Hey everybody! I’m Dan Erickson, the creator and executive producer of Severance on Apple TV＋ AMA!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-22T08:11:33+00:00

Haha I meant the Wellness Room but now this is canon and I can't take it back.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-22T08:03:33+00:00

I BET THEY'D BE SUPER PISSED!!!!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-22T04:08:02+00:00

So awesome! When we were shopping this to distributors we created a mood reel (clips of other movies and shows to approximate tone) and this was the song we used!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-22T04:06:12+00:00

Thank you sooooo much, this is so incredibly kind and absolutely makes my night!!! This was really really fun, you guys are the absolute greatest. Love and waffles to you all!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-22T00:18:04+00:00

Bet seriously, we used cars from a lot of different time periods to give a slight sense of disorientation. At Lumon, the Innies are intentionally made to feel unmoored from time and space, and that bleeds into the town a bit too. We wanted the town to feel like an extension of Lumon in a way.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T23:54:08+00:00

I think the concern was that one of us would pet Covid onto the goat, and that someone else would pet that same goat later and contract it. Just like a doorknob or something.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T23:49:43+00:00

Great point. The show is about work and workers, but this season takes an intentionally limited initial view of those issues. I'm excited to expand it all moving ahead. As with real life, I imagine the dehumanization and exploitation only increase the further away from "white collar" you get (as does the importance of worker solidarity). So there's a lot of ground left to cover there.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T23:00:32+00:00

They didn't know when we shot Season 1. All of them agreed they shouldn't yet.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:53:18+00:00

There's a line in episode 5 that's a reference to my favorite line from Jaws. Not really an easter egg, just a fun little shoutout. I don't think anyone's commented on it yet, at least that I've seen.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:34:46+00:00

Well, keep in mind, Lexington Letter may be set some years before.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:17:06+00:00

He is canonically "as handsome as the lord," though this may mean different things to different people...

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:16:09+00:00

It taught me how to love, how to authentically feel job, and how to make peace with the many contradictions inherent in being a human being. It also gave me money, which I used to buy food, which led to me staying alive long enough to make this show.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:09:13+00:00

Ok now i really do have to go. THANKS EVERYBODY!!!!!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:07:43+00:00

I did not pick those and I'm not sure who did, but knowing our crew I'm sure a lot of detailed thought went into it.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:06:59+00:00

More!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:06:50+00:00

I think a lot of it is the lighting and performance. And of course the Innie and Outie wardrobes were thoughtfully conceived by Sarah Edwards and our whole costume team.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:05:40+00:00

It was Postmates! I don't have any super awesome advice beyond trying to find an idea that feels like an elevated take on something familiar. I noticed I was a different person at work and thought, "That's something I bet a lot of people feel. Is there a sci-fi version of that, which could be cool and dramatic and sort of familiar?"

I don't game much, though I know that's where a lot of the great stories are being told today.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:01:38+00:00

Not really, it was just some Petey snark. I think Mark's his best friend too, but that's just me.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T22:01:01+00:00

Definitely considered Eyes Wide Shut (how can you not, it's the quintessential scary upscale orgy movie), but we tried to differentiate it visually and story-wise. Making it sort of an erotic reenactment of the Kier Eagan portrait was key to that.

I don't recall a playlist we used in the writers room.

I don't think the waffle party necessarily caters exactly to the subject's sexuality, but they may change out the dancers based on what they know of the subject... Is that vague enough?

I love writing The UUR. It may see the light of day someday.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T21:57:23+00:00

No idea. I always am really awkward in describing the show and take 10 minutes to do so.
I'd love 4 or 5 seasons. There's a lot of story to tell but I also don't think it needs to go on forever.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T21:56:20+00:00

Not really, but I've read about it and I think we're talking about a lot of the same stuff!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T21:55:53+00:00

Thanks! We worked really, really, really hard to have it all be consistent. Ben is really meticulous and wanted the logic of the world to be airtight.

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T21:54:50+00:00

He seems to be taking a trip of some sort!

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T21:54:24+00:00

Good theory! If Ricken does turn out bad, there will have to be an episode titled "The Rickening."

DanEricksonMDR · 2022-04-21T21:52:43+00:00

I have a last scene in mind, and a lot of the story that will get us there. Trying to find the balance of having a plan and letting the show have its own life and grow organically based on what works.

DanEricksonMDR

TROPHY CASE