Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Led to Severance Season 2 Delay

When Severance premiered on Apple TV+ in 2022, audiences were stunned by its quality. Many quickly labeled the Ben Stiller-directed show a potential cult classic. However, it's now been over a year since the first season's debut, and the second installment still hasn’t started filming.

While many assumed that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were the primary culprits behind the delay, the show's difficulties actually began well before these labor disputes. Matters deteriorated to the point that the creator of another successful series was brought in to help Severance navigate its internal conflicts.

The Feud

After the first season's triumph, tensions escalated between the co-showrunners, Dan Erickson, the series' creator, and Mark Friedman, an experienced producer. Their feud eventually got so bad that Stiller felt compelled to step in, seeing how the show's future was now hanging in the balance.

Erickson and Friedman couldn't agree on the series' direction, prompting Stiller to enlist House of Cards creator Beau Willimon to mediate and assist with scripting the second season. With Willimon's involvement, things started to look up for Severance, but then the strikes began.

Show in Ruins

Various sources indicate that the budget allocated by Apple TV+ for Season 2 has already been overrun by a long shot, even though it hasn't even started filming yet. It's alarming how much money is being spent on the show, especially given the fact it doesn't even feature any action sequences. With this much money on the line, the streaming platform may consider pulling the plug on Severance.

Nevertheless, Ben Stiller has assured fans that the show will continue. It should be noted, however, that he made that statement before the strikes.

'No one's going to the break room. We're on the same really slow schedule we've always been on. Same target air date we've always had. Love our fans and each other and we all are just working to make the show as good as possible,' Stiller said back in April.

At the moment, the creative team behind Severance has yet to announce when they plan to start filming for Season 2.

Source: X.