Severance’s Showrunner knows how and when it all ends

When you think about Resignationare you thinking of Adam Scott. You’re thinking of Ben Stiller. You might even think of John Turturro, Christopher Walken or Patricia Arquette. You’re probably not thinking of Dan Erickson. Although you should.

Erickson is the creator of the hit Apple TV+ show and one of the people primarily responsible for every twist, turn, mystery and out-of-left-field oddity that happens at Lumon Industries. If you have a question about what the hell is going on with the show, he’s the one to ask. And as you might expect, Erickson has enjoyed the relative anonymity. That’s just one of many things he talked about in a recent conversation with io9.

Over video chat, we spoke with Erickson about the intentions of the long-awaited and long-awaited second season. He discussed how many of the mysteries he’s created (things like what Lumon is doing? Why is Mark’s wife alive? What’s with the goats, etc.?) he knows the answers to. Plus, he revealed that he knows how the show will end when — and if Apple decides to greenlight a third season, the hope is that it will arrive much sooner than the three years it took between season one and two.

Read our non-spoiler interview with Erickson below, and check back sometime for season two Resignation premieres on January 17 for some spoiler talk.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Germain Lussier, io9: I love that the season doesn’t shy away from anything. It just jumps right in and you tackle a lot of big questions right away. Was that always going to be the case, or was it a reaction to fans waiting so long for season two?

Dan Erickson: That’s how it should always be. Part of it was that so much happened at the end of season 1 and it really changes the status quo for everyone, there was some danger that it would get convoluted and confusing and sound like, “Okay, who knows what?” So we kind of wanted to put everything on the table. That’s why, on the outside, the characters quite quickly get into conversations with each other about things like: “Okay, what the hell just happened? What was that? What did that mean?” And then on the inside, it’s the same. In the trailer, you have Dylan (Zach Cherry) just ask the question, “What did you see up there?” It felt narratively the right thing to do, and it also felt true to the characters. All these people are going to be desperate to find out what the hell just happened and what it means to them, so we just let them have these conversations organically.

io9: Obviously, with a show like this, you create some mysteries that you have answers to and some that you don’t. I’m wondering, going into season two and beyond, what percentage of them do you have answers to, how much did you have to figure out, and are there any you’re still unsure about?

Erickson: I have a pretty solid idea of ​​the end point for the show. I have a kind of ending scene that has always been in my head and answers some of the big questions. I think you have to know them to know the rules of the world that you write. But I also think it’s balanced because I also like to be surprised by the show. Sometimes we meet a new character or find a new place or new element of the show that I’m surprised to find myself falling in love with, and suddenly it’s like, “Well, now that has to be a part of it. That we can’t just leave it there. We have to make it part of the bigger story.” And this is where much of the fun comes into play. You have to think on your feet and let the show surprise you.

io9: I spoke to some of your actors and asked them what life has been like with three years off between seasons and if fans talk to them about it, which they have. But in this case, you are the creator, but you also have a little bit of anonymity. You’re not Ben Stiller. You are not Adam Scott. So has there ever been an instance where people are discussing the show and they don’t know you are the dude?

Erickson: Yes, it’s fun. I was at a restaurant a while ago and I was literally sitting there on my laptop working on the show and there were some people sitting next to me and their dog came up, it’s this really cute dog , came up and put his head in my lap. I was like, “Oh, can I pet your dog?” “Yes, yes.” So I’m sitting there petting their dog, and all of a sudden this guy is like, “By the way, have you seen Resignation?” And they say “Yeah,” and he says “Everybody likes it. I can’t get into it. It’s not my thing.” And I’m sitting there, like, petting, and I’m like, “I want to steal this dog. This dog deserves a proper owner. And this gentleman is undeserving.” (laughing)

io9: You said you kind of have an idea of ​​where the show would end, but do you have a rough idea of ​​how many seasons it could go?

Erickson: Yes, I have an idea. It’s not a hundred percent certain, but we’ve talked about it internally and we’re all pretty confident that we have a number that we’re happy with.

io9: Okay, and if we get a third season – and we better Apple! – can you say with certainty that it will take less time than this?

Erickson: I would definitely like to, yes. And the conversations we’ve had about it have been in the conversation. Because season two actually took about the same amount of time as season one. The difference of course is season 1, no one knew what the show was and so they weren’t waiting for it. But at the same time, you’re always looking to fine-tune the process and take what works and leave what doesn’t and streamline things. So my hope is that if there is a season three, it will be sooner.

Come back after season two premieres on Resignation for some spoiler discussion with Erickson. It premieres on January 17.

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