‘Severance’ Team Posts ‘Cold Harbor’ Script, Teases Spinoffs
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There’s good news for Severance fans who can’t get enough of Apple’s hit thriller. The producers have shared the full script of the series finale, providing fresh insights into Cold Harbor, and in addition to being hard at work on series 3, the team may also be working on two spinoffs in the Lumonverse.
Earlier this week, Deadline published the script for Cold Harbor as part of its “It Starts on the Page (Drama)” series, which features 10 standout scripts that are in the running for the 2025 Emmy Awards. Needless to say, the Severance finale is easily among those, but we’ll try to avoid any major spoilers for those who haven’t made it that far yet.
Of course, the script is chock full of spoilers beyond what’s even in the episode itself, so don’t even think of opening the Deadline link until you’ve seen Cold Harbor play out for yourself. Like most scripts, there’s a lot more depth here that illustrates what the writers were thinking, including a foreword by show creator Dan Erickson, in which he reflects on season 2 and mentions that he originally wanted to call the finale “Innie Sandwich” for reasons that will become clear if you’ve seen the episode and read Erickson’s notes (again, no spoilers).
Erickson also reflects on two of the most ambitious scenes in the finale — and possibly even in the series as a whole. Like many season finales, Cold Harbor packs in a lot of exposition and action, revealing the answers to several mysteries while creating a few new ones to set the stage for season 3.
The third season has been confirmed, and executive producer Ben Stiller promised us earlier this year that we won’t have to wait another three years like we did between the first two seasons. According to Variety, the writers’ room is already underway in Los Angeles, “with Stiller flying to the West Coast every 10 days or so, and [Adam] Scott routinely popping his head in.” Scott also serves as executive producer In addition to starring as Mark Scout / Mark S. in the show.
Variety interviewed both Stiller and Scott, who had some interesting tidbits to share about how the show came to be. Severance was in the works for over a decade as a story by “Hollywood outsider” Dan Erickson that Stiller was determined to bring to life once it came to his attention. He got Adam Scott on board, and they began pitching it to studios — only to discover that Apple was the only one interested.
Nobody wanted it except Apple, which didn’t even exist yet as a streamer. It was a little bit like, ‘Oh great, the computer company!’ It didn’t even seem real.
Ben Stiller
With no choice, Stiller, Scott, and Erickson signed on to bring Severance to Apple TV+, and it turned out to be a perfect fit. Stiller told Variety that Apple is “the best place” for Severance for several reasons, not the least of which are the “meta levels” of it being a massive global tech company. “Thank goodness we didn’t end up at, like, Showtime or something,” he said.
As the show developed, the characters morphed from an initial vision of “Mark S.” being more snarky, in Adam Scott’s typical style, to instead playing it straight as a “true believer” in Lumon Industries. Stiller also considered playing a role in season 1, possibly as a doctor, but the character was scrapped (Variety makes it clear this would have been a distinct character, not any of the doctors we ultimately saw portrayed in the show).
However, the most fascinating tidbit is that Stiller is considering at least one or two spinoff shows for Severance. When Variety asked him pointedly whether he thought it could become a franchise, he said that the team has some “specific ideas” they’ve been tossing around, but they’re “nascent” at this point. This means we probably won’t even hear about them until after season 3, and they’re likely to follow the end of the Severance arc rather than be broadcast in parallel.
Stiller also hasn’t ruled out bringing Severance to other forms of media. It would “be great to have a Severance video game,” he said, and Scott agreed, adding that he feels the show “lends itself to one.” They also want to produce more merchandise, like actual Lumon keyboards similar to the ones that Apple teased as ads during Severance’s season 2 run on Apple TV+.
Variety concludes the interview by asking Stiller and Scott if they consider Severance the definitive project of their careers. Scott reiterates how he has been excited to take on the role since Stiller pitched it to him years ago.
Ever since I read the script, I knew this is what I’ve been working toward this whole time. For 25 years, I had been marching my way through the sludge to get to a place where maybe I could get a role like this. It feels like a culmination for me.
Adam Scott
Stiller adds that working on Severance at this point in his career is an experience he never wants to take for granted.
Severance Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Apple TV+. There’s been no release date announced for Season 3, but signs point to it debuting sometime in 2026 if everything stays on track.
