Severance Season 2 is directed by 4 people, including Ben Stiller
Apple TV+Severance Season 2 is about to drop on Apple TV, and while Ben Stiller directed half of the new season, there are three other directors.
It’s hard to believe, but we’re literally hours away from the premiere of Severance Season 2, almost three years after Mark shouted, “She’s alive!” and left us hanging on one of the best cliffhangers in TV history.
Why has it taken so long? Well, there were rumored troubles behind the scenes between the show’s creator Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman, one of its executive producers. It was also impacted by the Hollywood strikes, which impeded production.
Fear not, and praise Kier, because Seveance Season 2 is coming to Apple TV very soon – and if you’re wondering who directed it, this is who you should be applauding.
Who directed Severance Season 2?
Four people directed Severance Season 2: Ben Stiller, Sam Donovan, Uta Briesewitz, and Jessica Lee Gagné. You can find out exactly which episodes they direct below:
- Episode 1: Ben Stiller
- Episode 2: Sam Donovan
- Episode 3: Ben Stiller
- Episode 4: Ben Stiller
- Episode 5: Sam Donovan
- Episode 6: Uta Briesewitz
- Episode 7: Jessica Lee Gagné
- Episode 8: Ben Stiller
- Episode 9: Uta Briesewitz
- Episode 10: Ben Stiller
Stiller is a major creative force on Severance, instrumental in its development since the beginning and working closely with Erickson throughout the development of the second season. In Season 1, he helmed six episodes (1-3 and 7-9) while Aoife McArdle handled the middle episodes (it’s unclear why she didn’t return for Season 2).
In our five-star review of Severance Season 2, we heaped praise on Stiller, writing: “This is, comfortably, the most well-shot, directed (Stiller’s work is really impressive here), edited, and beautifully lit show on television.”
He also has incredibly privileged information: he knows how Severance ends. “Yes, we definitely have an end. I think we now know exactly how many seasons, which I won’t say,” he told The New York Times.
“I mean, in my mind, the series has always been about Mark and his innie and his outie, and the ultimate destination for both of them.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Stiller’s directing oeuvre, you’ve got some bangers to tick off: he directed The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in 2013, and most importantly, he made Tropic Thunder. He also directed 2018’s excellent Escape at Dannemora (which also features Severance’s Patricia Arquette).
Before Severance returns on January 17, 2025, find out more about O&D, the difference between Innies and Outies, what happened to Mark’s wife, and other TV shows you should check out in 2025.