Category: Finance | Title: Was Severance Inspired by the Backrooms | Tag: Severance TV Show | Meta Description: Was Severance inspired by the Backrooms? Here are the facts about the show's origins, creators, and real-world influences...
Was Severance Inspired by the Backrooms
Severance is a science fiction thriller series created by Dan Erickson and executive produced by Dan Harmon and Michael Schur for Apple TV+. The show follows Mark Scout, played by Adam Scott, who works at Lumon Industries and undergoes a procedure to separate his work memories from his personal memories. While the eerie, endless corridors of the Lumon offices share a visual resemblance with the Backrooms internet myth, the series is not directly based on the Backrooms. The Backrooms concept originated from a 2019 4chan post describing a liminal space of yellow wallpaper and fluorescent lights. Severance draws more from corporate dystopia and workplace alienation themes than from the Backrooms lore, though both explore unsettling, repetitive environments. Forbes reported on Dan Erickson's inspirations for the series.
The show's aesthetic of sterile, maze-like office spaces was designed by production designer Jeremy Hindle and director Ben Stiller to emphasize isolation and bureaucracy. The Backrooms meme, which depicts infinite rooms with damp carpet and buzzing lights, predates Severance and became a viral horror concept on Reddit and YouTube. Severance creator Dan Erickson has not cited the Backrooms as a direct source, but the show taps into the same cultural fascination with liminal spaces. The series premiered on Apple TV+ on February 18, 2022, and was renewed for a second season. Forbes covered the show's production design and themes.
Severance Show Origins and Creator
Severance was developed by Dan Erickson, who wrote the pilot and serves as showrunner. The series is produced by Red Hour Films and Paramount Television Studios for Apple TV+. Ben Stiller directed the first episode and serves as an executive producer. The show's premise centers on employees at Lumon Industries who undergo a severance procedure, splitting their consciousness between work and home lives. The concept of memory separation is the core narrative device, not the Backrooms, though both explore disorienting, surreal spaces. Forbes detailed Dan Erickson's background and the show's development.
The series was ordered straight-to-series by Apple TV+ in 2019, before the Backrooms meme reached its peak virality in 2022. Severance's first season consisted of nine episodes and received critical acclaim for its performances and world-building. The show's visual style, with its muted color palette and symmetrical office corridors, was influenced by corporate architecture and mid-century modern design, not internet horror aesthetics. While fans have drawn parallels between Lumon's hallways and the Backrooms, the creators have framed Severance as a commentary on work-life balance and corporate control. Forbes provided analysis of the show's thematic influences.
Backrooms Lore and Severance Aesthetic
What Are the Backrooms
The Backrooms is an internet-born horror concept that describes a hypothetical infinite space of empty rooms with yellow wallpaper, damp carpet, and