On World Building with Damon Lindelof and Dan Erickson

This week on On Story, AFF moderator Casey Baron speaks with leading TV writers Damon Lindelof and Dan Erickson on the art of world building.

Damon Lindelof is a three-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer, best known for creating and showrunning hit supernatural and science-fiction dramas such as ABC's Lost, the HBO series The Leftovers and Watchmen, as well as Peacock's limited series Mrs. Davis. Prior to showrunning, Lindelof wrote on the crime dramas Nash Bridges and Crossing Jordan. One of television's most prolific and pre-eminent writers, Lindelof has created some of TV's most captivating worlds, such as the disturbing island backdrop of Lost, or the world with two percent of the population missing, The Leftovers. A true television mastermind, AFF was honored to give Damon its renowned Outstanding Television Writer Award, created to recognize unparalleled achievements from television creators.

Lindelof was joined in conversation by Dan Erickson, the showrunner and producer of Severance, the science-fiction and psychological thriller series directed by Ben Stiller and starring Adam Scott. Severance premiered on Apple TV in 2022 and has since captivated audiences through the world of the biotechnology corporation, Lumon Industries, with its extreme employee policies.

Lindelof and Erickson discuss their process of building a series world from the ground up.

Severance clips courtesy of Apple TV.