Apple TV+ may not have revolutionized television, but its series Severance has convinced many that office life can indeed be more terrifying than any horror franchise. With its crisp cinematography, haunting score, and an ensemble that appears to have signed contracts with both their employers and their souls, the show has transcended simple water-cooler chatter. It has become meme currency, cultural shorthand, and the single reason many reactivated expired streaming trials. Which is precisely why Seth Rogen has chosen to weigh in.

Seth Rogen, in a bout of cinematic candor, likened Severance to a 60-year-old dark comedy masterpiece, one he himself once failed to recreate.

During a recent Happy Sad Confused podcast, actor and filmmaker Seth Rogen joined director Ben Stiller to discuss the phenomenon of Severance. Rogen admitted that the Apple TV+ series reminded him of the 1964 Stanley Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove. According to Rogen, both works manage to be visually precise, meticulously composed, and formally exact while still alive with comedy, something he considers nearly impossible to execute successfully in modern entertainment.

Rogen explained that Severance achieved what many, including himself, have failed to replicate. He confessed that he once attempted a project inspired by Dr. Strangelove’s style, only to see it collapse under the weight of its ambitions. In contrast, he argued that Severance thrives in its balance of sterile perfection and genuine humor, offering audiences a rare combination of artistry and satire unmatched since Kubrick’s original masterwork. Following their very different remarks on Steven Spielberg, Seth Rogen and Ben Stiller surprisingly united in opinion there.

Dr. Strangelove of 1964 remains the Michelangelo ceiling of dark comedy, inspiring even Seth Rogen’s unsuccessful attempt to replicate and attracting the curiosity of many.

Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove remains one of cinema’s most enduring satirical triumphs, a film that combined sharp political critique with bizarre comedy at the height of Cold War paranoia. Released in 1964, it dared to lampoon the threat of nuclear annihilation with audacity, staging Peter Sellers in three memorable roles and introducing audiences to the absurdity of the Doomsday Machine. The Doomsday Machine was less a plot device than a ghastly mirror, reflecting humanity’s appetite for destruction with wit so sharp one might bleed before laughing.

Recreating Dr. Strangelove has proven nearly impossible because its brilliance was born from a rare alchemy of historical context, artistic vision, and unrepeatable performances. Kubrick’s exacting direction, fused with Sellers’ versatility and the political climate of the 1960s, created a satire both timely and timeless. Later attempts, such as Seth Rogen's, tried to imitate its blend of precision and comedy, but often faltered, revealing how difficult it is to balance such meticulous craft with the vitality of humor.

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Do you think Severance was able to capture the comedic brilliance of Dr. Strangelove? Let us know in the comments below!