The Origins of Severance

The concept of the show Severance was influenced by creator Dan Erickson’s experience at a door factory, where he felt a sense of disconnection and fantasized about skipping the less desirable hours of work. This experience sparked the idea of severance as a metaphor for escaping emotional pain associated with daily life and work. The creative journey began in 2015 when Erickson sent the initial script to Ben Stiller’s production company, Red Hour, where it went through multiple revisions to establish a compelling narrative filled with raw emotion and humor. The collaborative effort led to refining the story into a more grounded premise, allowing for deeper exploration of the show’s central themes of identity and work-life balance.