Ben Stiller Reassures Fans: Severance Season 3 Will Be the Best Yet
We’ve all been there. You fall head-over-heels for a show, binge it in a weekend, and then BAM – you’re stuck waiting three (seriously, three?) years for the next season like some kind of entertainment purgatory. Sound familiar, Severance fans? Yeah, we’re talking to you. (And a few other shows – you know who you are.) Ben Stiller just served up some seriously good news that’s going to make your work-life balance feel a whole lot better.
What Ben Stiller Said About Severance Season 3
During his May appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast (with waffles!), Stiller assured us that there would not be a three-year wait between seasons. He said:
No, the plan is not to [wait] three years…Hopefully, we’ll be announcing what the plan is very soon.
Thank goodness. Because if we had to wait until 2028 to find out what happens after that mind-bending Season 2 finale, someone might actually need their own ‘severance procedure’ just to cope with the emotional trauma.
Why The Long Wait Between Severance Seasons Actually Happened
Before you start side-eyeing Apple TV+ for taking their sweet time, let’s get real about what actually went down. The Severance Season 2 delay wasn’t some corporate conspiracy to torture fans – it was actually a perfect storm of Hollywood chaos.
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes (remember that?) generally put everything on pause. And when we say everything, we mean everything. Severance, unfortunately got caught in the crossfire, along with other shows you were waiting for with bated breath.
Stiller also explained that it took 186 days to tape. 186 days of shooting? That’s over six months. No wonder it took forever. That’s more than half a year just filming, then consider the post-production, editing, and all the other behind-the-scenes magic that makes Severance (and Lumon) the mind-bending masterpiece it is.
How Apple TV+ Has Changed Since Severance First Launched
Here’s something interesting that Stiller pointed out – Apple TV+ isn’t the same platform it was when Severance first dropped back in February 2022. Apple TV+ was “the new kid on the streaming block,” competing with Netflix, HBO Max, and all the other established big players.
“Three years later, Apple TV+ is actually a different situation there now because they have more viewers,” Stiller noted. “When we started out, we were one of the first shows.”
Translation? Severance helped put Apple TV+ on the map, and now the platform has the audience and resources to support shows like this without making fans wait forever between seasons. That’s actually kind of a great thing.
What We Know About Severance Season 3 Production
While we don’t have an official announcement yet (because apparently, we can’t have everything), the signs are pointing in all the right directions. Stiller confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter back in February that a writers’ room was already “underway” for Season 3.
And if you really want to get your hopes up, Stiller told Collider way back in November 2024:
You have a responsibility to the audience that you’re going somewhere with it. That’s always been a part of it for us, really understanding where it’s heading to… It should go as long as the story goes, and that’s something we have an idea of, and we’re working towards as we’re starting up our Season 3 work.
Ben Stiller’s New Perspective on Directing vs. Acting
While we’re talking about Stiller, let’s give the man some credit where it’s due. He directed 11 out of 19 Severance episodes, including that absolutely bonkers Season 2 finale that clocked in at 76 minutes. That’s basically a feature film, people.
And directing the show has apparently given him a whole new appreciation for actors. “It’s made me admire actors so much more as a director,” he shared. “When you’re really just directing, you can just focus on what you’re doing and be there for the other actors and be connected to the crew.”
It’s kind of funny, actually. Here’s a guy who’s been acting for decades, and working on Severance made him realize how hard his colleagues have been working all along.
The Season 2 Finale That Has Everyone Talking
Speaking of that 76-minute finale, “Cold Harbor” is officially the longest Severance episode ever. The Australian Classification Board even slapped it with an “MA 15+ Restricted” rating for violent content, which should tell you everything you need to know about how intense things are about to get. After everything we’ve been through with Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan, we probably deserve some answers, even if they come with a side of psychological trauma.
What This Means for Severance Fans
Nobody’s promising miracles here. TV production is complicated, and Severance isn’t exactly your average procedural that you can bang out in a few months. This show requires serious attention to detail, incredible performances, and probably a lot of therapy for everyone involved.
The good thing is the writers are already working, the vision is clear, and Apple TV+ now has the infrastructure to support the show properly. Plus, after waiting three years for Season 2 and having it absolutely deliver on every level, we’ve got some faith in this team. They know what they’re doing, (even if it drives us slightly insane in the process).
The Bottom Line on Severance Season 3
Ben Stiller just gave Severance fans the best news we’ve heard in months. No more three-year waits, a writers’ room that’s already up and running, and a production team that’s fully committed to not leaving us hanging forever this time.
Will we still have to wait? Yeah, probably. Quality television does take time, and Severance is nothing if not quality. But at least now we know they’re not planning to torture us with another endless hiatus.
Honestly, after that Season 2 finale, we’re going to need all the time we can get to emotionally prepare for whatever psychological rollercoaster they’re planning to put us through next.
