Apple TV’s New ‘Severance’ Expansion Plan Risks More Harm Than Good

Apple TV phenomenon Severance has just been through a behind-the-scenes process that could ultimately lead to a decline in the quality of the on-screen product. At first glance, the recent deal involving the award-winning sci-fi show looks to be positive, but the larger plan regarding how to push Severance forward could come with some unintended consequences. Only time will tell whether the series will continue to thrill audiences as the saga progresses from here. In a move that may confuse some, Apple TV has just successfully acquired the rights to Severance.

Although the streaming service has hosted and promoted the show since its 2022 premiere, the first two seasons were actually made in partnership with indie studio Fifth Season. Deadline reports that the acquisition cost Apple around $70 million, and that Fifth Season will stay on board as Severance‘s executive producers as the show continues. This type of deal is nothing new in the streaming era, but Apple Studios just gained one of its most successful projects to date. Apple’s decision to buy the Severance IP makes sense, but some of the ideas for the show’s future sound a little misguided.

Apple Studios’ Plan for ‘Severance’s Future Explained

Apple

In a move that will be a surprise to very few people, Severance Season 3 is still going ahead. Production is expected to begin in mid 2026, so a 2027 release is possible. At a push, maybe 2028 will be when the Season 3 premiere drops. Severance already has an unfortunate reputation for having a glacial production process, so it wouldn’t be unprecedented for last year’s Season 2 finale to be the last episode for multiple years. This schedule could be disrupted further by a potential move from New York to Canada, which would be purely for financial reasons, lowering the production budget.

Creator Dan Erikson and producer Ben Stiller are largely expected to make four seasons of Severance before it ends. Although Season 4 has yet to be announced, it’s likely to happen given how successful the show has been so far. Season 3 would need to really nosedive for this to change. Despite the four-season blueprint, it’s also not uncommon for shows to extend their run for narrative or financial reasons. So, it’s possible that Season 5 or beyond could take place if deemed necessary. Now that Fifth Season has less of an active role in the show’s production, the decision-making process in this regard is sure to be more streamlined.

Perhaps the biggest piece of news in the wake of Apple’s acquisition of Severance is the rumors of spinoffs and prequels. The same Deadline article that detailed the deal between Fifth Season and Apple Studios also spoke about Erikson and Stiller’s willingness to explore projects like this that would explore other corners of the Severance universe. Nothing is yet set in stone, and there are no further details available on the matter. However, if the show continues to do as well as it has been, other Severance shows seem like an inevitability at this point. After all, Apple will want to get full use out of its new toy.

Why Spinoffs & Prequels Could Hurt ‘Severance’ Moving Forward

Severance best sci-fi show streaming trending apple tv december 2025

On paper, the thought of the Severance universe being fleshed out with other canonical projects sounds like a really cool idea. Then, if it’s really considered, I’m not sure how much I’d want this to happen. Although Severance is a sci-fi show and relies on genre-led worldbuilding to form its central premise, it’s actually all the mysteries and half-answered questions that make the show so great. Although there aren’t many shows like Severance, there are similar projects that also thrive on this ambiguity surrounding some of their biggest narrative elements. When those answers are revealed, it’s satisfying, but it’s also easy to miss the days when the enigma was at full power.

Severance has had a great balance so far of making sure more mysteries come along to replace any that are fully resolved. The show has pulled this off in an incredibly slick and focused way. I think one of the biggest reasons for this level of storytelling control is that the world can only be witnessed through the lens of a single show. If Severance becomes a franchise that adds more and more lore, it’ll invariably contextualize what’s happening across its related projects. In other words, what was intentionally left unanswered in Severance will lose its impact as it starts to crystallize elsewhere.

Inversely, because Severance thrives on its more mysterious facets, a good number of these must remain, but not too many that the mystery/answer ratio is thrown out of balance. If spinoffs and prequels start to introduce their own enigmas, the franchise could quickly become a caricature of itself. If projects like these do happen, I think they’ll need to focus on entirely new settings and characters, so core events remain untouched. That said, I think it’s a safer bet for Severance to remain simply as a four- or five-season run before ending on its own terms – not everything needs to become a sprawling franchise.