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

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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.jpg

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!

Article Link: Ben Stiller and Eddy Cue Discuss Apple TV+ Series 'Severance' at SXSW
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/09/ben-stiller-and-eddy-cue-discuss-severance/
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I just watched the video and got major cringe when Ben Stiller “jokingly” suggested that Apple might be tightening the purse strings for the show. The discomfort in Eddy Cue’s chair was palpable.
 
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lolkthxbai said:
I just watched the video and got major cringe when Ben Stiller “jokingly” suggested that Apple might be tightening the purse strings for the show. The discomfort in Eddy Cue’s chair was palpable.
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I don't know how much it costs, but I thought it was one of those "low-budget masterpieces"? Because I didn't see many expensive special effects shots, and the shooting scenes seemed very limited, just the severed floor, mark's home, and some forest without big scenes.
 
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AlanBeyond said:
I don't know how much it costs, but I thought it was one of those "low-budget masterpieces"? Because I didn't see many expensive special effects shots, and the shooting scenes seemed very limited, just the severed floor, mark's home, and some forest without big scenes.
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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
 
Severence is an amazing show and I like it very much. Did not see this video yet. Will do so soon. Hoping that there won’t be a long wait for the next season.
 
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AlanBeyond said:
I don't know how much it costs, but I thought it was one of those "low-budget masterpieces"? Because I didn't see many expensive special effects shots, and the shooting scenes seemed very limited, just the severed floor, mark's home, and some forest without big scenes.
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Season one surly was. I suppose all is fair if people are getting paid extra well and Apple has a tax write off.
 
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AlanBeyond said:
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.
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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 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 to film/produce season 1 (8 episodes) of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 🤣
 
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The quality of the shows on Apple TV have matched the quality of the Apple brand, which was only to be expected.
The final episode of Season 1 was the finest TV I've ever witnessed yet.
It was slow starting, if you haven't watched it yet, but well worth the ride to the end of the first season.
 
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sw1tcher said:
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 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 to film/produce season 1 (8 episodes) of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 🤣
Click to expand...
House of the Dragon has dragons. Every episode. Huge ensemble cast. Massive sets in several countries. Lord of the Rings is LORD OF THE RINGS.

Whatever Severance is doing with that cash, it's much more subtle. The show is a masterpiece of cinematography (among other things), so maaaybe they threw cash behind the many jawdropping shots of the season. But unless the finale is a sweeping Battle of the Goats, the budget is kind of a head-scratcher.
 
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sw1tcher said:
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 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 to film/produce season 1 (8 episodes) of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 🤣
Click to expand...
As I said, the most expensive things are the visual effect and Severance doesn't have any of those... I could almost say that a lot of the scenes can be shot on iPhone lol (compared to how much CGI were used in the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones).
 
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sw1tcher said:
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 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 to film/produce season 1 (8 episodes) of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 🤣
Click to expand...
Yeah, but Game of Thrones and LotR are both high fantasy series requiring much more elaborate sets, costumes, makeup, CGI/special effects, creature design, etc. They also tend to have scenes with a lot more people on screen at once who all need costumes.
 
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adib said:
I'll bet it's Apple's dream to be a company that controls employees like how Lumon Industries do.
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Beat me to it. Remember Cook’s REM elevator promo for S2? It’s his wet dream.

As for the ridiculous $200m budget, you can imagine names like showrunner Ben Stiller, and actors like Scott, Arquette and Walken, all have agents who saw Apple TV+ and quickly added a few zeros to their clients’ remuneration, and then high-fived and/or wet themselves when Cue signed off on it without a second thought.

Meanwhile, the ongoing cost of additional RAM across the Mac line, continues to attract ire and disgust…
 
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Also, horses for courses I know, so downvote away but…

As much as I tried (and I really did) I couldn’t bring myself to get through all of S1. I tried again with first ep of S2 (with the catch up) but yet again, found the pacing painfully slow and the dystopian subterranean “retro tech” office setting, claustrophobic, depressing and repetitive. In stark contrast, I loved Dark Matter, so it’s not the genre.

Maybe this is one show that would have really benefited from a full drop and binge-watch, but the Apple TV+ weekly drip-feed model (to generate outdated “office water cooler buzz” I expect 🙄) really doesn’t help here. Shame as a great concept on paper, but I found the execution lacking and off key.
 
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I am glad someone is recapping every episode on YouTube afterwards cuz I have no idea what is even going on anymore but I am one of those people, once you start watching something, you need to sit through it til the end
 
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. ✌️
 
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Jensend said:
Yeah, but Game of Thrones and LotR are both high fantasy series requiring much more elaborate sets, costumes, makeup, CGI/special effects, creature design, etc. They also tend to have scenes with a lot more people on screen at once who all need costumes.
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You can go way further - equipment (e.g. lighting), licenses, music, catering, logistics etc. I find it impossible to believe that Severance comes anywhere near to that and if it does, how?!

The show feels like FlashForward to me. An interesting premise, but they never really knew what to do with it.
 
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