After being the surprise hit of 2022, the production of Apple TV Plus' Severance season 2 has hit a snag due primarily to the falling out of its two showrunners, which has led to script issues and increased budget costs.
The writer of the original Severance pilot, Dan Erickson, and experienced writer-producer Mark Friedman, allegedly did not get along when they made the first season. Not only did things not get better between the two as Severance season 2 started production, but the show has had scrapped scripts, and the budget per episode has gone way up, leading to the Apple TV Plus show grasping at straws to find Friedman's replacement.
Matthew Belloni of Puck gave the full details of what has led to Severance's production problems. "The Apple TV+ series, which earned 14 Emmy nominations for Season 1, has been plagued for months by pricey problems, including scrapped scripts and the dreaded showrunners who don’t speak to each other. Dan Erickson, a newbie creator who wrote the original pilot, and Mark Friedman, a more experienced writer-producer who was paired with Erickson, ended up hating each other on the first season, per multiple sources." According to Belloni, Ben Stiller tried to find a replacement for Friedman, but couldn't find one, so he returned to Friedman. "Shocker: That didn’t work, scripts were a problem, and Apple—disappointed and embarrassed that they’d gone down the wrong road but looking at Severance as a hit and an awards magnet—started talking about Seasons 3 and 4."
In light of the production problems, Stiller turned to Beau Willimon, best known for his work on the Netflix hit House of Cards, who has not only helped with the back half of Severance's second season but has also provided a template for season 3. Though it appears that they've put a band-aid on their problems, it has led to significant delays for season 2 of the hit show, as Belloni put it, with no timetable for its release. It should be noted that TV Line sources close to the show dispute the Puck report, saying, "[Severance season 2] is on schedule, the budget is the same as Season 1, Dan, Beau, and Mark are all working together… [Beau] was hired for Season 3 and since they don’t have a traditional writers room, it made sense he would get involved in the current season as well."
This is not welcome news for Severance fans. Not just because of how well done the first season was but also knowing where the show left off. Severance season 1 ended with a massive cliffhanger. Not only did Hellie expose Lumon Industries' corruption to the public, but Mark's innie revealed to his sister that the one woman he thought to be his co-worker turned out to be his outie's previously deemed deceased wife before they were all switched back to their outies. To see these production problems following such an epic ending should be concerning for how the show goes forward.
Severance thrived on being such an original mystery and a real-life application of Plato's allegory of The Cave. From the beginning, the viewers had questions regarding what exactly was happening. Every time the show answered their questions, it only led to more questions. Not to the point where it got frustrating, but because the story had more layers to delve into. However, having potential and living up to it are two different things. Having significant delays doesn't mean Severance is doomed to get worse, but it's not a good sign.
Severance season 1 can be streamed on Apple TV Plus.