The wait for Severance season 2 has felt endless, but it’s now just a month away. A fresh interview sheds light on why the series took so long to return and what viewers can expect from its upcoming Apple TV+ season.
Anticipated Highlights for Severance Season 2
Vanity Fair features an interview with Severance’s two main creative figures—creator and writer Dan Erickson, along with director and executive producer Ben Stiller. In the article, Anthony Breznican explores a range of aspects related to the acclaimed series.
Viewers should brace for intense conflicts arising between characters’ innies and outies:
This new season [dives] far deeper into the split personalities of its four main characters, whose private lives have been technologically kept distinct from their work memories. This essentially transforms each character into two different individuals, sometimes with conflicting motivations.
While the first season of Severance already leaned toward the bleak, creator Dan Erickson hints that the upcoming season will adopt an even darker tone:
Things definitely take a darker turn. We were very much inclined to put our protagonists in a more terrifying situation, especially since season one concludes with them stirring the pot. They ignite a small rebellion and achieve a certain level of success, but the real question for season two is: What happens when the pot stirs back? What’s the consequence of their victory? While I won’t reveal too much, the repercussions are severe.
One particular event in season 2 that could lead to an especially strange twist: a Lumon corporate retreat.
Reportedly, the “core Innie team takes a break from their macrodata refinement department for an excursion into a wintry setting.”
Stiller comments: “Corporate retreats can be quite intriguing. You have to consider how Lumon is attempting to manipulate their employees through their corporate culture. There’s also other team-building activities and dynamics that I believe serve a different purpose altogether.”
Reasons Behind the Long Wait for Season 2
When queried about the almost three-year hiatus between the first and second seasons of Severance, both Erickson and Stiller shared their insights.
The explanation essentially boils down to a blend of their perfectionist tendencies—wanting ample time to ensure everything is just right—and some unfortunate timing caused by industry strikes.
Erickson remarks:
At times, we would devise something that appeared perfect in theory, only to discover during filming that it wasn’t quite right. We weren’t willing to settle for anything less than perfection… We had planned entire locations. Some were already constructed or partially done when we realized, ‘Oh, that won’t work.’ Those conversations with the studio are never enjoyable.
Stiller adds:
Writing season two took quite a bit of time. We began shooting in October of 2022, but the strike halted our progress in May [2023]. By that point, we had completed about 7 out of 10 episodes and had to reorient ourselves post-strike. Preparing for the show takes time, so we didn’t resume shooting until January [2024], continuing until May to complete the final three episodes.
The full interview is a must-read for Severance fans.
Severance season 2 is set to premiere with its first episode on Friday, January 17. You can binge the entire first season now on Apple TV+.
What are your thoughts on these new tidbits about season 2? Are you looking forward to Severance coming back? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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