Somehow, Severance season 2 cost an enormous $20 million per episode

I was a late comer to Severance, the sci-fi series on Apple TV+ about a group of office workers who have undergone a procedure that makes it impossible for them to remember what they did at the office when they're at home, and vice versa. It was terrific: creepy, funny and suspenseful. And the first season ended with a cliffhanger I would have been furious over had I watched the show when it first came out in 2022. At least now I only have to wait a few months to find out what happens next.

Severance is one of several great shows on Apple TV+, which is something of an anomaly in the streaming wars. Apple has deep pockets and cares about quality, which means there's lots of stuff worth watching on the service, and yet it isn't anywhere close to as popular as services like Netflix, Disney+ or even Max. This would be the time when most companies would pivot, but Apple is so stuffed with cash it could carry on doing this indefinitely if it wanted to.

But even Apple has limits. Bloomberg reports that the company is looking to keep tighter control over budgets thanks in part to shows like Severance; the upcoming second season cost $20 million per episode to produce, which makes it one of the most expensive shows on TV. For comparison, that's around $5 million more than it cost Game of Thrones to film "The Long Night," its 81-minute battle episode that featured White Walkers, extensive pyrotechnics, an army of zombies besieging a castle, and multiple dragons duking it out in the middle of a blizzard. It's also twice the cost of "Battle of the Bastards," which ran HBO around $10 million.

You might ask how that's possible. Apple runs show like Foundation and For All Mankind, sci-fi epics that involve space travel. Severance has some cool sets, but there aren't any space battles or anything (unless season 2 swerves in some very unexpected directions). Severance oscillates between the characters exploring their strange office space and hanging out at home. So why the high price tag?

Bloomberg chocks it up to behind-the-scenes difficulties. The writers and actors strikes of 2023 stretched things out, and there was reported infighting between producers Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman. Executive producer Ben Stiller (who was originally going to star before he backed out and got Adam Scott, FYI) had plans to make a movie with writer Beau Wilimon, whom Stiller called in to help with Severance with the long-term aim of having him manage season 3. But the movie didn't happen, Stiller devoted more time to Severance, and Apple ended up paying Wilimon millions of dollars for contributing to only a few episodes.

In short, it's a bit of a mess back there, and Apple is determined to not let things get out of hand like this in the future. This could mean that future seasons Severance and other Apple TV+ shows will cost less. According to Bloomberg, discussions about Severance season 3 (and beyond) are happening right now.

The industry is probably overdue for a correction like this. That said, between COVID and then the strikes, it's been an extremely weird few years for TV and movie production. With hopefully clear skies ahead, costs might come down on their own. And if we could have smaller gaps between new seasons, that would be great too. Either way, the second season of Severance premieres on January 17, 2025.

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