The wait is ongoing forSeveranceseason 2, butEscape at Dannemorais a good show to watch in the meantime.Severanceimpressed critics and audiences upon the release of its debut season in 2022, but has been on an incredibly long hiatus since then. This is due to several factors, among them delays caused by the Hollywood SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in 2023. In a time where gaps between seasons of TV have already been steadily getting bigger, this has provided a frustratingly extended wait for fans of the Ben Stiller series.
At long last,Severanceseason 2 finally has a release dateand will be arriving at the beginning of 2025, but this still leaves a couple of months before audiences can enjoy the next chapter. However,those who want a show likeSeveranceshould not be completely dismayed, as there is another great Stiller project to watch in the meantime. This show isEscape at Dannemora,featuring several overlapping elements withSeverancethat make it a great watch.
Ben Stiller Directed Escape At Dannemora Before Severance, And It’s Now Available On Netflix
Stiller Worked On Another Great Drama Series Fans Can Watch While Waiting For Severance
Before Stiller worked onSeverance, he directed the Showtime series and well-reviewedEscape at Dannemora. The true crime drama tells the story of a prison employee who becomes entwined in a romance involving two inmates and helps create a plan for them to escape. As he does forSeverance,Stiller served as a director onEscape at Dannemora.In this instance, Stiller directs all the episodes of the show. Therefore,Escape at Dannemorais a good chance to see the full extent of Stiller’s directing chops.
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Escape at Dannemoraoriginally aired in 2018, but it has just become available on Netflix as of August 13, 2025, all seven episodes of the series now available for streaming. The series is also still available to watch on Paramount+, providing multiple ways for audiences to access the series. For those looking for another show from Stiller to catch while they are waiting forSeverance,Escape at Dannemora’s Netflix release provides this good opportunity.
Escape At Dannemora Also Features Patricia Arquette In A Key Role
Arquette Is In Both Severance And Escape At Dannemora
Stiller is not the only crossover talent betweenSeveranceandEscape at Dannemora,as both shows also feature Patricia Arquettein key roles. When she is with the talentedSeverancecast, the actress plays Harmony Cobel. On the other hand, inEscape at Dannemora, Arquette plays lead Tilly Mitchell, the prison worker who tries to lead Benecio del Toro’s Richard Matt and Paul Dano’s David Sweat out of prison.
Escape at Dannemorafeatures an arguably better Arquette performance,for several reasons. For one, it shows the actress getting to play a lead role in a TV series, whereas inSeverance, she is just one member of the ensemble cast. Secondly, the high-stakes tension and genre-blended plot ofEscape from Dannemoraallows Arquette to show her full range of acting. She is at once a romantic lead, a crime solver, and at the heart of a thriller. This creates an exciting role for her to take on — one that should not be missed.
Why Escape At Dannemora Is Perfect To Watch Before Severance Season 2
Escape At Dannemora & Severance Exhibit The Same Tone
Stiller and Arquette’s work inEscape at Dannemorais in part what makes the show great to watch beforeSeveranceseason 2. However, elements such as the shared tone also make the two shows similar.Escape at Dannemora, likeSeverance, maintains a compelling plot while containing dark themesand dramatic tension. Furthermore, the potent leading trio of Arquette, Dano, and del Toro craft performances potent enough to rival the immensely stackedSeverancecast, makingEscape at Dannemorathe perfect series to binge during the last months of the former show’s hiatus.
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Overall,Escape at DannemoraandSeverance’s success — on the level of acting and direction — are great testaments to the burgeoning power of Stiller as a behind-the-scenes television creator. While Stiller has been engaged in directing for a while now, he is still best known by moviegoers for his acting roles like those inZoolanderandNight at the Museum. The coupling ofEscape at DannemoraandSeverancewill give audiences a chance to see the extent of Stiller’s creative vision. Luckily, both shows are strong enough to be great examples of his career trajectory.
Cast
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
Escape At Dannemora
Escape at Dannemora is a crime drama based on a real-life prison break in upstate New York. The series explores the complex relationships and manipulations among two convicted murderers and the facility’s staff member who becomes entangled in their escape plan, revealing underlying themes of desperation and vulnerability.
