Apple TV’s Severance has been celebrated and rated highly for it’s brilliant storytelling and unsettling depiction of work-life balance—or lack thereof. But for Arsenal fans, the series offers something entirely different: a breadcrumb trail of unexpected nods to their club.
Whether intentional or an eerie coincidence, Severance has Arsenal fingerprints all over it, and it’s enough to make you wonder if the writers are big fans of the Gunners. For the uninitiated, Severance is a psychological sci-fi series, a show where the last thing you’d expect to pick up would be Arsenal references on multiple occasions.
In Season 1, Episode 6, we meet a politician named Arteta—a name that instantly rings a bell for Arsenal fans, as it’s shared with their head coach, Mikel Arteta. But the parallels don’t stop there. Arteta’s children in the show are named Declan and Kai, uncannily matching the names of Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Kai Havertz.
What about Arteta’s wife in the show? Another Arsenal reference: the wife has the name Gabby, which carries Arsenal vibes with Arsenal boasting not one but three Gabbys: Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes in their squad.
It doesn’t stop there; in Season 2 of the series, fans are introduced to a random character where another Arsenal-themed name emerged: Mr. Saliba, similar to defensive beast William Saliba.
At first glance, it’s tempting to assume that creator Dan Erickson, director Ben Stiller, or maybe another writer who’s part of the show must be a dyed-in-the-wool Arsenal supporter sneaking in Easter eggs for fans.
After all, this can’t all just be a coincidence, can it? But here’s where things take a fascinating turn: Severance premiered in early 2022, with filming likely wrapping up months prior. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz didn’t join Arsenal until the summer of 2023, a full year and a half later. While there were murmurs about Rice’s future even then, Havertz’s transfer wasn’t even on the radar.
This timeline of events flips the narrative on its head. Did Severance end up accidentally predicting Arsenal’s 2023 transfer window? Fans were quick to speculate on social media platforms like Reddit and X, “I think it’s just an insane coincidence. There were rumors about Rice, but nothing about Havertz,” said one fan, while another added, “If there’s loving your players, then there’s being an Arsenal fan. They take it to an extreme. But this is low-key very cool,” assuming that the writers are Arsenal fans.
After the recent season 2 reference, fans were convinced that there was a bit of North London red writing this show. “Haha makes me wonder if they’re leaning into it now,” said one user while another continued, “Seriously, they have to be. I just started watching season one two days ago and just finished this last episode and came back here to say wtf???”
So, what’s the truth? On one hand, it’s hard to dismiss the uncanny alignment between the show’s fictional characters and Arsenal’s real-life signings. On the other hand, the timelines suggest it’s all just a strange twist of fate. The only one who can ever answer this and put discussions to bed is the show creator, Dan Erickson himself. Till then, we stay hooked onto the show, alert for more Arsenal references.
