Summary
The extensive costs ofSeveranceseason 2 have reportedly been revealed. Season 1 of the science-fiction series starring Adam Scott, John Turturro, and Patricia Arquettebecame a critically acclaimed hit when it debuted in 2022and quickly cemented itself as one ofApple TV+’s best series. After a lengthy production process, the highly-anticipated season 2, which will consist of 10 episodes, is scheduled to begin releasing weekly on July 24, 2025.
According toBloomberg,Severanceseason 2 was expensive to produce, aseach episode reportedly cost more than $20 million. With its 10-episode total, this means season 2 cost more than $200 million to create, making it among the most expensive projects on television. This per-episode cost is only exceeded by series with massive budgets, including Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerand Netflix’sStranger Things.
Severance Season 1 Recap: 10 Biggest Things To Remember Before Season 2
Severance season 2 has finally confirmed a release date, but enough time has passed since season 1 that it’s worth looking back at the biggest twists.
Why Is Severance Season 2 So Expensive?
Many Factors Led To Season 2’s High Costs.
Severanceseason 2 remains an exciting prospect and will hopefully be worth its hefty price tag, but season 3 will likely not be as expensive.
WithSeverancelargely taking place in a corporate office building and not needing to create a fantastical world like Middle-earth or the Upside Down, its season 2 budget seems far more costly than it should be. This was also the case with season 1, which, due to delays caused by the Covid-19 impact, caused production to go on much longer than anticipated, and led to it costing $40 million more than expected.Several factors ultimately contributed to season 2’s high production costs, one of which was the dual SAG-AFTRA andWGA strikes in 2023.
Production onSeveranceseason 2began in late 2022 and wasscheduled to end in mid-2023, but the strikes put it on pause, leaving filming unable to resume until January 2024, and it did not wrap until April 2024. In addition to the financial impact of the strikes, executive producer Ben Stiller was planning to make a movie with Prime Video, written byHouse of Cards' Beau Willimon, whileSeveranceseason 2 was being produced. When plans for the movie fell through, Stiller brought Willimon ontoSeverance, with Apple paying Willimon millions per episode.
Beyond these specific factors,Severanceseason 2’s costs are related to a general lack of oversight from Apple TV+ on the cost of its original series, a common problem among streaming services as they tried to create the next hit show.Apple TV+ and other streaming services are now becoming stingierwith the series they renew and how finances are allocated as they face financial losses.Severanceseason 2 remains an exciting prospect and will hopefully be worth its hefty price tag, but season 3 will likely not be as expensive.
Cast
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
