AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 09: (L-R) Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, (L) and director/executive producer Ben Stiller attend Apple’s Eddie Cue and Severance’s Ben Stiller in conversation at SXSW 2025 at Austin Convention Center on March 09, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images)
Today at South by Southwest (SXSW) from Ballroom D at the Austin Convention Center, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, and Ben Stiller, director and executive producer of Apple’s global hit phenomenon “Severance,” took the festival’s largest stage for a special featured session titled “Moving Culture Through Innovation and Creativity.” The compelling conversation between two of today’s leading innovators offered their insights into a wide variety of topics including how “Severance” has captivated global audiences through its thought-provoking storytelling; and, how Apple TV+ has established itself a destination for today’s most innovative storytellers to create culture moving, hit shows and films.
The full conversation can now be viewed on YouTube.
The ninth, penultimate episode of “Severance” season two starts streaming globally this Friday, March 14 and the highly anticipated season two finale is set to debut on Friday, March 21. In next week’s new episode, “The After Hours,” Mark and Devon team with an ally. Helly investigates further.
In “Severance,” Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work … and of himself. In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe. With the highly anticipated season two finale of “Severance” set to debut on Friday, March 21, the global hit series continues to bring in viewers for appointment television viewing week-to-week. The Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh second season of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning workplace thriller has also been critically hailed as “one of the best series of the decade” and “the best show on TV.”
“Severance” hails from Stiller, who also directs five episodes this season, in addition to directors Uta Briesewitz, Sam Donovan and Jessica Lee Gagné. The series is written, created and executive produced by Erickson. “Severance” season two is also executive produced by John Lesher, Jackie Cohn, Mark Friedman, Beau Willimon, Jordan Tappis, Donovan, Caroline Baron, Richard Schwartz, Nicholas Weinstock. The series stars Emmy Award nominee Adam Scott, Lower, Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, Emmy Award winner John Turturro, Academy Award winner Christopher Walken, and Academy and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette. Season two welcomes new series regulars Sarah Bock and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. In addition to starring, Scott and Arquette serve as executive producers.
Eddy Cue joined Apple in 1989 and oversees the full range of Apple’s services, including Apple Music, Apple News, Apple Podcasts, the Apple TV app, and Apple TV+, as well as Apple Pay, Apple Card, Maps, Search Ads, Apple’s iCloud services, and Apple’s productivity and creativity apps. Eddy’s team has an excellent track record of building and strengthening world-class services that meet and exceed the high expectations of Apple’s customers, and offer creators and storytellers the opportunity to bring their creative visions to people around the world.
Ben Stiller is one of Hollywood’s most successful and acclaimed multi-hyphenates who directs and executive produces the hit Apple TV+ workplace thriller, “Severance.” For the first season, he was nominated for a DGA Award and Emmy Awards for both directing and producing. He won a DGA Award and was nominated for an Emmy for directing all seven parts of “Escape at Dannemora,” a limited series which he also produced. Films he has appeared in include “Meet the Parents” and “Night at the Museum,” the animated “Madagascar” films, critically acclaimed arthouse hits “The Royal. Tenenbaums,” “Meyerowitz Stories” and “While We’re Young,” his legendary sketch television series “The Ben Stiller Show,” and the Oscar-nominated “Tropic Thunder,” which he starred in, directed, co-wrote, and produced, to massive acclaim under his production company, Red Hour.
About Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.*
For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.
About SXSW
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of professional development and networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and individuals come together. SXSW 2025 will take place March 7–15 in Austin. Learn more at sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.
