Severance creator breaks silence after on-set 'tussle' rumours in 'stressful' admission
Apple TV+ sci-fi show Severance has become a huge hit with viewers, but there have been reports of 'tensions' on set - something the show's creator has responded to
The creator of Severance has addressed rumoured tensions on-set as the hit Apple TV+ show grips audiences worldwide.
Dan Erickson, the mastermind behind the mind-bending series, has quipped about feeling "like a cult leader" following its explosion in popularity. Costing a whopping $20 million per episode, this sci-fi spectacle has taken Apple TV+ by storm smashing viewing records and creating a wave of fandom.
The plot twirls around the employees at fictional company Lumon Industries who undergo a brain-splitting procedure to divide their work identities - or 'innies' - from their non-work personas, dubbed 'outies'. But it's not just the eye-popping budget that's got audiences hooked.
The show has created a rabbit hole of fan theories and memes sparked by the series' juicy themes which poke at the essence of humanity itself. Erickson, 41, reckons it's this smorgasbord of thought-provoking ideas that's reeled viewers in, giving them the freedom to delve into the ones that resonate most deeply with them.
In a sit-down with The Times, he spilled the beans on the show, including the rumours of conflict behind the scenes. He said of the increasing fandom: "There's a meta element to it, where there are times where I feel like I've accidentally become a cult leader."
Severance has now tipped over 'Ted Lasso' to nab the crown as Apple’s leading lights. Having debuted in 2022, there was a three-year gap between seasons.
And though the hiccups of the pandemic and an actors’ strike in Tinseltown surely played a role in delaying season two's arrival, the rumour mill churns with tales of backstage squabbles. Erickson and producer Ben Stiller have previously denied any conflict on set, with Erickson describing the writing process as "painstaking process" and Stiller stating they had to "regroup" after the strike.
Erickson clarified: "I really wouldn't call it a tussle. I think that I've read some of the things you're talking about and they mischaracterise it a bit.
"Certain stories have made it seem like it starts with interpersonal conflicts and that leads to it being a difficult process, and that's really not my experience. For the most part, everybody who's ever worked on the show has certainly been working on it in good faith and trying to make it the best they can."
Erickson said creating Severance was "extremely complex", saying crew "set the bar very high on purpose". He admitted that the delay between seasons was "stressful" and "difficult", and he felt pressure not to "let anybody down".
Erickson recalled "waking up with a pit in my stomach in the morning", fearing he would "screw up", which he believes is a natural consequence of creating such an ambitious show. In an interview with IndieWire, he explained: "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 realise: This isn't quite it. We were never willing to let that turn it into something that wasn't perfect."
Severance, featuring stars like Adam Scott, Britt Lower and Patricia Arquette, is currently up for streaming on Apple TV+. The third season is still in its early production stages, but executive producer Stiller has promised fans they won't have to wait another three years to see the story unfold.