Ben Stiller teases Severance season 2 return — Apple TV Plus hit's director salutes fans as filming continues

A shot from Severance, the Apple TV Plus sci-fi thriller
(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

It's been something of a rocky few months for Severance, the hit Apple TV Plus show that captured the world's attention in its first season. But following confirmation that a second season had begun production back in October of 2022, things went quiet. That was thanks in part to strikes within the entertainment industry that brought Hollywood to a grinding halt throughout 2023 but now things are starting to look much more promising for those of us waiting for Severance season 2.

Following the news that one Severance fan had chatted with a star of the show and apparently been told that filming was ready to wrap up within months, the internet has been abuzz while waiting for official confirmation from someone working on the project. That official comment came in the form of the show's director Ben Stiller today.

Writing in a post on X, Elon Musk's social network formerly known as Twitter, Stiller confirmed to Severance fans that he and his team are indeed "working on it" when asked for a sign that season 2 is getting closer. The news has been well received, as you'd imagine. Now, we wait for filming to wrap up and for Apple TV Plus to share details on just when we can expect to take in the next installment of what is undoubtedly one of the best shows on its platform.

Lights, Strike, Action

Getting this far has of course been a real battle for Severance and those working on its hotly anticipated second season. Months went by with no sign of a resolution to disputes that saw the show's cast and crew join others on the picket line. The show's filming was halted in May 2023, shortly after Loot, another Apple TV Plus show, suffered a similar fate.

The strike finally came to a close in November of last year, but information about where Severance stood was hard to come by. Now, Dichen Lachman, who plays Ms. Casey in the show, reportedly told one Reddit user that the team working on Severance is “going to finish shooting season 2 in a couple of months.”

This news comes as the Apple TV Plus X account has also been setting the rumor mill ablaze with Severance-related posts, hinting that something was afoot. Now, Stiller's comment has confirmed that yes, Severance season 2 is a go — and it could be on our screens relatively soon.

Playing the Severance waiting game

Fans have been waiting for Severance season 2 ever since Apple confirmed it had begun filming more than a year ago. That news also saw the announcement that no fewer than eight new stars joining a cast that already included some big names.

Apple TV Plus confirmed that Oscar and Emmy Award nominee Bob Balaban would be signing on for season 2, while John Noble of Fringe fame will be joined by Game of Thrones Emmy Award nominee Gwendoline Christie. Other new additions include Bobby Benson (Beauty and the Beast and The One), Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist), Alia Shawkat (Search Party), and Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever from Godless.

“We are thrilled and delighted to be back on set for the exciting second chapter of ‘Severance,’” Severance director and executive producer Ben Stiller sat at the time. “Though we don't know how long we've been gone or who we are outside, we are told people enjoy the show and we couldn't be happier. Praise Kier!”

Stiller could not have predicted that filming would still be taking place more than a year later.

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Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.