A show that cost a staggering $18 million per episode has topped Apple TV+'s most-watched show list.
Streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ are constantly looking for ways to keep their subscribers hooked, from new layouts to bundled deals.
But Apple TV+ has found a true goldmine with Severance, a mind-bending workplace thriller that has just made history as its most-watched series ever, overtaking the beloved sitcom Ted Lasso.
The popular series returned on Apple TV+ in January for its second season, and it proved to be a massive success for the streaming service.
According to Bloomberg, the platform poured an eye-watering $200 million into the new season - amounting to roughly $20 million per episode.
The investment has clearly paid off as in the US, Severance racked up 589 million minutes of watch time across all episodes, with nearly 28% of that coming from just the first episode of season two, per Deadline.
And the critical response has been just as impressive as its second season scored a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, cementing its place as one of the best-reviewed shows of the year.
The twisted drama follows Mark, a grieving widower played by Adam Scott, who takes a job at Lumon Industries - a mysterious company that surgically separates employees’ work and personal memories.
Inside Lumon, employees only remember what happens at work ("innies"), while their outside selves ("outies") remain completely unaware of what goes on behind closed doors.
But when Mark’s innie and his colleagues, Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro), start questioning the true nature of their jobs, the story unravels into a gripping mystery packed with psychological twists.
One of the show’s most iconic cast members, Christopher Walken (who plays retired Lumon employee Burt), shared his theory on why Severance has captured audiences so intensely.
"I don’t know. It’s mysterious, it’s entertaining," Walken said, cited by Metro. "You’re always interested in what happens next. It’s got the ingredients of what people like to watch."
With Severance at the top of Apple TV+’s charts, director Ben Stiller has already confirmed that the show will continue.
"You have a responsibility to the audience that you’re going somewhere with it," Stiller explained. "That’s always been a part of it for us, really understanding where it’s heading to, and Apple’s been really supportive of that."
However, Stiller made it clear that the show wouldn’t be dragged out unnecessarily. "It should go as long as the story goes, and that’s something we have an idea of," he added. "We’re working towards that as we start up our Season Three work."
New episodes of Severance are released weekly on Apple TV.