Severance Creator Addresses Season 2 Fan Theories: "I Wish That We Were Doing That"

Severance creator Dan Erickson has addressed fan theories about season 2, explaining his reactions to some of them and their ultimate impact on the show. Severance season 1 ended on a massive cliffhanger, with the work innies of Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) living the lives of their outies for a short period of time thanks to Dylan (Zach Cherry) initiating the Overtime Contingency. The season ended with him getting caught and everyone reverting back to their outies, but with revelations like Mark's wife being alive and Helly being an Eagan.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Erickson explained how he's been reading fan theories online for Severance season 2 ever since season 1's cliffhanger ending. The creator said nobody has gotten what they're doing precisely correct yet, but admitted some theories make him with they were incorporating them into the story. However, he remains steadfast about the direction of season 2, and how the story is going to push forward. Check out what Erickson had to say below:

I love all of them and some of them are kooky, but the show is kooky, so it makes sense. I would not say that I've seen anybody get it totally right. We are trying to lay down the seeds of where it's ultimately going, and I do think that people notice that. 'They said this in episode 2, and so I bet that's going to pay off in this way,' and sometimes that lines up a little bit with what we're doing. But I don't think that I've seen anything where I'm like, 'Oh God, they got it. Time to leave the country and change my name.'
I would just...spend my whole life looking at people's theories and seeing people's fan art. And I do, up until the point that it starts to get me in my head. I'll see a theory and I'll be like, 'That's such a good idea, I wish that we were doing that,' but at the end of the day, we know what we're doing and the job is just to continue in that story.

What Erickson's Statement Means For Severance Season 2 Fan Theories

Even Ones That Are Close Aren't Entirely Correct

Erickson's statement indicates some theorists have accurately predicted elements of Severance season 2, possibly already realizing the direction of the story's next chapter. However, the creator also confirmed not everyone has been correct about the events set to unfold. His cryptic teases mean anything could happen as the innies return to work, especially after the ramifications of learning Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is Mark's seemingly deceased wife. While some fan theories might offer a strong direction, none of them, it seems, have predicted everything.

Even so, Erickson clearly enjoys hearing what viewers think is going to happen, including the consideration of how some could play out on the show. But, because there's already a plan in place, the characters in Severanceare on an unalterable path that's been laid out for their futures. While it doesn't mean some fan theories won't come true, the show's focus on fallout from the innies getting free seems to be its biggest spotlight for now. The lore of Eagan and the world the show really takes place in may just be window dressing for the group's story.

Our Take On Severance Season 2 Fan Theories

Some Offer Clues To The Truth

Adam Scott as Mark looking shocked next to Britt Lower as Helly looking ahead in Severance

Although not every fan theory is correct, Erickson's words reveal some have accurately predicted certain elements of season 2. Even though not everything about the series' future has been touched on through fan theories, some accurate predictions mean there are audience members who unknowingly got some details right. While theories weren't used to inform Severance season 2, perhaps the more popular ones offer clues about where the story and its characters are going next.

Severance season 2 begins Friday, January 17 on Apple TV+.

Source: EW