly: “Up until the last few moments, I realised I had been waiting for a twist, and it was one that never came.”
Succession, by contrast, trusted silence. For instance, the series finale kitchen scene, where Kendall, Shiv, and Roman joked like kids, making a “meal fit for a king,” gave fans a brief glimpse of what could’ve been before tearing it away. Then there’s the boardroom vote, which wasn’t flashy, but packed a suffocating tension that viewers felt. Overall, Tom sliding into the CEO chair while Shiv reluctantly clasped his hand was the final exhale — not romantic, but transactional. Thematically, the show never lost itself. Succession was always about power, family, and legacy — and the finale doubled down. None of the Rots won because nobody ever really could. That’s why many critics more or less described it as a perfect ending. The finale wasn’t built to shock; it was designed to sting. Perhaps, what makes the ending even more impactful is the fact that Tom’s rise to the top was foreshadowed from the very beginning.
What Fans Will Remember About ‘Succession’ and ‘Game of Thrones’
Here’s the thing: a finale doesn’t just end a show, it paints a picture of how fans will remember it. Mention Game of Thrones now, and the first thing out of most people’s mouths is some variation of “that ending though…” The show went from “greatest of all time” to “greatest disappointment” in a matter of weeks. Even the Emmy wins couldn’t wash the taste out of fans’ mouths. Succession, meanwhile, left on a high note. Of course, people didn’t agree on every beat — was Shiv empowering herself or trapping herself? Did Kendall’s collapse feel just or cruel? But the debates came from a place of respect. Fans weren’t asking “what went wrong?” They were asking, “What does it mean?” That’s the holy grail for a showrunner: sparking conversation without outrage.
Both HBO-driven finales made noise, but only one left an echo. Years from now, fans will still be debating Succession’s ending like they do The Sopranos. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones’ finale will live on as the cautionary tale of how not to finish an epic story.
So here’s the question: when your favorite show ends, will it go out like a Roy or a Stark? You can watch Succession and Game of Thrones on HBO Max.
