Ben Stiller and Eddy Cue Discuss Apple TV+ Series 'Severance' at SXSW

At the annual SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas today, Apple's services chief Eddy Cue joined Ben Stiller on stage to discuss the hit Apple TV+ show Severance.

Severance 2025
Cue is a longtime Apple executive who oversees Apple TV+, and the company's other services, while Stiller serves as the director and an executive producer of Severance. In a session that ran for more than 40 minutes, the two discussed the critically-acclaimed series, with a few jokes about Apple and other comments mixed in.

Severance revolves around the mysterious company Lumon Industries. The company's employees cannot recall any memories about their personal lives while they are at work, and they cannot remember anything about the workplace when they leave the office. The show's second season is currently in progress, with eight episodes released so far.


Created by Dan Erickson, the sci-fi drama series has an ensemble cast that includes Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Tramell Tillman, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, and others. In the second season, the employees "learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe."

Severance has become the most-watched Apple TV+ series ever, according to Apple. A third season of the show is already in development.

In the U.S., Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month. It is also included in all Apple One bundles.

Thanks, Shawn!

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Top Rated Comments

F23 Avatar
7 weeks ago
Hey Tim I’d love to watch a show about how the incredible Apple engineers took 4 years working tirelessly to only update the AirPods Max port from Lightning to USB C.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
7 weeks ago

200 million???? Game of Thrones season 1 are 50 to 60 million, apple needs some serious audit if that's true. I didn't see any scene from Severance that worth this huge amount of money.
You're comparing the budget of a series filmed in 2010 (season 1 of Game of Thrones ) with something filmed between 2022 to 2024?

The 6 episodes for season 8 of Game of Thrones reportedly cost $90 million ($15 million per episode) and that was filmed between 2017 and 2018.

Severance season 2 has 10 episodes. A $200 million budget means $20 million per episode.

Maybe you didn't hear, but there was a huge Hollywood strike where just about everyone got raises. Apple having to pay $5 million more per episode in 2022 - 2024 vs what HBO paid for season 8 of Game of Thrones from 2017 - 2018 shouldn't be a shock.

House of the Dragon cost just under $20 million per episode ('https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/house-of-the-dragon-budget-episode-cost-1235238285/') for season 1 (10 episodes total) which was filmed between 2021 and 2022.

If you think Apple paying $200 million for season 2 of Severance is expensive, let me tell you about Amazon and how they spent $465 million ('https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/lord-of-the-rings-amazon-cost-1234953345/') to film/produce season 1 (8 episodes) of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlanBeyond Avatar
7 weeks ago

Season 2 had a $200,000,000.00 budget. Doesn't seem like a low budget number to me. And it is Apple TV+
shining star show.

Severance Season 2's $200M Budget Explained: Why It Cost So Much When It's... Set In An Office ('https://screenrant.com/severance-season-2-budget-episode-cost-explained/')
200 million???? Game of Thrones season 1 are 50 to 60 million, apple needs some serious audit if that's true. I didn't see any scene from Severance that worth this huge amount of money.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlanBeyond Avatar
7 weeks ago
It is indeed a great show! Apple's by far the best show yet.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikramerica Avatar
7 weeks ago
If they air another episode focused on Harmony I am done. I don’t watch the show for 45 minutes of Patricia Arquette being surly.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Greenmeenie Avatar
7 weeks ago
I hope Severance doesnt go past 3 seasons. Take a lesson from Ted Lasso. 3 season arc is perfect to wrap up a streaming series. I know Ted Lasso might come back for a 4th season... but thats just a rumor and if it happens it'll be 3 yrs since season 3 ended and the show will be more of a reset or new show with a new focus. Point is, less is more. Look what happened to Lost or The Walking Dead. Two appropriate names for what those shows became... LOST & DEAD SHOW WALKING ? People get bored of a show after a certain point. You want to leave them wanting more. Get out early & stay a classic forever instead of a show that overstayed it's welcome. ✌️
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)