The TV show Severance debuted on Apple TV+ in February 2022. It was created by writer Dan Erickson, and developed into a series by director and executive producer Ben Stiller. He directed the pilot and most of the episodes. After the first season came out, Severance was nominated for 14 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, and it won two Emmys: for Main Title Design and for Musical Composition. I love this show, and the main title sequence is incredible. I was so excited to get to talk to the composer, Theodore Shapiro, about how he made the main title theme music. In this episode, you’ll hear how that theme first came into existence in a totally different form, and then, how Teddy re-imagined it to become the final version.
You can buy or stream the Severance main title theme here.
Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
footnotes:
Rob Moose and Gabriel Cabezas – strings
Oliver Latta aka Extraweg – main title design
Theodore Shapiro and Ben Stiller had previously worked together on Dodgeball, Tropic Thunder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Zoolander 2
Adam Scott
Temp track
Moog Model D
Bobby McFerrin
