Ben Stiller may not be directing any of “Severance” Season 3, but that doesn’t mean his relationship with Apple TV+ is over. Instead, he’s set to star in “The Off Weeks,” a completely new series for the streamer opposite Jessica Chastain, with Michael Showalter directing.
The college-set show follows Professor Gus Adler, whose recent divorce has thrust his life career into “on weeks” and “off weeks.” When he’s “on,” Adler has custody of his kids, but when he’s “off,” he’s falling in love with a mysterious woman named Stella West, who may just throw his life even more off-kilter. It’s not official, but it’s very likely that Stiller plays Adler and Chastain plays West, but wait for confirmation on that.
Stiller and Chastain also executive produce the series with Showalter and Alissa Nutting, who serves as showrunner on “The Off Weeks.” It’s also not the first time a lot of this crew has worked together. Stiller and Chastain last teamed up on “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” while Stiller and Showalter collaborated on another Apple TV+ series, “The Shrink Next Door.”
“The Off Weeks” will be produced for Apple TV+ by wiip. Other executive producers on the series include John Lesher via Red Hour, Kelly Carmichael via Chastain’s Freckle Films, Jordana Mollick via Showalter’s Semi Formal Productions, Paul Lee and Gabriel Fisher via wiip, Allen Fischer and Brian Steinberg via Artists First, and Dean Bakopoulos.
One could look at “The Off Weeks” as a renewal of Stiller and Apple’s working relationship after “Severance” won big at the Emmys this week. The show’s second season received 27 nominations, with eight wins, including Outstanding Lead Actress for Britt Lower and Outstanding Supporting Actor and Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Tramell Tillman and Merritt Wever. Stiller also has two features on the way: the doc “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost,” and “Airman,” a WWII drama starring Jeremy Allen White.
As for Chastain, she has an Apple project of her own on the way: “The Savant,” a thriller premiering on Apple TV+ next weekend on September 26. Other upcoming projects for the actress include the Blumhouse horror film “Other Mommy,” which hits theaters next October.
Meanwhile, Showalter directed “The Idea Of You” from Prime Video last year. Upcoming films for him include two films for Amazon MGM: the Christmas comedy “Oh. What. Fun.,” out December 3, and “Verity” a thriller, set for an October 2, 2026 release. Recent TV work for Showalter includes the pilot episode of “Happy Face” for Paramount+ and Season 2 of “The Pradeeps Of Pittsburg.”
Stay tuned for more details on “The Off Weeks,” a title that likely won’t hit Apple TV+ until the second half of 2026.
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