Catching up on all things Severance

Apple TV+ series Severance earned Emmy nominations, critical acclaim and ardent fan support upon its launch in February 2022. Since the conclusion of the first season, though, work on the series has moved slowly, in part because of delays caused by last year’s Hollywood actor’s and writer’s strikes. With recent news that the cast and crew of Severance have finally returned for production on season two of the show—sorry, no date has been announced yet for when viewers can return to Lumon Industries—we decided to flip back through The A.V. Club’s coverage of the Ben Stiller-directed series from the past few years.

Severance is returning to the office

Patricia Arquette talks about dystopian reality in Severance amid production halt

Patricia Arquette was looking for something a little “wilder and less controlled after Severance” when she signed on for High Desert, her new comedy on Apple TV+. The latest project reunites her once again with Ben Stiller, who serves as the show’s producer. “I think Ben and I, I guess we have similar taste, or I think we mutually respect each other’s taste for sure,” she tells The A.V. Club. “And I just love him as an artist and his vision, and I guess it’s similar, likewise. I don’t know.” Read More

Severance season 2 production screeches to a halt over a whole different conflict

Whatever storminess may have brewed behind the scenes of Severance’s second season has been eclipsed by an even bigger tempest: the writer’s strike. After reports that animosity between the series co-showrunners and ballooning episode costs were holding up filming, the series ultimately shut down production on Monday as a result of picketing, per Deadline. Read More

[Updated] Severance season 2 reportedly facing delays amid bad blood behind the scenes—Ben Stiller responds

Unlike the employees of Severance’s Lumon Industries, the creative team behind the Apple TV+ drama have ostensibly not received a procedure siloing their work and personal lives. According to a new report from Puck, dislike between the series’ co-showrunners Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman, not to mention extensive script rewrites and episode costs in the $20 million range, have led to delays on season 2. Read More

Zach Cherry on Marshawn Lynch, The Great American Baking Show, and Severance

First-time Emmy-nominee Adam Scott on transcending genres with Severance

It’s almost too easy to put Adam Scott in the funny-man box. And deservedly so. From Party Down to Step Brothers to Parks And Recreation, the actor has crafted an impressive resume of comedic roles over the years. But with Apple TV+’s hit Severance, he breaks type with a gut-wrenching performance that has earned him his first Emmy nomination. Read More

Stephen Colbert made a mash-up of Severance and The Office

Part of the appeal of Severance is how it plays off of the tradition of workplace-set shows, turning the comedy staple into a psychological thriller. Starring Adam Scott, known for his roles in Parks & Recreation and Party Down, the Apple TV+ series follows a lovable group of co-workers as they band together to investigate their company, which is more like a sinister cult. But what if there was a little more room for hijinks amongst all the scary numbers? Read More

Severance could have gotten even creepier than that waffle party

Everything in Severance is just a little bit off. In the Apple TV+ thriller, we’re introduced to the corporate cult of Lumon, where a team of employees led by Mark (Adam Scott) have had chips implanted in their brains that partition off their memories between their personal and professional lives. Read More

Apple TV Plus orders a second season of Severance

Apple TV+’s new sci-fi/horror/drama/thriller series Severance came at a perfect time, with many Americans reconsidering their jobs and the crushing misery that every job inevitably turns into, as the series offered a chilling glimpse into a world where people take desperate measures in order to make their work life more tolerable… even if it comes at the expense of, you know, life. Now, ahead of the show’s season finale this Friday, Apple has announced that it has renewed Severance for another season of ominous workplace shenanigans. Read More

How Severance created that brilliantly hellish office

Apple TV+’s foreboding drama Severance instantly exudes creepiness. It opens with Helly (Britt Lower) lying face down, prop-like on a brown table too big for the dull conference room. She awakens as a new employee of the shadowy corporation Lumon Industries, with no knowledge of how it happened or who she is. It turns out that Helly opted to undergo the “severance program,” a medical procedure that takes work-life balance to controversial extremes. A chip implant cuts out real-world memories, so volunteering staffers forget their personal lives while in the office to avoid distractions. Major red-flag alert. Read More

Apple TV Plus’ Severance offers a thrilling reminder of why we never want to return to the office

A few minutes into the premiere of Severance, we see Mark Scout (Adam Scott) alone in his car, weeping uncontrollably. He eventually pulls himself together and goes inside the building where he works. He exchanges pleasantries with the security guard on duty and takes the elevator to his basement office. He closes his eyes, and a change immediately takes place as he reaches his floor. He’s now a new man… literally. Read More