Succession favourite Brian Cox was nearly killed off as Logan Roy in the first season.
His performance as the acid-tongued father-of-four won the Scottish actor a Golden Globe Award last year, and there's an argument to be made that Logan is the very figure this black-comedy drama pivots around.
So what on earth were the writers thinking?
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This surprising titbit was revealed during Cox's recent interview with The Guardian, when he was asked if there's more material beyond the imminent third season.
"That's a question I can't answer. It really depends on the writers. If they feel they can stoke other stuff out of it... I mean, it is morphing into other areas.
"It's becoming much more of a... I don't want to say 'humanist document' because Jesse [Armstrong, creator] would hate that. But the show has taken on its own life, it's creating its own life. And that's a big advantage."
On whether he'd need to be involved, the star commented: "No, they can kill me off. But I think they'd miss me. Originally, I was supposed to die at the end of the first series. But I think they realised that Logan is the centrifugal force of the piece.
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"Everything has to spin off him, and the kids' vices are all about their father, and relating to their father. Do they love their father, and if so how do they show that love?"
More to the point, without Logan there'd be no 'Boar on the Floor', which doesn't even bear thinking about.
Succession season 3 premieres on HBO in the US on October 17, while UK fans can catch episodes over on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
