Severance Spin-Off & Merchandise Chances Addressed By Ben Stiller
Your outie enjoys gobbling up as much of "Severance" as they can possibly get, to paraphrase a certain Lumon wellness counselor. Exactly how much, however, remains open for discussion. Season 2 came to a heart-stopping close just a few months ago, leaving viewers everywhere bursting with questions. Chief among them: When the heck can we expect more of the hit Apple TV+ original series, how much longer will it go on for, and is the show's creative team planning on turning this idiosyncratic story about work/life balance into a full-fledged franchise in its own right? We already know that season 3 has been officially confirmed and that it will come around far more quickly than the widely-publicized gap of three years between the first and second installments. Otherwise, creator Dan Erickson and executive producer/director Ben Stiller have stayed mum on most other details.
That cone of silence is finally being lifted ... just a smidge, for whatever that may be worth. In an interview with Variety (timed very shrewdly to this year's Emmy eligibility window, which ends on May 31 before voting commences in June), both Stiller and star Adam Scott opened up about their experience working on the show and their plans for its future. True to form, Stiller didn't bite on questions about how far the series' writing team currently is with season 3, the total number of seasons planned, and that all-consuming concern of whether John Turturro's fan-favorite character Irving B., last seen skipping town with his dog on a train, will ever return. But Stiller proved slightly more forthcoming when it came to the idea of potential "Severance" spin-off shows. As he put it:
"There are two specific ideas — that I won't tell you — that we've talked about internally as possible spin-off ideas."
And just like that, one single sentence has opened up the floodgates on what's sure to be endless amounts of speculation among fans. Before anyone jumps to conclusions, though, Stiller admitted that any serious consideration is still in the "nascent" phase of development. Still, that's probably not going to stop anyone clamoring for a series about Rickon Hale's (Michael Chernus) escapades as a self-help author, a show told from the perspective of Sarah Bock's Miss Huang, or a Mr. Milchick Power Hour starring the great Tramell Tillman. Go with God Kier, folks!
You might start seeing more Severance merch sooner rather than later
As I sit here and type this article, staring fondly at a Lumon-branded goat plushie chilling on my desk, the mind reels at the thought of how much money Apple could rake in if it stepped up its merchandising game in earnest. The retro-style aesthetic of "Severance" all but lends itself to the kinds of branding deals that would make any studio bean counter salivate like one of those vampires from "Sinners." How about a special UNO deck modeled after those Chikhai Bardo cards? Or a "Hang in there" motivational poster, like the one that played an unexpectedly large role in season 2's plot? Heck, if this opens the door to Edible Arrangements with a big ol' watermelon carving of John Turturro's face, this might've all been worth it.
To nobody's surprise, the "Severance" creatives are thinking along similar lines. Variety has suggested that old-school keyboards, patterned after the Macintosh-era tech at Lumon Industries, could very well be coming to an Apple Store near you ... provided that they remain "bespoke and specific to the show," of course, in the words of Stiller. That may only be the tip of the iceberg, however. Off the top of his head, Stiller remarked that a video game would make quite a bit of sense, with Scott in full agreement. ("I think it lends itself to one," as the actor put it.) For anyone wondering how something like that could possibly work, here's hoping they take inspiration from that hilarious "Community" video game episode that, in retrospect, feels oddly ahead of its time and extremely "Severance"-coded.
The possibilities are truly endless and everything is proceeding just as the Eagans have foreseen. Naturally, this exercise in gross capitalistic excess brings up the whole issue of Apple itself tacitly admitting it's no better than Lumon Industries, but that probably doesn't matter much in the face of all those dollar signs. Speaking of which, does anyone know where I can get Miss Huang's water ring toy?
"Severance" is currently streaming on Apple TV+.