Baseball Theory Explaining Succession's Ending Is Too Good To Be True | Balls.ie

Succession has ended after four critically acclaimed seasons, and, after a strong finale, can rightfully be hailed as one of the best shows that HBO has ever produced.

The last season has honed in on the show's title, with each episode building towards the reveal of who, out of all the players, will succeed Logan Roy in the Waystar Royco empire.

Reddit and social media has been awash with theories, while fans were quick to choose sides and pick their chosen sibling out of Kendall, Shiv, Roman, and even Connor Roy (Con Heads).

An outsider in the bid for the throne was Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans, played by the superb Matthew Macfadyen.

Indeed, one of the best and most shared fan theories heading into the finale centred around Tom and his surname.

As the editor of baby name website Nameberry explained, his rare surname is shared with 1920s baseball player Bill Wambsganss (with an extra s), who is most famous for completing an unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series.

In Succession terms, could Tom perform a triple play of his own and take out the three main Roy siblings?

Incredible Succession Theory Debunked By Show Producer

This theory about Tom in Succession is wild. 👀 pic.twitter.com/xoOXJV90iF

— Christina Garnett (@ThatChristinaG) May 25, 2023

*Spoilers ahead*

As it transpired, Tom did win out by becoming CEO of the company after the acquisition by Mattson.

Unfortunately, the brilliant theory and how the show ended were not related and merely an amazing coincidence.

This was confirmed by producer Frank Rich on slate.com:

"I hate to spoil the internet’s fun, but it’s false. Tom’s family name was picked before we had shot a first season, let alone mapped out precise story twists that would culminate 39 episodes later! Not to mention that many of the key writers on the show, starting with its creator, Jesse [Armstrong], are British, live in London, and are devoted to British football.

“If memory serves, we were looking for something off-key that would be awkward to say/pronounce, befitting a character who arrives as an outsider in the Roys’ world.”