Severance Season 2: Producers Explain the Three Year Delay

Critical Insights on Severance Season 2

Season 2 of Severance faced significant delays, with a three-year gap since the premiere of Season 1.
The production was impacted not only by the Hollywood strikes in 2023 but also by lengthy script writing delays.
Exciting additions to the cast are anticipated, alongside potential repercussions unfolding from the Season 1 cliffhanger.

In today’s television landscape, showrunners often grapple with extended timelines between seasons, particularly when a series concludes with numerous unresolved plotlines. With the announcement of a release date for Severance Season 2, the creative team behind this intriguing Apple TV+ series has revealed the factors contributing to its prolonged production.

Launched in February 2022, the inaugural season of Severance captivated audiences and critics alike with its complex narrative and innovative concept. Adam Scott leads the cast as Mark, an employee at the enigmatic Lumon Industries, who undergoes a medical procedure called severance, segregating his work and personal memories. This method results in two distinct identities among Lumon employees: the “Innies,”who exist solely within the workplace, and the “Outies,”who navigate the external world. The show is the brainchild of Dan Erickson, a first-time showrunner, with direction by Ben Stiller.

Exploring the Delays of Severance Season 2

The protracted development of Severance Season 2 can largely be attributed to a meticulous pursuit of perfection. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Dan Erickson explained that the careful planning of shooting schedules and the writing process were significant factors in the delay. He emphasized the deliberate pace of production as a means of ensuring quality:

“On a practical level, it’s a very intricate show. Each character has two lives—essentially, two personalities—and we are expanding. For me, the writing was the most painstaking part of the process because there were so many ways we could go. And sometimes we would come up with something that worked perfectly well on paper, and then it wouldn’t be until we got there and we’re shooting it that we realize: This isn’t quite it. We were never willing to let that turn it into something that wasn’t perfect.”

Additionally, Stiller noted that after completing the writing phase, the production faced further challenges due to the Hollywood strikes in 2023. This led to an extended filming schedule, which concluded in May 2024, allowing a narrow window of just seven months to prepare for the January 2025 release:

“It took a while to write season two. Then we started to shoot in October of 2022, and we got shut down by the strike in May [2023]. At that point, we had completed about 7 of our 10 episodes, and then after regrouping, we didn’t resume shooting until January [2024]. We shot from January to May to finish the last three episodes.”

While initial concerns arose among fans regarding potential conflicts behind the scenes—including rumored difficulties between Erickson and co-producer Mark Friedman—these claims have been contested. To facilitate the writing process, acclaimed Andor writer Beau Willimon joined the team in April 2023 during production. Although the specifics of the internal dynamics remain somewhat obscure, many challenges associated with the delay appear to be par for the course in the television industry.

Anticipation for Season 2 has been heightened by the introduction of new cast members, including Gwendoline Christie and Sarah Bock, alongside returning favorites such as Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, and John Turturro. Fans can expect lingering consequences stemming from the dramatic Season 1 finale, suggesting that the wait for Season 2 will ultimately prove worthwhile.

Severance Season 2 is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on January 17, 2025.

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