WORKPLACE DRAMA

Ben Stiller Pushes Back on Reports of ‘Severance’ Season 2 Delays

The director and exec producer has responded to reports of alleged showrunner drama, script issues, and rising episode costs plaguing the Apple TV+ series.

Severance director and executive producer Ben Stiller has responded to reports of behind-the-scenes drama plaguing the show’s second season.

Stiller wrote in a tweet Friday afternoon: “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.”

That message of reassurance comes after Puck News’ Matthew Belloni reported that the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series has been delayed significantly due to script issues, rising production costs, and friction between its two showrunners, Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman.

Belloni cited multiple sources who said Erickson, a first-time series creator who wrote the original pilot, and Friedman, a more seasoned writer-producer who was paired with the rookie, “ended up hating each other on the first season.” Stiller reportedly tried to find a replacement for Friedman, who intended to quit after Season 1, but came up empty-handed and ultimately wooed Friedman back.

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The possible icing on the cake? House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, who was most recently a writer on the surprise critical hit Andor, was hired to come in and help shape the story for Seasons 2 and 3. (Willimon apparently got “a rich deal” for the gig.)

Prior to Stiller’s tweet, a source close to the show disputed the Puck report, telling The Daily Beast on Friday that Season 2 is on schedule, has the same budget as Season 1, and that Erickson, Friedman, and Willimon are working together without issue.

Severance, which stars Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, and Britt Lower, follows a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically split between their work lives and their personal lives. Season 1 debuted to rave reviews in February 2022 and garnered 14 Emmy nominations, but there’s currently no release date for the second season.

Editor’s note: This article was updated at 4:55 p.m. April 28, 2023, to include Stiller’s response.

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