News Apple Has Acquired Severance and Committed to a Fourth Season (and Maybe More) Apple is betting big on Severance, but Ben Stiller is pushing back on Deadline’s behind-the-scenes claims By Molly Templeton | Published on February 12, 2026 Image: Apple TV Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Apple TV Apple TV’s massive hit Severance was made, for its first two seasons, by the production company Fifth Season. But now it’s Apple’s toy in full: Deadline reports that Apple has purchased the series—”the IP and all rights”—from Fifth Season, which will shift to an executive producing role. What does this mean for you, the viewer? The important part is that it means that Apple is fully committed to the Severance universe. The series was renewed for a third season just before season two ended, but this new deal means that “a fourth season is a lock” according to Deadline, which notes that series creator Dan Erickson and executive producer/director Ben Stiller have spoken previously about seeing Severance as a three or four season series. The decision to continue on to a potential fifth season, Deadline notes, “will be Stiller and Erickson’s,” and at present, it seems unlikely. But there is still the possibility of spinoffs (as Stiller has teased before), or a prequel, or potential foreign versions of the show. Do we want a Severance cinematic universe? Can a show this precise and intimate sustain that kind of expansion? Apple reportedly hopes to start filming in the summer, but also wants the scripts to be locked, to avoid later changes that might have ripple effects through the complex story. Severance is expensive—reportedly each episode runs around $20 million—but part of the reason Apple bought the series outright is that they are more able to manage the possible financial burden of creating it. Deadline’s piece is full of interesting and/or insidery details about how the sausage gets made, from notes about Erickson (“not a traditional TV showrunner”) and Stiller (“a perfectionist creative”) to backstory about the show’s production and the plan to have all the scripts written for season three before production begins. The third season will also have Kogonada (After Yang, The Acolyte) as its producing director. But Stiller himself seems unimpressed with this article. On the site formerly known as Twitter, he replied when Deadline posted it, asking, “Who are you talking to Nellie?” (referring to writer Nellie Andreeva). He also replied to a fan who expressed concern, saying: Do not believe everything you read. Please. That article is all heresay and no sources attributed. All we want to do is make the show as good as possible and maintain it and it’s always been and always will be our (and my) priority. Promise. Stiller appears to be reacting more to the details about the potential shooting schedule and script timelines than the news of Apple purchasing the show, though it’s hard to know for certain. He was quite engaged in the conversation for a bit yesterday. Severance will return, hopefully in less than three years.[end-mark] The post Apple Has Acquired <i>Severance</i> and Committed to a Fourth Season (and Maybe More) appeared first on Reactor.