To the characters in “Severance,” Apple TV+’s hit sci-fi satire series, it was the “tallest waterfall on the planet.” But to Hudson Valley viewers, it was something much more commonplace: Awosting Falls—a crowd favorite waterfall tucked beside a short trail in Minnewaska State Park Preserve. And it’s a waterfall that, while beautiful, isn’t even the tallest waterfall in the park, let alone the planet. But it makes for a dramatic backdrop, especially in winter.
“Severance” returned for its second season in January, and with much of the show filmed in the Hudson Valley, part of the fun for local viewers has been playing “I spy” with the background locations in each episode. But it didn’t take an eagle eye to spot Minnewaska’s debut as the dramatic, snow-blanketed backdrop for episode four. Eric Humphrey, Minnewaska Park manager, played a crucial role in making it happen. Humphrey has worked with many film and TV productions over the years, including an episode of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” and a New York State Lottery commercial shoot that featured a live (trained) bear. But he said the “Severance” shoot, which happened in the winter of 2023, was on another level.
“This was definitely the largest of any that we’ve had here and the duration they were here was extensive, from all the scouting to the prep work to the film days,” Humphrey says. “It was a little over two months that we lived with our new friends. It pretty much consumed our lives.”
While the production crew is focused on getting the dream shot, Humphrey says his priorities were maintaining access to the park for the public, the safety of the crew, and protecting the more than 24,000 acres of wilderness that make up the preserve. That meant finding creative solutions to meet everyone’s goals. Filming took place on weekdays, since the park is too busy with visitors to manage an expansive film shoot at the same time—the parking lots alone wouldn’t have the capacity for all the vehicles, Humphrey said. “The public would disrupt them, too.”
To get around the park in the snow, the crew used trucks fitted with tracks, and hiked into locations that weren’t accessible by vehicles. When the “Severance” team wanted to film in locations off the beaten path, they erected catwalks over the vegetation to allow access without disrupting the landscape, and when they wanted to film on the frozen Lake Minnewaska, it was up to the production crew to measure the ice depth and secure ice rescue teams. But when it came time to shoot the dramatic opening shot of Irving, played by John Turturro, waking up alone on the ice, mother nature didn’t cooperate, Humphrey recalls. A warm spell melted the lake, and the production team used a dock (and earlier footage of the iced-over lake) to get the shot.
Humphrey had to say no to certain requests: “Any of these productions always ask for tons of things and they don’t get everything they ask for—they always want to trim this or cut that, and we don’t let them trim any vegetation.” But he maintains positive memories of his work with the crew, which was in the park for weeks, including almost two full weeks of active filming.
“Severance,” premiered in February 2022 and became a success with its eerie, mysterious plot line and subtle humor. According to Apple TV+, it is now the platform’s most successful show, based on unique viewers from January 17 through February 17 of this year. And as the show’s protagonists venture more outside of the confines of their cubicles this season, the Hudson Valley is emerging as a crucial character. On the show’s accompanying podcast, creator Ben Stiller and star Adam Scott reminisced on the time spent in the area, particularly to film this episode, and the challenges they faced, including a hike to shoot in the ice caves at Sam’s Point.“[That] was a real hike,” Stiller said. “There was no way to reach that little cave except to hike at least, yeah, it was about 30 minutes. But our camera crew had to literally carry those heavy cameras and camera cases. It was an ordeal.”
The fourth episode and its Minnewaska spotlight stirred particular excitement among local viewers, though Humphrey can’t say what he thinks of how it turned out—he hasn’t seen the episode he spent months helping bring to life. “I don’t have Apple TV,” Humphrey says, laughing. “I heard they had to mail a tape to Christopher Walken. They should have sent me one!”
