It seems that production on Severance season 3 is finally underway. Director Ben Stiller and showrunner Dan Erickson posted the following quote on social media: “‘To return to work is to return home.’ – Kier Eagan,” alongside an image of Mark S. and Helly R. sprinting through the halls of Lumon.

While this sounds like good news for the hit Apple TV Plus series, the issue is how long it took for production to start. Severance season 2 ended on March 20, 2025, with a third season announced the following day. Unfortunately, that quick confirmation didn't lead to a speedy turnaround.

This isn't the first time Severance fans have had to wait, either. There was a 35-month gap between the series’ first and second seasons, a break long enough that when Ben Stiller was asked if there would be another three-year wait for a new season, he replied, “Definitely not. No, the plan is not, and hopefully, we’ll be announcing what the plan is very soon.”

Unfortunately, some quick napkin math implies the wait for Severance season 3 will be pretty similar. Post-production and marketing on that season took around eight months. If that schedule holds, then season 3 won’t be out until around September 2027. That would make for a 32-month gap since season 2 started, which, while technically shorter than the 35-month break between the start of season 1 and 2, isn’t much better. This lengthy interlude stands out even more because while the second season's production was delayed by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, the long wait for the third doesn't have the same explanation.

Fans haven’t responded well to the news.

“Looking forward to watching it in 2029,” one Reddit user joked.

“This gotta be one of the best yet hardest shows to root for. Crazy concept with amazing performances yet good luck trying to keep people invested when they take 2-3 years for a new season,” another wrote.

Because the series is a dense, complicated mystery-thriller, it's particularly difficult to follow what's happening when there are extended gaps. We’ll see if viewers return in droves for Severance when it presumably comes back late next year.