At Deadline’s Sound & Screen Television awards-season event, Severance composer Theodore “Teddy” Shapiro shared insights into how the show’s music evolved from Season 1 to Season 2, and what may lie ahead for Season 3 on Apple TV+.
Shapiro recalled his initial approach to scoring the series, explaining, “My first thought was that we could create contrasting musical worlds for the innies and the outies.” Collaborating closely with producer Ben Stiller, Shapiro sent over several musical ideas. “Ben was really enthusiastic about what I was coming up with,” he said.
During preparations for Season 1, Shapiro noticed Stiller repeatedly returning to a “section of peace” rooted in a four-chord progression. Inspired by Stiller’s “incredible instincts,” Shapiro sat at the piano and played those chords, which eventually became the series’ iconic main title theme.
The composer emphasized how the show’s music drew inspiration from 1970s cinema, a particular favorite of Stiller’s. In moving into Season 2, Shapiro aimed to build upon what had already been established. “I wanted to stay true to the musical foundation while introducing new variations on the theme’s melody,” he noted.
He elaborated, “Harmonically, there are new chord sequences that begin with the four chords of the main theme and then branch off into new directions.” Shapiro’s collaboration with sound designer Chris Lane played a significant role in this evolution. “We leaned heavily into the piano. It had really become the core of the sound in Season 1.”
This time, the team took the piano’s role even further. “Chris developed an entire array of sounds using only the piano as the source. A lot of the show’s percussion is actually created by physically manipulating the piano — beating it, making loops — and seeing just how much creative potential we could extract from it.”
One standout result from this experimental approach was “The Ballad of Ambrose & Gunnel,” which Shapiro described as another chapter in the “liturgy of musical themes connected to the Eagan mythology.”
Looking ahead to Season 3, Shapiro admitted that work on the score has not yet begun. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. It’s terrifying,” he confessed. “But I’m hoping that once I start learning about where the story is going, that will guide me toward whatever I’m going to create next.”
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