The idea of Severance started in a regular office. When creator Dan Erickson admitted he once wished he could “skip ahead eight hours” of his workday, he was confessing a thought most of us have had, right? That uncomfortable wish became the backbone of Apple TV+’s eerie corporate thriller, Severance. This show asks a deceptive question: what if you actually could sever your work self from your personal life? As Erickson revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, that moment of self-awareness was the spark. He realized:“That should be a show.”And it turns out, it absolutely should!What inspired the plot of Severance? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostErickson’s inspiration, as we mentioned before, was routine and numbing office work. The show was born out of“corporate misery,” after he worked a string of jobs that left him daydreaming about fast-forwarding through a workday. The thought disturbed him enough to become a concept eventually.Plus, Erickson’s fixation on the human cost elevates Severance. He’s been drawn to science fiction that explores social consequences and cited late ’90s films and character-driven stories where the fallout matters more than the tech. That’s why Severance spends as much time on dinner parties and small talk as it does on hallways and keycards. The show’s discomfort comes from the fact that we’ve all had versions of these conversations, minus the brain chips. Erickson was excited by moments like the “non-dinner party” in Episode 1. It’s insufferable yet very realistic, and that helps the plot. How did a writing sample become Severance?Originally, Severance wasn’t even meant to be a show! Did you know that? So, ot starts in the way that Erickson wrote the pilot as a sample because he was hoping it might land him in another writers’ room. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHe sent it to Ben Stiller’s production company with fundamental expectations, but of course had a secret wish. Stiller, on the other hand, saw something special. The script reminded him of workplace comedies like Office Space, The Office, and Parks and Rec, only filtered through an existential lens. The pilot went through a crucial rethink as well. In early drafts, it was supposed to be Mark (not Helly R) waking up on the Lumon table. Flipping that choice helped unlock the show’s internal rebellion. Making Helly the newcomer destabilized the environment as she was the only woman in an otherwise male office. Helly helps usher in the idea of change rather than being another cog.Some elements didn’t survive the transition, though. Erickson’s OG pilot was more “acid trippy,” as we would've seen just some legs running by!Filming followed the same spirit as the scenes were also filmed out of order over nearly a year. Actors sometimes played innies from one episode in the morning and outies from another that afternoon. Continuity became an obsession, which only fit the process for a show about fractured identities.Seasons 1 and 2 of the show are now streaming on Apple TV+.