During WWU visit, ‘Severance’ creator discusses how the school inspired his work
Western Washington University graduate Dan Erickson, the creator, writer and producer behind the Apple TV+ original show “Severance,” visited his alma mater Friday for a celebration of distinguished alumni.
Erickson, who graduated from Western in 2007, was on campus to accept an alum award alongside other notable WWU grads Allison Lührs, David Swanson, Lee Whittaker and Nancy Hoff and her family. Before he accepted the award, Erickson paid a visit to the school’s Performing Arts Center, where he had a discussion with Rich Brown, chair of the WWU Department of Theatre and Dance and participated in a Q&A session that was open to the public.
It was the first time Erickson had visited the campus since “Severance” had become to the most watched show on Apple TV. Two seasons have aired, and the series’ third season is expected to be released sometime next summer.
“It’s incredible. It’s the most surreal thing in the world. I will say being back here (at Western) makes it more real,” Erickson told The Herald. “It’s one thing to know, nationally, people are watching it. It’s different to come back to a place where I went to college, where I have a connection to, and [see] people here who love it, and that makes it feel a lot more tangible.”
The show’s IMDB page offers this synopsis: “Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.”
The idea of “Severance” was born at the WWU campus when Erickson wrote a play titled “Convention” that was performed in the Old Main theater and tells the story of cubicle workers who have no memory of leaving their offices.
After he graduated, Erickson worked at a door factory in the San Fernando Valley. During the discussion with Brown, he described the factory as “a windowless office where I would go and catalog door hinges and other parts. It was not very fun.”
While at the factory, his idea for the dystopian sci-fi thriller was born when thought to himself, “I would do anything to not experience the next eight hours.”
For the next 10 years, Erickson dedicated all of his free time to perfecting the first season of “Severance,” until it was eventually picked up by Ben Stiller and later Apple TV+.
From there, the show blew up in a way Erickson never expected.
“I thought it was gonna be a very niche show,” Erickson told The Herald. “I thought maybe if it got made, I thought it would be a couple of people’s favorite thing, so the fact that it had any kind of mainstream appeal was a surprise — a very welcome surprise.”
Once the show aired at the streaming service, WWU students enjoyed drawing parallels to the show’s set and buildings on the college campus, from which Erickson drew initial inspiration.
If you’re hoping to get a teaser for the highly anticipated third season, Erickson is tight-lipped.
“We’re going to be shooting it on cameras and using actors. That’s all I can say,” Erickson said.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 5:15 AM with the headline "During WWU visit, ‘Severance’ creator discusses how the school inspired his work."