How Much Money Severance Made From Apple TV+

There’s no question that “Severance” is the show of the winter. Three years after its first season garnered rave reviews and got viewers theorycrafting online, “Severance” season 2 has launched with a ton of baked-in interest, accented by high-profile publicity stunts like the cast appearing at a Grand Central Station pop-up. That’s all well and good, and the show has firmly cemented itself in the zeitgeist, but has all of the attention translated to real financial success for Apple TV+?

Apple’s streaming platform has never been at the top of the heap, even though it’s had one of the strongest track records when it comes to investing in quality content. It’s also one of the few companies embroiled in the streaming wars whose entire business isn’t caught up in the realm of digital content. Extended Apple TV+ trials are packed into new iPhone and iPad purchases, giving the platform value to Apple beyond its paying subscribers. In other words, the question of a show’s “value” on the streamer isn’t entirely simple.

In a recent report on research conducted by Parrot Analytics, Deadline shared that “Severance” season 1 made over $200 million in revenue according to the agency’s Content Valuation methodology — “a formula to correlate audience demand with subscribers and therefore revenue.” That number may seem substantial, but it’s also about the same as the reported production budget for Season 2. What’s particularly interesting is that, according to Parrot’s research, nearly half of Season 1’s total revenue came in the year following the finale, which speaks to the series’ powerful word-of-mouth marketing.

The report from Deadline shared some Parrot estimates for other popular Apple TV+ originals, revealing that “Severance” has already landed among the upper echelon of shows on the platform. Flagship Apple original “The Morning Show” generated $299.4 million, but across a much longer span of time, while the hit spy series “Slow Horses” generated $184.8 million during a “similar timeframe” to “Severance” season 1. All of those pale in comparison to the numbers brought by “Ted Lasso,” however, which, according to Parrot, brought in $609.4 million between 2020 and 2024.

There’s no question that up to now, “Ted Lasso” has been the most widely embraced Apple TV+ original, which may be largely due to the fact that it retained a regular release schedule in an era when many other streaming series have not. “Severance” took nearly three years between seasons, but that could actually bode well for the show continuing to rise in popularity. Season 1 was a bit of a surprise, even with the notable marketing push it received — an original sci-fi thriller featuring high-profile comedians both in front of and behind the camera. By the time since season 1 ended, the show has only grown its profile online, and many may be hopping on for the first time with the beginning of “Severance” season 2.

While “Severance” season 3 has yet to be officially ordered by Apple, members of the production team, including director Ben Stiller, have confirmed that work is already underway, and they seem confident in Apple’s commitment to the series. The company kicked off 2025 with a free weekend of Apple TV+ for all, which could be seen as a general New Year’s promotion. However, given the proximity to the “Severance” season 2 premiere, it was also likely meant in large part to bring in non-subscribers who’d heard great things about the series online.

Like other “mystery box” shows before it like “Lost” and “Manifest,” “Severance” has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The nature of its writing, which begs fans to theorycraft and fixate on every little clue, naturally brings viewers in. We all want to be watching the thing that everyone is talking about, especially while the real answers haven’t yet been revealed.

It remains to be seen if “Severance” can maintain that same level of interest once it starts cashing in on some of its long-held secrets. Answers can often be the death of shows built on mystery, but “Severance” certainly has a strong foundation at the start of season 2, and it’s already doing well for Apple.