Ben Stiller Originally Envisioned ‘Severance’ as a Comedy

Ben Stiller is looking back on the inception of Severance and how he envisioned it very differently than what it ended up being.

The multihyphenate stopped by Hot Ones ahead of the release of season two of the Apple TV+ series, created by Dan Erikson, that Stiller directs and executive produces.

“It always, for me was started in comedy, really, because it’s sort of a workplace comedy, but it’s also very, very strange and maybe a little bit scary,” he told host Sean Evans. “Then as the show developed, it got a little weirder and stranger and maybe less comedic than I’d originally thought it was.”

Despite what the dramatic thriller came to be, it’s rooted in workplace comedy. “Kind of like, you know, like shows like The Office or Parks and Rec,” Stiller added. “Those were shows for me that were sort of in the DNA of what the show was.”

While Stiller has been exploring more work behind the camera than in front, when The Hollywood Reporter asked if he’d consider guest starring in Severance season two, the actor, director and producer simply teased, “Anything is possible.”

In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Stiller acknowledged that the next batch of episodes would have to solve some of the questions left unanswered from season one.

“I’m excited that we finally are at this place,” he told the publication. “It’s an interesting process making something like this second season because you now know there’s an audience there that cares. That has been in our minds the entire time: ‘Wow, people really are paying attention to these details.’ My hope is that, when they see this season, there’s an awareness that we’re trying to connect some dots and also leave some dots unconnected and put out some new dots to connect.”

In addition to his directing and producing duties on the Emmy-winning series, he is also co-hosting a companion podcast with Adam Scott, who stars in the thriller. The episode-by-episode, behind-the-scenes breakdown of the show will be conducted with the creators, cast, crew and fans,

Severance season two premieres on Apple TV+ on Jan. 17.