Severance (TV series)#Season 2 (2025)

• Adam Scott as Mark Scout (aka "Mark S."), a former history professor and a severed worker for Lumon Industries in the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) department.
• Zach Cherry as Dylan George (aka "Dylan G."), Mark's severed co-worker in the MDR department, who particularly enjoys company perks.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/17/1080798301/apple-tv-severance-review-adam-scott |title=In the thriller 'Severance,' Adam Scott's humanity hangs in the (work-life) balance |website=NPR |first=Glen |last=Weldon |date=February 17, 2022 |access-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314055136/https://www.npr.org/2022/02/17/1080798301/apple-tv-severance-review-adam-scott |url-status=live }}
• Britt Lower as Helly R., a rebellious new severed employee in the MDR department at Lumon.
• Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick, the Deputy Manager on the severed floor at Lumon.
• Jen Tullock as Devon Scout-Hale, Mark's sister.
• Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey, who serves as the wellness counselor on the severed floor at Lumon.
• Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale, an eccentric self-help author who is Devon's husband and Mark's brother-in-law.
• John Turturro as Irving Bailiff (aka "Irving B."), Mark's severed co-worker in the MDR department, who is a stickler for company policy and is drawn to Burt.
• Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman (aka "Burt G."), another severed employee and the head of the Optics and Design (O&D) division who is drawn to Irving.
• Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel, the manager of the severed floor at Lumon, who outside of work uses the false identity of "Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig," and Mark's next-door neighbor.
• Sarah Bock as Eustice Huang (season 2), the young new Deputy Manager of the Severed floor.{{cite web |url=https://decider.com/2025/01/07/severance-season-2-review-apple-tv/ |title='Severance' Season 2 Review: This Masterpiece Will Exceed Your Wildest Dreams (And Nightmares) |website=Decider |first=Nicole |last=Gallucci |date=January 7, 2025 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114165829/https://decider.com/2025/01/07/severance-season-2-review-apple-tv/ |url-status=live }}

• Yul Vazquez as Peter "Petey" Kilmer (season 1; voice season 2), Mark's former severed co-worker and best friend in the MDR division, who left Lumon under mysterious circumstances.
• Michael Cumpsty as Doug Graner (season 1), the head of security on Lumon's severed floor.
• Nikki M. James as Alexa (season 1), Devon's midwife and one of Mark's love interests.
• Sydney Cole Alexander as Natalie Kalen, Lumon's PR representative and speaker for the mysterious Board.
• Nora Dale as Gabby Arteta (season 1), the wife of Senator Angelo Arteta, whom Devon encounters at a birthing retreat.
• Mark Kenneth Smaltz as Judd, a security guard at Lumon.
• Donald Webber Jr. as Patton, a friend of Ricken's.
• Grace Rex as Rebeck, a friend of Ricken's.
• Annie McNamara as Danise (season 1), a friend of Ricken's.
• Claudia Robinson as Felicia, a severed O&D division employee who is close with Burt.
• Karen Aldridge as Asal Reghabi, a former Lumon surgeon who performs reintegrations.
• Michael Siberry as Jame Eagan, the current CEO of Lumon.
• Darri Ólafsson as Mr. Drummond (season 2), an intimidating Lumon enforcer who is involved with severance operations.
• Merritt Wever as Gretchen George (season 2), Dylan's wife.{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/severance-review-season-2-apple-tv-plus-adam-scott-8769237 |title=Severance review: Season 2 is more than worth the wait |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |first=Kristen |last=Baldwin |date=January 7, 2025 |access-date=January 14, 2025}}
• Robby Benson as Dr. Mauer (season 2), a doctor on Lumon's testing floor.
• Gwendoline Christie as Lorne (season 2), a severed employee running the Mammalians Nurturable division.
• Sandra Bernhard as Cecily (season 2), a nurse on the testing floor.

• Marc Geller as Kier Eagan, the late founder of Lumon, who is worshipped with cult-like devotion within the company; he is represented throughout the series in sculptures, paintings, and audio recordings.
• Cassidy Layton as June Kilmer (season 1), Petey's daughter.
• Joanne Kelly as Nina (season 1), Petey's ex-wife.
• Ethan Flower as Angelo Arteta (season 1), a Lumon-backed state senator who supports legalizing the severance procedure and is married to Gabby Arteta, with whom he has three children.
• Rajat Suresh as Balf (season 1), a friend of Ricken's.
• Bob Balaban as Mark Wilkins (season 2), a new member of MDR, from Lumon branch 5X.{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lumon-industries_macrodata-refinement-welcomes-three-new-members-activity-7254839190423494657-Oh6B/ |title=Macrodata Refinement welcomes three new members to their department: Dario R, Gwendolyn Y., and Mark W. We embrace them with outstretched arms and bounties of cheer. |website=Lumon Industries |via=Linkedin |date=October 23, 2024 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114211344/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lumon-industries_macrodata-refinement-welcomes-three-new-members-activity-7254839190423494657-Oh6B |url-status=live }}
• Alia Shawkat as Gwendolyn Y. (season 2), a new member of MDR, from Lumon branch 5X.
• Stefano Carannante as Dario Rossi (season 2), a new member of MDR.
• Sarah Sherman (season 2) as the voice of a stop-motion water tower in a Lumon industrial film.
• Adrian Martinez as Mr. Saliba (season 2), a manager at a door factory who interviews Dylan for a position.
• John Noble as Fields (season 2), Burt's husband.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/severance-season-2-episodes-1-6-review-apple-tv-plus |title=Severance Season 2 Episodes 1-6 Review |website=IGN |first=Samantha |last=Nelson |date=January 7, 2025 |access-date=January 14, 2025}}
• James LeGros as Hampton (season 2), an acquaintance of Harmony Cobel from Salt's Neck.{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/severance-season-2-review-apple-tv-plus/ |title=Severance Season 2 Review: Apple TV+ Drama Exceeds Herculean Expectations After a Long Wait |website=TheWrap |first=Bob |last=Strauss |date=January 7, 2025 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114141226/https://www.thewrap.com/severance-season-2-review-apple-tv-plus/ |url-status=live }}
• Jane Alexander as Celestine "Sissy" Cobel (season 2), Harmony's reclusive aunt in Salt's Neck.{{Cite AV media |title=Severance — Inside the Episode 208: "Sweet Vitriol" {{!}} Apple TV+ |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=O6wBZKQ38xM |date=March 6, 2025 |access-date=March 7, 2025 |work=Apple TV |via=YouTube |type=video}}

Ben Stiller has an uncredited voice cameo as an animated version of Kier Eagan in season 1.{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/04/severance-episode-9-ben-stiller-explains-season-1-ending-spoilers-1234714246/ |title=Severance: Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson Explain Everything They Can About Season 1 — Q&A |first1=Ben |last1=Travers |website=Indiewire |date=April 10, 2022 |access-date=April 13, 2022 |archive-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723091550/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/04/severance-episode-9-ben-stiller-explains-season-1-ending-spoilers-1234714246/ |url-status=live }} Keanu Reeves has an uncredited voice cameo as an animated Lumon building in a Lumon industrial film in season 2.{{Cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1760772/severance-season-2-keanu-reeves-cameo-explained/ |title=Severance Season 2 Features A Secret Cameo From A Hollywood A-Lister|first1=Rick |last1=Stevenson |website=/Film |date=January 16, 2025 |access-date=January 16, 2025}}

{{Series overview

| color1 = #7D9F7E

| link1 = #Season 1 (2022)

| episodes1 = 9

| start1 = {{Start date|2022|2|18}}

| end1 = {{End date|2022|4|8}}

| color2 = #71A9C2

| link2 = #Season 2 (2025)

| episodes2 = 10

| start2 = {{Start date|2025|1|17}}

| end2 = {{End date|2025|3|21}}

}}

{{Episode table |background=#7D9F7E |overall=5 |season=5 |title=29 |director=16 |writer=24 |airdate=21 |episodes={{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Good News About Hell

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|2|18}}

| ShortSummary = Mark Scout, who works in Lumon Industries' Macrodata Refinement (MDR) department, discovers he is being promoted to department head in light of his coworker Petey's sudden departure. His first task is to orient Helly, the replacement, who wakes up in a conference room with no memory of who or where she is. After being given an orientation and learning her name, she demands and is allowed to leave, but finds she is unable. She watches a video explaining that she has undergone the "severance" procedure, which split her memories to create a version of herself that will only exist inside the workplace. The "outside" version of Mark, a former professor grieving his wife Gemma's death and living in the Lumon-subsidized town of Kier, encounters Petey, who claims to have reversed his supposedly-permanent severance. Mark returns home and interacts with his neighbor "Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig", unaware that she is his senior manager Harmony Cobel.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Half Loop

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|2|18}}

| ShortSummary = The previous day, Helly undergoes the severance procedure as a new employee, implanting a microchip inside her brain. At the office, the severed (or "innie") Helly is introduced to her coworkers, Dylan and Irving, and is instructed that her job is to sort encrypted numbers into categories. During a welcome party headed by deputy floor manager Seth Milchick, Helly attempts to escape by writing her outside self (or "outie") a resignation note, but the elevator shuts down due to Lumon's built-in "code detectors", which prevent unauthorized communication between selves. Mark claims responsibility and is put into the "break room" as punishment. Irving hallucinates and sees a black liquid covering his desk and is administered a "wellness check", where counselor Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey recites vague facts about Irving's outie, with Irving forced to react neutrally. At the wellness center, Irving meets Burt, head of the two-person Optics & Design (O&D) department. Outside, Petey explains he has "reintegration sickness" from reversing his severance. Petey tells Mark of the break room, and plays a recording of Mark being forced by Milchick to repeatedly recite a stringent apology. Mark gives Petey shelter in his house. While taking a shower, Petey hallucinates and collapses.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = In Perpetuity

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Andrew Colville

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|2|25}}

| ShortSummary = Petey tells Mark that mysterious benefactors helped him undergo the reintegration procedure. While Mark is at work, his sister Devon and brother-in-law Ricken deliver the latter's self-help book, The You You Are, to his doorstep, which Cobel steals and takes to Lumon to check for hidden messages. As she searches Mark's house, Petey recognizes her and flees, suffering more hallucinations and eventually collapsing at a convenience store. At the office, Helly learns her resignation request sent to her outie has been denied. Mark thwarts her various attempts to smuggle other messages to her outie. To help Helly understand why she is working at Lumon, Irving suggests they show her the office's Perpetuity Wing, which documents the history of Lumon's founder, Kier Eagan, and his succeeding dynasty. After attempting another escape, Helly is taken to the break room, where Milchick forces her to repeatedly recite an apologetic passage. Near his shift's end, Mark finds a hand-drawn map of Lumon's hallways left for him by Petey. After work, Mark follows ambulance traffic to the convenience store and witnesses Petey being carried away by paramedics. Mark rushes home to hide evidence of Petey's stay, but is interrupted when Petey's abandoned cellphone rings.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = The You You Are

| DirectedBy = Aoife McArdle

| WrittenBy = Kari Drake

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|3|4}}

| ShortSummary = Mark stashes away Petey's phone, noticing several missed calls from the same blocked number. The next day, Irving visits O&D, where he grows closer to Burt. He discovers Ricken's book, left behind by Milchick. Mark keeps the book, despite promising to give it to management. Helly returns from the break room after being forced to apologize over a thousand times. Mark shreds Petey's map after it is found by Helly. Helly finds a paper cutter and threatens self-mutilation unless she is granted a recorded resignation request. However, her outie sends back a recording firmly denying both the request and her innie's personhood. Later that night, Mark receives a news notification reporting that Petey has died. Mark and Cobel (as Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig) attend the funeral, during which Cobel secretly extracts Petey's severance chip. She then has Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey perform a "special" wellness session on Mark. Casey has Mark sculpt his emotional state out of clay; Mark sculpts a tree, which his outie visited in remembrance of Gemma after Petey's funeral. Irving discovers that O&D actually has at least seven employees, working in a massive unlabelled back room. Helly smuggles out an extension cord and hangs herself in an elevator.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design

| DirectedBy = Aoife McArdle

| WrittenBy = Anna Ouyang Moench

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|3|11}}

| ShortSummary = Helly is injured by her suicide attempt, but ultimately survives; she returns to work three days later. Mark continues to read Ricken's book, which carries strong anti-establishment sentiments. Outside work, Mark visits Devon and Ricken at a birthing lodge, where Devon gives birth. When Helly returns, Cobel orders Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey to watch her closely, but Mark sneaks Helly out of MDR and reveals he has been recreating Petey's map. When Mark tries to convince Helly to help with recreating the map, she initially refuses, but eventually agrees. Burt admits to Irving and Dylan that he lied about the size of O&D due to MDR being seen as untrustworthy; they realize Lumon is pitting the departments against one another. Burt takes the two to O&D's back room and introduces them to his employees.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Hide and Seek

| DirectedBy = Aoife McArdle

| WrittenBy = Amanda Overton

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|3|18}}

| ShortSummary = Lumon security chief Doug Graner informs Cobel that he has identified ex-employee Reghabi as responsible for Petey's reintegration. Irving and Burt admit their feelings to one another, but Irving admits he is not ready to commit to a relationship. Mark has Irving introduce MDR to O&D, where he calls for the departments to work together to uncover Lumon's secrets. However, Milchick finds them and sends Mark to the break room. Milchick later briefly awakens Dylan's innie inside his outie's home to locate a card Dylan stole from O&D, leading Dylan's innie to discover he has a son. Cobel (as Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig) gets close to Devon and Ricken by acting as their lactation consultant. Mark goes on a date with Alexa, Devon's midwife, to a concert by Petey's daughter's punk-rock band, and sings along to an anti-Lumon protest song. Later, Mark finally answers Petey's phone and is contacted by Reghabi to meet at a nearby university. Cobel orders a keycard-locked door to be installed at the entrance to MDR.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = Defiant Jazz

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Helen Leigh

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|3|25}}

| ShortSummary = While Mark is meeting with Reghabi, Graner enters the building—following a tip from campus security. Reghabi kills Graner and gives Mark his access card, telling him to take it to his innie. Milchick engages in a "Music Dance Experience" with the department as a prize for Helly; Dylan refuses to participate and eventually attacks Milchick, enraged that he cannot know more about his child. After Milchick leaves, Dylan tells the rest of MDR about Lumon's ability to wake them up outside the severed floor, known as the "overtime contingency". The MDR team uses Graner's card to regain access to the hallways. Mark and Helly scheme to find the security office; inside, they find out how the overtime contingency is activated. Dylan offers to stay behind after hours to wake the others up on the outside. Irving departs to O&D, worried about Burt's safety. Upon arrival, he discovers that Burt is retiring, and openly berates the non-severed Milchick for exploiting the severed employees. After work, Alexa visits a drunken Mark, who scares her off after ripping up a photo of Gemma. After she leaves, Mark reassembles the photo, revealing it to be Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = What's for Dinner?

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Chris Black

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|1}}

| ShortSummary = Irving's outie lives alone in an apartment, where he paints identical images of a dark corridor. Helly reaches 100% on her data refinement file, thereby meeting MDR's quota for the quarter. After a final wellness session with Mark, Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey is ordered by Cobel to be sent back down to the "testing floor", whose entrance matches Irving's paintings. While MDR celebrates quota, Cobel is suspended by Lumon's board for withholding knowledge of Helly's suicide attempt and her avocational activities as "Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig". The MDR team prepares for Dylan to remotely awaken them on the outside; Helly kisses Mark before departing. Mark's outie attends Ricken's book-reading party and tells "Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig" that he plans to quit Lumon; she encourages him to do so. Dylan receives a "waffle party" as a reward for meeting quota, in which he dons a Kier Eagan mask and sits within a replica of Kier's bedroom in the Perpetuity Wing while ritualistic and seductive dances are performed in front of him. Dylan leaves midway to access the security office and activates the overtime contingency to awaken Mark, Irving, and Helly's innies in the outside world.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 9

| Title = The We We Are

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|4|8}}

| ShortSummary = Mark's innie awakens in Devon's home and finds himself hugging "Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig". While excusing himself to find Devon, he calls Cobel by name, alerting her that the overtime contingency has been activated. Cobel calls Milchick to warn him. Mark privately reveals to Devon that he is his innie; Devon tells him of Gemma's death and learns that "Mrs.{{nbsp}}Selvig" is Mark's boss. Irving wakes up in his apartment, discovering his outie's paintings, and finds a map and employee directory which he uses to locate Burt. Helly wakes up at a Lumon gala where she learns that her outie is Helena Eagan—daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan—who underwent severance as a publicity stunt. Cobel races to the gala and attempts to stop Helly from making a scheduled speech. Helly gets onstage and tells the crowd of the innies' subjugation and torment. Irving arrives at Burt's house only to find Burt is already in a relationship. Mark finds a photo showing Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey to be Gemma. He rushes to tell Devon, but is only able to say "She's alive!" before Milchick tackles Dylan, deactivating the overtime contingency and reverting the three to their outies.

| LineColor = 7D9F7E

}}

}}

Episodes in season 2 were promoted as being released on Fridays globally from January 17, but were released in American time zones on the preceding Thursday evenings.{{cite web|title='Severance' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Land On Apple TV+?|first=Dessi|last=Gomez|work=Deadline|url=https://deadline.com/feature/severance-season-2-release-schedule-1236256880/|date=February 24, 2025|access-date=April 11, 2025}}

{{Episode table |background=#71A9C2 |overall=5 |season=5 |title=29 |director=16 |writer=24 |airdate=21 |titleR= |writerR={{Cite web |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/1220759/severance/ |title=Severance |website=Writers Guild of America West |access-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117195337/https://directories.wga.org/project/1220759/severance/ |url-status=live}} |airdateR= |episodes={{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Hello, Ms. Cobel

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|1|16}}

| ShortSummary = Mark reawakens on the severed floor in a panic, finding Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey's wellness room decommissioned, and his whole team replaced. Milchick, now running the severed floor, introduces Mark to new deputy manager Miss{{nbsp}}Huang—a child—and claims that five months have passed since the "Macrodat Uprising", which supposedly made Mark's team the faces of "severance reform". Milchick says that while Mark's outie asked to return to Lumon, the other three refused. Mark sabotages his new team as a distraction to reach the board and request the other innies' return. The next time Mark wakes up on the severed floor, he reunites with Dylan, Irving, and Helly. The four are taken to a renovated Break Room, where Milchick promises better working conditions and offers the innies a choice to leave permanently or stay. Mark informs the group what he learned while outside, while Helly lies about her outie's identity. A distraught Irving nearly leaves over his heartbreak at Burt having a partner, but Dylan convinces him to stay. Milchick privately shows Dylan blueprints for an outie family visitation suite. Having all chosen to stay, the team resumes its work.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig

| DirectedBy = Sam Donovan

| WrittenBy = Mohamad El Masri

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|1|23}}

| ShortSummary = Following the Overtime Contingency, Milchick is tasked with damage control and fires both Irving and Dylan; Irving lies to Milchick about his whereabouts that night. Helena, accompanied by security chief Mr.{{nbsp}}Drummond, meets with Cobel and offers her a promotion as a reward for her loyalty, but Cobel is insulted at not being offered her old job back. Helena films an apology video passing off her outburst at the gala as the result of intoxication. Milchick attempts to convince Mark to return to work, but Mark decides to quit, much to the dismay of Devon, who is concerned that Gemma is alive. Dylan attempts to find a new job but is discriminated against for being severed. Helena insists that Mark must return to work to finish his latest file, "Cold Harbor"; Milchick convinces him to return by offering him a hefty pay raise and promises that the happiness his innie receives will trickle back to him. After hearing Mark's plea to the board, Milchick rehires Dylan and Irving, while the board decides to send Helena back to work. Mark runs into Cobel while returning home and demands answers about Gemma, but she angrily drives off.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Who Is Alive?

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Wei-Ning Yu

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|1|30}}

| ShortSummary = Mark and Helly go to hand out missing-persons posters of Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey across the severed floor. The two stumble upon the Mammalians Nurturable department, led by a woman named Lorne; though initially hostile, the Mammalians promise not to hinder MDR's search for Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey. Irving takes a missing poster to O&D, where he runs into Felicia, who identifies his sketch of the dark hallway from his outie's paintings as the "Exports Hall". Dylan is granted a visitation with his outie's wife, Gretchen. Natalie approaches Ricken to discuss adapting The You You Are for innies. Cobel agrees to rejoin Lumon on the condition that she is rehired as Floor Manager. Helena instead suggests an impromptu meeting with the board, prompting a spooked Cobel to drive off. Mark and Devon attempt to burn an afterimage into his retinas to communicate with his innie; Reghabi interrupts Mark, telling him his strategy will not work, and that reintegration is the only way to send messages in and out of Lumon. Mark agrees to the procedure after Reghabi confirms his wife is alive. As they begin conducting the process in Mark's basement, Mark flashes between the present and his orientation on the severed floor.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Woe's Hollow

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Anna Ouyang Moench

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|2|6}}

| ShortSummary = MDR find themselves in the outside world on a frozen lake. A prerecorded message from Milchick informs them that they are on an "Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence" (ORTBO), and directs them to find the previously unrevealed fourth appendix to the Lumon handbook, written by Kier Eagan, by following the directions of strange doppelgängers of themselves. Upon taking the appendix to Woe's Hollow, a waterfall, they are greeted by Milchick and Miss{{nbsp}}Huang, who have set up a campsite. Helly is confronted by Irving about her suspicious account of her time during the Overtime Contingency. She retorts by claiming Irving is bitter about Burt's retirement, causing Irving to storm off. Helly and Mark have sex, after which Mark briefly hallucinates Gemma's head on Helly's body. Irving sleeps outside, experiencing strange dreams. The next morning, Irving again confronts Helly. To force her to admit she is a mole, he yells for Milchick and begins drowning Helly in Woe's Hollow. Helly reverts to her innie after calling Milchick by his first name, Seth, which is unknown to the MDR, telling him to do it. Milchick then fires Irving and reverts him to his outie.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 14

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Trojan's Horse

| DirectedBy = Sam Donovan

| WrittenBy = Megan Ritchie

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|2|13}}

| ShortSummary = Following the ORTBO, a reluctant Helena is compelled to continue working on the severed floor as her innie until Mark completes the Cold Harbor file. Milchick fulfills Dylan's demand for a funeral for Irving. During the ceremony, Dylan realizes that Irving's final words to him reference a Break Room poster. Behind it, he discovers a card with directions to the Exports Hall, but quickly hides it again. Helly learns that Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey is Mark's outie's wife, and Mark tells her he cannot trust her. Milchick undergoes his first performance review as department head, where Drummond admonishes his failed kindness reforms, demanding that the innies be treated "as what they really are". Milchick confronts Mark, revealing he knows that Mark and Helena had sex during the retreat. Ricken begins work on the Lumon edition of The You You Are, laden with company propaganda, to Devon's dismay. Irving's outie notices Burt watching him. Burt admits he has been following him since the Overtime Contingency and theorizes that they were romantically involved on the severed floor. He invites Irving to dinner with his husband, Fields. Mark, in a sudden flash to the severed floor while at home, sees Gemma alive as Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 15

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Attila

| DirectedBy = Uta Briesewitz

| WrittenBy = Erin Wagoner

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|2|20}}

| ShortSummary = Dylan informs Mark and Helly about his discovery of Irving's instructions to reach the Exports Hall. Milchick takes time off to address the infractions in his performance review, leaving Miss{{nbsp}}Huang in charge. Mark confesses to Helly that he and Helena had sex during the ORTBO. Feeling that Helena stole this experience from her, Helly initiates sex with Mark. Gretchen visits Dylan's innie again and the two kiss. She later lies to outie Dylan that the visitation was cancelled. Burt and Fields have Irving for dinner, and an awkward conversation unfolds. Meanwhile, Drummond breaks into Irving's apartment and discovers his directory of Lumon employees. Reghabi tells Mark they must accelerate the reintegration process by surgically "flooding" his severance chip, despite the risk of hemorrhage. Mark initially refuses but later encounters Helena at a restaurant; he leaves shortly after and decides to proceed with the procedure. While talking to Devon right after the procedure, Mark suffers a seizure and collapses.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 16

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = Chikhai Bardo

| DirectedBy = Jessica Lee Gagné

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson & Mark Friedman

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|2|27}}

| ShortSummary = In flashbacks, Mark and Gemma meet at a blood drive. The two go on to have a loving marriage which is eventually marred by difficulties conceiving a child. After a miscarriage, Gemma and Mark visit a fertility clinic run by Lumon. In the present, Gemma lives on the testing floor at Lumon, where every day she visits multiple rooms (which share the names of the MDR files) that awaken a separate innie forced to endure a certain unpleasant experience, overseen by Dr.{{nbsp}}Mauer. After she leaves the rooms, Mauer interviews her about her memories and emotions from the experiences. Meanwhile, as Mark lies unconscious, Reghabi confirms to Devon that Gemma is alive, and tells her Mark is voluntarily reintegrating. Reghabi leaves when Devon suggests calling Cobel for help. On the testing floor, when Gemma tells Mauer she wants to leave, he lies by saying that Mark remarried and had a child. Gemma knocks Mauer unconscious and steals his keycard. She attempts to escape via the elevator to the severed floor, but reverts to Ms.{{nbsp}}Casey, and Milchick redirects her back down the elevator. Mark awakens with Devon beside him, still recalling memories of Gemma.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 17

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = Sweet Vitriol

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Adam Countee and K. C. Perry

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|3|6}}

| ShortSummary = Cobel arrives in Salt's Neck, the seaside town she grew up in. The Lumon ether factory that once supported it has closed, and much of the population is addicted to ether. Harmony visits a restaurant to find her old friend Hampton, an ether dealer, who secretly drives her to her mother's house. Harmony's mother Charlotte died after a long illness while Harmony was at a Lumon boarding school, leaving Harmony's aunt Sissy, a Lumon devotee, in charge of the home. Harmony barges into the house against Sissy's protests and falls asleep crying on Charlotte's old bed. Hampton finds her and they take ether. In the outdoor storeroom, Harmony finds her yearbook and her sketches of the severance procedure and chip, proving she was in fact the true inventor. Sissy attempts to burn the pages, but Harmony saves them and drives off in Hampton's truck as a car approaches the house. She answers a phone call from Devon who informs her about Mark's reintegration.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 18

| EpisodeNumber2 = 9

| Title = The After Hours

| DirectedBy = Uta Briesewitz

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|3|13}}

| ShortSummary = On the day of the Cold Harbor file's expected completion, Mark and Devon meet Cobel, who says Gemma will die after the file is completed. Mark calls in sick, promising Milchick he will come to work the next day. Gretchen confesses to outie Dylan about her romance with his innie, so he threatens to quit. She confides in innie Dylan about their fight and tearfully says goodbye. Heartbroken, Dylan submits a resignation form. Burt, who worked for Lumon transporting persons of interest, breaks into Irving's apartment and drives him to a train station. He buys Irving a ticket and says to never return. They share their feelings for each other, and Burt sees Irving off. Miss{{nbsp}}Huang completes her stint as deputy manager, and Milchick sends her away. Helly recovers the Exports Hall directions card and memorizes it, but Jame Eagan arrives at MDR. At night, Cobel and Devon sneak Mark into a severed cabin at the same birthing lodge where Devon had her child. Mark's innie awakens in the cabin, where Cobel is waiting.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 19

| EpisodeNumber2 = 10

| Title = Cold Harbor

| DirectedBy = Ben Stiller

| WrittenBy = Dan Erickson

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|3|20}}

| ShortSummary = Through video recordings, Mark's outie asks his innie to rescue Gemma from the testing floor after he completes the Cold Harbor file; otherwise, Gemma will die. Mark's innie storms off after he realizes he is being asked to sacrifice himself and Helly. Dylan returns to read a letter from his outie deferring his resignation request. Mark arrives on the severed floor, completes Cold Harbor, and receives a celebration from Milchick and a marching band. Helly and Dylan trap Milchick in the MDR bathroom while Mark searches for the hallway to the testing floor. In the Cold Harbor room, Gemma is tasked with disassembling a crib; she responds without emotion, to Dr.{{nbsp}}Mauer's and Jame Eagan's delight. Drummond summons Lorne to sacrifice a goat, but discovers Mark attempting to break into the Exports Hall. He tries to kill Mark but is subdued by Lorne. Mark takes Drummond hostage, but accidentally kills him in the testing floor elevator during the transition to his outie. Mark finds Gemma and they escape to the severed floor, reverting to their innies. Mark guides Gemma through the exit door but chooses to return to Helly; the two run through the hallways as an emergency alarm blares.

| LineColor = 71A9C2

}}

}}

File:Ben Stiller at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped).jpg

Erickson conceived of Severance in a period of depression working an office job at a door factory after he had completed his master's degree in television writing.{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2022 |title=Olympia screenwriter Dan Erickson on 'Severance' and its long journey to Apple TV+ |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/olympia-screenwriter-dan-erickson-on-severance-and-its-long-journey-to-apple-tv/ |first=Gregory |last=Wakeman |access-date=November 27, 2022 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127163345/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/olympia-screenwriter-dan-erickson-on-severance-and-its-long-journey-to-apple-tv/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title='Severance' Creator Dan Erickson Knows Exactly What the Goats Are For |url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/severance-creator-dan-erickson-finale-interview |first=Emma |last=Stefansky |date=April 8, 2022 |access-date=November 27, 2022 |website=Thrillist |language=en |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127164916/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/severance-creator-dan-erickson-finale-interview |url-status=live }} He found the job so monotonous that he wished he could "skip the eight hours of the workday, to disassociate and just get it over with".{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/severance-dan-erickson-work-life-balance-guest-column-1235158366/ |title=Guest Column: How 'Severance' Reflects Collective Struggle Achieving the Elusive Work-Life Balance |first=Dan (as told to Tyler Coates) |last=Erickson |date=June 7, 2022 |accessdate=May 30, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530174510/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/severance-dan-erickson-work-life-balance-guest-column-1235158366/ |url-status=live }}

Erickson submitted his pilot script to Ben Stiller's production company Red Hour Productions in 2015, and it was passed to Stiller by the development executive Jackie Cohn.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/30/adam-scott-profile |title=The Hollywood slog that led Adam Scott to "Severance" |date=December 23, 2024 |last=Syme |first=Rachel |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=January 4, 2025}} Stiller read it at least five years before Severance premiered, and said the project was "the longest thing I've ever worked on". He said he enjoyed the story's contributions to the workplace comedy.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/ben-stiller-severance-interview/|title=Ben Stiller talks Severance{{'}}s long road to TV and the challenge of work-life balance|date=February 19, 2022|first=Tyler|last=Aquilina|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=March 7, 2022|archive-date=March 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309083611/https://ew.com/tv/ben-stiller-severance-interview/|url-status=live}} Erickson has described his earlier versions of the pilot as "weirder" and containing many stray elements with no backstory such as a disembodied pair of legs running by Mark, a charred floor with burnt desks, and a woman trapped in a glass cubicle. Erickson credits Stiller with grounding the show, saying "he felt that the concept was weird enough that you didn't have to throw a bunch of other Terry Gilliam-esque bells and whistles at it."{{cite video |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Jeff |title=Severance S1 Q&A - Dan Erickson |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gf0EJ2bCqE&t=1300s |work=Backstory Magazine |date=August 19, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2024}} According to Erickson, "Ben fell in love with the part of the show that was this weird human sadness of a person who would willingly do this to himself."{{cite web |last1=Chow |first1=Katie |title=Severance could have gotten even creepier than that waffle party |url=https://www.avclub.com/severance-disembodied-legs-lumon-office-dan-erickson-1848756996 |website=The A.V. Club |date=April 6, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2024}}

In November 2019, Apple TV+ gave Severance a series order, with Stiller directing and Scott in the leading role.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=November 8, 2019 |title=Apple Signs Severance, Workplace Thriller Series From Adam Scott & Ben Stiller |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/apple-signs-severance-workplace-thriller-series-from-adam-scott-ben-stiller-1202781134/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006021610/https://deadline.com/2019/11/apple-signs-severance-workplace-thriller-series-from-adam-scott-ben-stiller-1202781134/ |archive-date=October 6, 2020 |access-date=November 2, 2020 |website=Deadline Hollywood |url-status=live }} Stiller was only attached to direct the pilot, but decided to direct more episodes as the series entered development.{{cite web |url=https://geekculture.co/geek-interview-ben-stiller-adam-scott-apple-tv-severance/ |title=Geek Interview: Ben Stiller And Adam Scott On How Apple TV+'s Sci-Fi Severance Is Closer To Reality Than One Thinks |date=February 7, 2022 |first=A'bidah |last=Zaid |website=Geek Culture |access-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310161308/https://geekculture.co/geek-interview-ben-stiller-adam-scott-apple-tv-severance/ |url-status=live }} On April 6, 2022, Apple renewed the series for a second season.{{cite web |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Severance Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV Plus |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/severance-season-2-renewed-apple-1235226145/ |access-date=April 6, 2022 |work=Variety |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406140239/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/severance-season-2-renewed-apple-1235226145/ |url-status=live }} In April 2023, it was reported that Beau Willimon had been hired as an executive producer and writer for the second and potential third seasons.{{cite web |url=https://theplaylist.net/andors-beau-willimon-added-to-severance-season-2-3-amid-reports-of-delays-production-troubles-20230428/ |title='Andor's Beau Willimon Added To 'Severance' Season 2 & 3, Amid Reports Of Delays & Production Troubles |website=The Playlist |first=Ned |last=Booth |date=April 28, 2023 |access-date=September 20, 2024}} On March 21, 2025, shortly after the premiere of the season 2 finale, Apple announced the renewal of the series for a third season.{{Cite web |last=Kain |first=Erik |title=Good News For 'Severance' Fans As Apple Drops A Huge Season 3 Announcement |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2025/03/21/good-news-for-severance-fans-as-apple-drops-a-huge-season-3-announcement/ |date=March 21, 2025 |access-date=March 21, 2025 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The Writers Guild of America West database lists new showrunners Eli Jorne and Mary Laws alongside Erickson for the third season, replacing Chris Black and Mark Friedman, who showran the first two seasons alongside Erickson.

Media that influenced Severance include the Backrooms creepypasta, the 2013 video game The Stanley Parable, films including Office Space, The Truman Show, Being John Malkovich, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Black Mirror episode "White Christmas", and the comic strip Dilbert.{{Cite web |url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/severance-apple-tv-plus-interview-dan-erickson-ben-stiller-adam-scott |title=Severance reveals the 'scary' and 'surreal' underbelly of office work in 2022 |date=February 24, 2022 |access-date=March 6, 2022 |website=Inverse |last=Francisco |first=Eric |archive-date=March 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305035425/https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/severance-apple-tv-plus-interview-dan-erickson-ben-stiller-adam-scott |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/ben-stiller-and-adam-scott-eternal-sunshine-of-the-severed-mind/ |title=Ben Stiller and Adam Scott: Eternal Sunshine of the Severed Mind |website=Filmink |first=Gill |last=Pringle |date=February 17, 2022 |access-date=May 25, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/arts/severance-apple-tv.html |title=What 'Severance' Is Made of: 'Being John Malkovich' and a Sizzler Steakhouse |website=The New York Times |first=Elisabeth |last=Vincentelli |date=April 28, 2022 |access-date=May 25, 2024 |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525112630/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/arts/severance-apple-tv.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1809155/black-mirror-episode-inspired-severance-white-christmas/ |title=The Chilling Black Mirror Episode That Inspired Severance |website=/Film |first=Nina |last=Starner |date=March 16, 2025 |access-date=March 19, 2025}} Older influences include the existential hell in the 1944 Jean-Paul Sartre play No Exit and the totalitarian dystopia in the 1949 George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/16/arts/sci-fi-thriller-severance-halve-or-halve-not/ |title=In the sci-fi thriller 'Severance,' to halve or halve not |date=February 16, 2022 |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=Boston Globe |last=Gilbert |first=Matthew |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809223637/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/16/arts/sci-fi-thriller-severance-halve-or-halve-not/ |url-status=live }} Aesthetically, the series was influenced by the films Brazil, Dark City, and Playtime.{{cite web |last=Petersen |first=Anne Helen |author-link=Anne Helen Petersen |title=The Feast of Severance |url=https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-feast-of-severance |website=Substack |date=April 6, 2022 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025050632/https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-feast-of-severance |url-status=live }} Erickson's siblings inspired some of the characters.{{Cite video |title=Severance: Dan Erickson Speech – 2022 HCA TV Awards |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBD7r9qolxU |publisher=Hollywood Critics Association |via=YouTube |date=August 14, 2022 |access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128134040/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBD7r9qolxU |url-status=live }} In 2016, his screenplay for the pilot of Severance appeared on Blood List's survey results of the best unproduced genre screenplays.{{Cite web |title=2016 BloodList, Including Fresh Blood Winners |url=https://www.bloodlist.com/the-lists/2016-bloodlist/ |access-date=November 27, 2022 |website=BloodList |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127164917/https://www.bloodlist.com/the-lists/2016-bloodlist/ |url-status=live }}

Erickson said: "The same frustrations that led us to this moment as a country [United States] and as a world are the ones that I was feeling when I wrote this because I was working office jobs, and I was dealing with all these increasingly insane requests that are made of workers. This was born of that ... Employees are the ones who are expected to give and give and give, with the understanding that this is a family—you're doing this out of love, but then that is often not returned by the employers in any kind of a substantive way."{{cite news |last=Oganesyan |first=Natalie |title='Severance' Creator Dan Erickson on Those Finale Twists and the 'Cultism' of Lumon |url=https://www.thewrap.com/severance-season-1-episode-9-ending-explained/ |website=TheWrap |date=April 8, 2022 |access-date=September 18, 2023}}

In January 2017, Stiller invited Adam Scott to star.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/severance-tv-show-ben-stiller-adam-scott-interview/ |title=Severance: Ben Stiller and Adam Scott on the Long Road to Making the Apple TV+ Thriller Series |date=February 18, 2022 |first=Carly |last=Lane |website=Collider |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301030048/https://collider.com/severance-tv-show-ben-stiller-adam-scott-interview/ |url-status=live }} Stiller and Scott had previously worked together in Stiller's 2013 movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Stiller intended to appear in the first season as a doctor character, but was later scrapped because Stiller think it didn't feel right and said he's happy to be off-camera.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/ben-stiller-severance-season-3-spinoffs-cut-characters-1236409897/ |title=Ben Stiller and Adam Scott on ‘Severance’ Season 3, Stiller’s Scrapped Character and Potential Spinoffs: ‘There Are Two Specific Ideas’ |website=Variety |first=Ethan |last=Shanfeld |date=May 29, 2025 |access-date=June 3, 2025}}

In January 2020, Patricia Arquette,{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=January 6, 2020 |title=Patricia Arquette To Star In Severance Apple TV Series, Reuniting With Ben Stiller |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/patricia-arquette-cast-star-severance-apple-series-reunites-ben-stiller-escape-from-dannemora-1202822180/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924185954/https://deadline.com/2020/01/patricia-arquette-cast-star-severance-apple-series-reunites-ben-stiller-escape-from-dannemora-1202822180/ |url-status=live }} Britt Lower,{{Cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |last2=Petski |first2=Denise |date=January 29, 2020 |title=Severance: Britt Lower To Star In Apple Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/severance-britt-lower-cast-adam-scott-patricia-arquette-apple-tv-series-ben-stiller-1202826002/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721200120/https://deadline.com/2020/01/severance-britt-lower-cast-adam-scott-patricia-arquette-apple-tv-series-ben-stiller-1202826002/ |url-status=live }} Jen Tullock, and Zach Cherry were added to the cast.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=January 31, 2020 |title=Severance: Jen Tullock & Zach Cherry To Star In Apple Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/severance-jen-tullock-zach-cherry-apple-drama-series-1202847861/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606104309/https://deadline.com/2020/01/severance-jen-tullock-zach-cherry-apple-drama-series-1202847861/ |url-status=live }} Tramell Tillman joined in February 2020,{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=February 26, 2020 |title=Severance: Tramell Tillman To Star In Apple Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/severance-tramell-tillman-apple-drama-series-1202869190/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809112117/https://deadline.com/2020/02/severance-tramell-tillman-apple-drama-series-1202869190/ |url-status=live }} and John Turturro and Christopher Walken were added in November 2020.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=October 30, 2020 |title=Severance: John Turturro To Star In Apple Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/severance-john-turturro-star-apple-drama-series-1234606483/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101052719/https://deadline.com/2020/10/severance-john-turturro-star-apple-drama-series-1234606483/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=November 2, 2020 |title=Severance: Christopher Walken Joins Apple Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/severance-christopher-walken-star-in-apple-drama-series-1234607842/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216154610/https://deadline.com/2020/11/severance-christopher-walken-star-in-apple-drama-series-1234607842/ |url-status=live }} Dichen Lachman was cast in December 2020.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=December 3, 2020 |title=Severance: Dichen Lachman Joins Apple Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2020/12/severance-dichen-lachman-apple-drama-series-1234637023/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122234553/https://deadline.com/2020/12/severance-dichen-lachman-apple-drama-series-1234637023/ |url-status=live }} Turturro said he recommended Walken for the role of Burt because he had known him for "a long time and I don't have to really act".{{cite web |last=Deckelmeier |first=Joe |date=February 17, 2022 |title=John Turturro, Zach Cherry & Britt Lower Interview: Severance |url=https://screenrant.com/severance-show-turturro-cherry-lower-interview/ |access-date=March 7, 2022 |website=Screen Rant |archive-date=February 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222004901/https://screenrant.com/severance-show-turturro-cherry-lower-interview/ |url-status=live }}

On October 31, 2022, Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Alia Shawkat, Robby Benson, Stefano Carannante, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and John Noble were announced to have joined the cast for season two.{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=October 31, 2022 |title=Severance: Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Alia Shawkat Among 8 Cast In Season 2 of Apple Series |url=https://deadline.com/2022/10/severance-gwendoline-christie-bob-balaban-merritt-wever-alia-shawkat-cast-season-2-apple-series-1235159058/ |access-date=October 31, 2022 |website=Deadline Hollywood |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031170255/https://deadline.com/2022/10/severance-gwendoline-christie-bob-balaban-merritt-wever-alia-shawkat-cast-season-2-apple-series-1235159058/ |url-status=live }} Stiller offered former U.S. President Barack Obama a voice cameo role in the second season, but he declined; the role eventually went to Keanu Reeves.{{cite news |last=Perez |first=Lexy |title=Ben Stiller Says Barack Obama Declined His Offer for 'Severance' Voice Role |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ben-stiller-barack-obama-declined-offer-severance-voice-role-1236154576/ |access-date=March 27, 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 4, 2025}}

Production designer Jeremy Hindle blended corporate looks from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s for the show's distinctive look, and cited modernist architect Eero Saarinen as influential for the building design. This included the John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois, and the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in New Jersey (the latter which served as both the exterior shots and the ground floor interiors for Lumon Industries), both buildings designed as "work designed to do work" according to Hindle.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/severance-production-design-apple-1235220628/ |title=How 'Severance' Turned the Workplace Into a Demented Playground |first=Wilson |last=Chapman |date=April 1, 2022 |accessdate=February 2, 2025 |work=Variety}} The set designs of Playtime also served as inspiration for the internal sets. The main sets for Severance were created on soundstages in The Bronx. One soundstage was used for the hallways within Lumon, using around {{convert|140|feet|meters}} of hallway that they would rearrange as necessary, along with special effects, to create the maze-like structure. Another soundstage used larger hallways that were used in latter episodes of the first season. A second soundstage was used for main rooms like the Macrodata Refinement Division. This space was designed to create the feeling of being trapped, using a large room ({{convert|80x40|feet|meters}}) with a low ceiling. Hindle also felt this room was meant to be a playroom for the newest Lumon hires, and gave it green carpeting in contrast with the whites to make it feel like grass. Other spaces with Lumon were inspired by the works of M.C. Escher.

File:Lumon vending machine (Bell Works event).jpg

Erickson said the mix of cars and technologies from different eras was meant to "give a slight sense of disorientation" and make Lumon "feel unmoored from time and space".{{cite web |url=https://mashable.com/article/severance-reddit-ama-creator-dan-erickson |title=15 revelations from 'Severance' creator Dan Erickson's Reddit AMA |first=Nicole |last=Gallucci |date=April 23, 2022 |accessdate=May 30, 2023 |website=Mashable}}{{cite web |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/u8tk1b/comment/i5oqmpq/ |title=Hey everybody! I'm Dan Erickson, the creator and executive producer of Severance on Apple TV＋ AMA! |date=April 21, 2022 |accessdate=May 30, 2023 |website=Reddit}} To this end, the production team sourced an anachronistic collection of 400 cars, largely commonplace boxy vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s, all in relatively good condition. Each car, even in the far background, was intentionally placed to curate the retro science fiction aesthetic. Characters' vehicles, chosen to show more of who they are, include Mark's Volvo S90, Cobel's Volkswagen Rabbit, Helena's Lincoln Continental, and Milchick's Royal Enfield motorcycle.{{Cite web |last=Nonemacher |first=Amelia |date=February 20, 2025 |title=Severance Resurrects a Bygone Generation of Cars |url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a63840081/severance-cars-interview-tv-show/ |website=Road & Track |access-date=February 23, 2025}} All the office equipment carries Lumon branding. The prop designers reconstructed old computers with functional trackball devices so the actors could perform the work presented on the show in order to get adjusted to the office setting.{{cite web |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1320020/how-the-incredibly-real-severance-set-transported-adam-scott-to-corporate-america |title=How the 'Incredibly Real' Severance Set Transported Adam Scott to Corporate America |date=February 17, 2022 |first=Cydney |last=Contreras |website=E! Online |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114121224/https://www.eonline.com/news/1320020/how-the-incredibly-real-severance-set-transported-adam-scott-to-corporate-america |url-status=live}} The computers lacked an escape key, as a metaphor for the lack of control the innies have while in Lumon's offices.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/06/severance-production-design-easter-eggs-1234734327/ |title='Severance' Designers Explain the Hidden Details of the innie and outie Worlds |first=Erik |last=Kohn |date=June 17, 2022 |accessdate=June 18, 2022 |work=IndieWire |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617164256/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/06/severance-production-design-easter-eggs-1234734327/ |url-status=live}} The computer terminals were modeled from the Data General Dasher terminals from the 1970s and the keycaps were recreated by Signature Plastics, who also made the original keycaps for the 1970s Dasher terminals. The keycap set was re-released in 2025 under the name "SA Macrodata Refinement".{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/601264/join-l |title=Build your own macrodata refinement keyboard |website=The Verge |first=Andrew |last=Liszewski |date=January 29, 2025 |access-date=March 22, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/style/severance-props-catherine-miller.html |title=The Stories Behind Some of the Weird Stuff on 'Severance' |website=The New York Times |first=Gina |last=Cherelus |date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=March 22, 2025}}

File:Bell Labs Holmdel.jpg in central New Jersey, U.S., stood in for the headquarters of Lumon Industries and has become a popular social media and tourist attraction.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/realestate/severance-lumon-industries-building-bell-labs.html.|title=Step Into the Real-Life Lumon Industries, the Breakout Star of 'Severance'|quote=Bell Works, the setting of the hit serial for Apple TV+, is now a tourist attraction, drawing fans to the architectural wonder.|first=Ronda|last=Kaysen|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 8, 2025|access-date=March 8, 2025}}]]

The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the initial production start of March 2020. Principal photography for the first season started in New York City under the working title Tumwater on November 8, 2020.{{Cite web |date=January 15, 2021 |title=How to Get Cast in Ben Stiller's Tumwater |url=https://www.projectcasting.com/casting-calls-acting-auditions/tumwater-ben-stiller/ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=Project Casting |language=en-US |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101105032/https://www.projectcasting.com/casting-calls-acting-auditions/tumwater-ben-stiller/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=February 27, 2022 |title=Severance: Apple TV+'s new thriller didn't have a smooth ride during production |url=https://applemagazine.com/severance-apple-tvs-new-thriller-didnt-have-a-smooth-ride-during-production/51234 |access-date=March 1, 2022 |website=AppleMagazine |language=en-US |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301025159/https://applemagazine.com/severance-apple-tvs-new-thriller-didnt-have-a-smooth-ride-during-production/51234 |url-status=live }} The opening scene of the show was shot on January 6, 2021. The series filmed for a few days in February in Nyack, New York for the homes of Mark and Cobel, and in Kingston and Beacon, New York in March.{{Cite web |last=Muchnick |first=Jeanne |title=Three TV shows have been filming in Nyack this week. Here's what's happening |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/entertainment/events/suburbarazzi/2021/02/25/film-crews-nyack-blacklist-fbi-most-wanted-severance/6814165002/ |date=February 25, 2021 |access-date=March 5, 2021 |website=The Journal News |language=en-US |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120182659/https://www.lohud.com/story/entertainment/events/suburbarazzi/2021/02/25/film-crews-nyack-blacklist-fbi-most-wanted-severance/6814165002/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Pineiro-Zucker |first=Diane |title=Apple TV+ series Severance filming scenes in Kingston this week |url=https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2021/03/09/apple-tv-series-severance-filming-scenes-in-kingston-this-week/ |date=March 9, 2021 |access-date=March 9, 2021 |website=The Daily Freeman |language=en-US |archive-date=February 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218144809/https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2021/03/09/apple-tv-series-severance-filming-scenes-in-kingston-this-week/ |url-status=live }} In April, filming moved to central New Jersey, mainly in the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex which stood in for Lumon HQ.{{Cite web |date=April 13, 2021 |title=Apple TV+ Television Series Severance Filming In New Jersey |url=https://wrat.com/2021/04/13/apple-tv-television-series-severance-filming-in-new-jersey/ |first=Lauren |last=Hoffman |access-date=May 12, 2021 |website=95.9 The RAT |language=en |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120182711/https://wrat.com/2021/04/13/apple-tv-television-series-severance-filming-in-new-jersey/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=How Severance Made Its Office Prison Look so Inviting |url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/severance-apple-tv-plus-set-design |date=February 24, 2022 |access-date=March 1, 2022 |first=Emma |last=Stefansky |website=Thrillist |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301031626/https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/severance-apple-tv-plus-set-design |url-status=live }} Filming was scheduled to conclude on June 23, 2021.{{Cite web |url=https://www.varietyinsight.com/production_restart_full_view.php?track_id=173951 |title=Film and TV Projects Going Into Production |website=Variety Insight |access-date=February 18, 2022 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120053919/https://www.varietyinsight.com/production_restart_full_view.php?track_id=173951 |url-status=dead }}

The second season began filming on October 3, 2022, in New York City, and was set to wrap on May 12, 2023. However, on May 8, 2023, production of the season was shut down due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.{{cite web|last=White|first=Peter|title='Severance': Production On Apple Series Shuts Down In New York|url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/writers-strike-severance-production-apple-series-shuts-down-1235359160/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 8, 2023|access-date=May 8, 2023|archive-date=May 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508170952/https://deadline.com/2023/05/writers-strike-severance-production-apple-series-shuts-down-1235359160/|url-status=live}} Production had resumed by May 13, 2023, with filming occurring in Newfoundland.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/severance-filming-bonavista-1.6841509 |title=Stars descend on Newfoundland for filming of Apple TV+'s Severance |website=CBC.ca |first=Melissa |last=Tobin |date=May 13, 2023 |access-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611061957/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/severance-filming-bonavista-1.6841509 |url-status=live }} Filming was later shut down again due to both the actors strike and the writers strike, but resumed on January 29, 2024,{{cite web |url=https://tvline.com/lists/severance-season-2-everything-we-know/ |title=Severance Season 2 (Finally!) Resumes Production — Get Latest Update |website=TVLine |first=Nick |last=Caruso |date=January 29, 2024 |access-date=February 2, 2024}} and wrapped on April 23, 2024.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/severance-season-2-filming-wrap/ |title='Severance' Season 2 Wraps Filming |website=Collider |first=Adam |last=Blevins |date=April 23, 2024 |access-date=April 26, 2024}}

In 2025, Severance became the most watched series in the history of Apple TV+.{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title='Severance' Surpasses 'Ted Lasso' To Become Apple TV+'s Most Watched Series With Season 2 Launch |url=https://deadline.com/2025/02/severance-ratings-season-2-apple-most-watched-series-1236294760/ |website=Deadline |date=February 19, 2025 |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

{{Television critical response

| rotten_tomatoes1 = 97% (117 reviews)

| metacritic1 = 83 (36 reviews)

| rotten_tomatoes2 = 95% (212 reviews)

| metacritic2 = 86 (43 reviews)

}}

Both seasons of Severance have received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the overall series holds an approval rating of 96%.{{cite Rotten Tomatoes |title=Severance |type=tv |id=severance |access-date=March 5, 2025}} Meanwhile, on Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the overall series has received a score of 85 out of 100.{{cite Metacritic |title=Severance |type=tv |id=severance |access-date=March 5, 2025}}

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Severance has an approval rating of 97% based on 117 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Audacious, mysterious, and bringing fresh insight into the perils of corporate drudgery, Severance is the complete package."{{cite Rotten Tomatoes |title=Severance |type=tv |id=severance |season=1 |access-date=January 7, 2025}} Metacritic assigned a score of 83 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite Metacritic |title=Severance |type=tv |id=severance |season=1 |access-date=August 14, 2022}}

The series received a rating of five out of five from Lucy Mangan of The Guardian and Rachael Sigee of I,{{cite web |last1=Mangan |first1=Lucy |title=Severance review – Ben Stiller's workplace fantasy might make your mind explode |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/18/severance-review-ben-stillers-workplace-fantasy-might-make-your-mind-explode |website=The Guardian |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924031452/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/18/severance-review-ben-stillers-workplace-fantasy-might-make-your-mind-explode |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Sigee |first1=Rachael |title=Severance, Apple TV+, review: A breathtaking Black Mirror-esque nightmare |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/severance-apple-tv-review-adam-scott-ben-stiller-1469361 |website=I |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924034955/https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/severance-apple-tv-review-adam-scott-ben-stiller-1469361 |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}} 4 out of 5 stars from Huw Fullerton of Radio Times, John Nugent of Empire, Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone and Anita Singh of The Telegraph,{{cite web |last1=Fullerton |first1=Huw |title=Severance review: A sinister ode to the work-life balance |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/severance-apple-tv-plus-review/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924041313/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/severance-apple-tv-plus-review/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 7, 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Nugent |first1=John |title=Severance Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/severance/ |website=Empire |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924041005/https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/severance/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Anita |title=Severance, Apple TV+ review: office drama like you've never known before |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/severance-apple-tv-review-office-drama-like-never-known/ |website=The Telegraph |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924034640/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/severance-apple-tv-review-office-drama-like-never-known/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}}{{cite magazine |last1=Sepinwall |first1=Alan |title=Work Is Hell in 'Severance |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/severance-review-1294293/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924040545/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/severance-review-1294293/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 7, 2022}} and 3.5 out of 4 stars from Patrick Ryan of USA Today.{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Patrick |title='Severance' review: Ben Stiller finds horror in 9-to-5 monotony in his unnerving Apple TV+ thriller |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/02/18/severance-review-apple-sci-fi-thriller-probes-work-life-balance/6810310001/ |website=USA Today |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924042008/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/02/18/severance-review-apple-sci-fi-thriller-probes-work-life-balance/6810310001/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}} In her review, Mangan praised Stiller's direction, the writing, and the performances of the cast (particularly those of Arquette, Turturro, Walken, and Tillman). Sigee also praised the performances, especially Scott's, Arquette's, Turturro's and Walken's, and wrote, "Severance moves slowly but surely, allowing time to absorb both the impressive world-building and stunning visuals, [...] [and] its breathtaking cinematography and design. With an exceptional cast [...], this is an original, weird, thought-provoking and beautifully crafted story that asks just how much of ourselves we should give over to our jobs." Fullerton also praised Scott's performance and called the series "an impressive creation". Nugent praised the direction, performances of Scott, Arquette, Turturro and Walken, and chemistry between the latter two. Sepinwall also praised Stiller's direction and the cast's performances (most notably those of Scott, Turturro, Walken, Lower and Tillman), in addition to the production design, tone, and season finale.

Grading the series an "A", Carly Lane of Collider wrote, "the most engrossing element of Severance is the many mysteries it presents, wrapped up in silent overarching questions of philosophy, morality, and free will versus choice, and as the series demonstrates, some of those questions aren't so easily solved, but some issues aren't as black-and-white as initially presented either."{{cite web |last1=Lane |first1=Carly |title='Severance' Review: A Compelling Workplace Thriller About What We Lose by Dividing Ourselves |url=https://collider.com/severance-tv-show-review-ben-stiller-adam-scott-apple-tv-plus/ |website=Collider |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924033908/https://collider.com/severance-tv-show-review-ben-stiller-adam-scott-apple-tv-plus/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 7, 2022}} Also grading it an "A", Ben Travers of IndieWire wrote, "Whether you invest in the allegory, character arcs, or both, 'Severance' hits its marks. [...] Erickson and his writing staff deserve a ton of credit. The season plays out cleanly and efficiently; episodes range from nearly 60 minutes to a crisp 40; cliffhangers abound, but they're earned. [...] This is serialized storytelling that knows how to make the most of its episodic format."{{cite web |last1=Travers |first1=Ben |title='Severance' Review: Ben Stiller Directs a Brilliant Corporate Conspiracy Thriller That's All Too Real |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/severance-review-ben-stiller-apple-tv-show-amazing-1234699524/ |website=IndieWire |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924035718/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/severance-review-ben-stiller-apple-tv-show-amazing-1234699524/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 16, 2022}} Stephen Robinson of The A.V. Club gave it an "A-" grade and praised Stiller's direction and the cast, with the performances of Lower, Scott, Tillman, Turturro, Walken, Tullock and Cherry singled out.{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Stephen |title=Apple TV Plus' Severance offers a thrilling reminder of why we never want to return to the office |url=https://www.avclub.com/severance-review-apple-tv-plus-1848475563 |website=The A.V. Club |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924031901/https://www.avclub.com/severance-review-apple-tv-plus-1848475563 |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 7, 2022}} For Entertainment Weekly, Kristen Baldwin graded it a "B+" and highlighted the performances of Scott, Lower and Tillman, writing, "Scott is a superb fit for Severance{{'}}s central everyman, [...] Lower brings an effective vulnerability to the acerbic Helly, and Tramell Tillman is an absolute force of charisma as Milchick."{{cite magazine |last1=Baldwin |first1=Kristen |title=Severance review: Adam Scott discovers that work is hell in wistful sci-fi thriller |url=https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/severance-review-adam-scott-apple-tv-plus/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924041416/https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/severance-review-adam-scott-apple-tv-plus/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 7, 2022}}

Giving the series a score of nine out of ten, Samantha Nelson of IGN wrote, "Severance [...] uses a clever premise and excellent cast to set up an intriguing mystery that leaves plenty of room for the characters to evolve."{{cite web |last1=O'Hara |first1=Helen |title=Severance Premiere Review - "Good News About Hell" and "Half Loop" |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/severance-premiere-review-apple-tv-plus |website=IGN |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924030911/https://www.ign.com/articles/severance-premiere-review-apple-tv-plus |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}} Writing for Paste, Shane Ryan gave it an 8.1 out of 10 and praised the performances of Scott, Arquette and Tillman as well as Stiller and McArdle's direction.{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Shane |title=Apple TV+'s Severance Is Strange, Frustrating, Very Good, and Then Frustrating Again |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/apple-tv-plus/severance-review/ |website=Paste |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924032747/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/apple-tv-plus/severance-review/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 17, 2022}} Kyle Mullin of Under the Radar gave it eight out of ten and said, "Severance{{'}}s writer/creator Dan Erickson is another newcomer who pens scenes with veteran-level aplomb. Every scene is a Golden Age of TV gem in its own right. But Severance{{'}}s dramatic heart resides at the workplace, where it also becomes a white-knuckle thriller. This is where director Ben Stiller especially shines, training his lens and setting the scenes [...]. He certainly brings the best out of his cast."{{cite web |last1=Mullin |first1=Kyle |title=Severance |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/severance |website=Under the Radar |access-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924040227/https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/severance |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |date=February 18, 2022}}

The American Film Institute named it one of the ten best television programs of the year.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Hilary |title=AFI Best Film, TV Shows of 2022 Include 'Avatar' Sequel, 'Women Talking,' 'The Bear' and 'Mo' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/afi-best-movies-tv-shows-2022-1235278829/ |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 9, 2022 |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209223358/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/afi-best-movies-tv-shows-2022-1235278829/ |url-status=live }}

The second season has an approval rating of 95% based on 212 reviews and an average rating of 8.9/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The website's consensus reads: "Masterfully managing its two halves of adroit character study and surreal nightmare, Severance{{'}}s long-awaited sophomore season makes cognitive dissonance a mind-melting pleasure."{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Severance|type=tv|id=severance|season=2|access-date=March 10, 2025}} Metacritic assigned a score of 86 out of 100 based on 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite Metacritic|title=Severance|type=tv|id=severance|season=2|access-date=January 24, 2025}}

Writing for Variety, Alison Herman awarded the second season with a perfect rating, noting: "Season 2 fulfills this sine qua non with deceptive ease. Real-time viewers have had their patience strained; future binge-watchers will barely notice a blip."{{Cite web |last=Herman |first=Alison |date=January 7, 2025 |title='Severance' Season 2 Is Surreal, Stylish and Worth the Wait: TV Review |url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/tv-reviews/severance-season-2-review-apple-1236267477/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124125209/https://variety.com/2025/tv/tv-reviews/severance-season-2-review-apple-1236267477/ |archive-date=January 24, 2025 |access-date=January 29, 2025 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} John Nugent of Empire gave season two 4 stars out of 5, while stating: "After a storming Season One, Season Two expands and deepens the original mysteries while opening up new ones. Sharply made and skilfully executed, the employee benefits are there if you stay with it."{{Cite web |last=Nugent |first=John |date=January 16, 2025 |title=Severance Season 2 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/severance-season-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127232417/https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/severance-season-2/ |archive-date=January 27, 2025 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |website=Empire |language=en}}

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The first season was recognized with The ReFrame Stamp for hiring people of underrepresented gender identities, and of color.{{Cite web |last=Behzadi |first=Sofia |date=July 19, 2022 |title='Euphoria', 'Abbott Elementary' & Apple Among ReFrame Stamp Recipients For Gender-Balanced Hiring; Numbers Down From 2020–2021 |url=https://deadline.com/2022/07/euphoria-abbott-elementary-apple-reframe-stamp-gender-balanced-hiring-2021-22-1235072102/ |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=Deadline Hollywood |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722025712/https://deadline.com/2022/07/euphoria-abbott-elementary-apple-reframe-stamp-gender-balanced-hiring-2021-22-1235072102/ |archive-date=July 22, 2022 }}

The second season was teased during the Apple Event on September 7, 2022, which featured Helly (Britt Lower).{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/07/apple-sneaks-in-a-severance-season-2-teaser-during-its-iphone-14-event/ |title=Apple sneaks in a 'Severance' Season 2 teaser during its iPhone 14 event |website=TechCrunch |first=Sarah |last=Perez |date=September 7, 2022 |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923134228/https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/07/apple-sneaks-in-a-severance-season-2-teaser-during-its-iphone-14-event/ |url-status=live }} The first footage from season 2 was released on June 10, 2024, as part of a promo for upcoming Apple TV+ programming.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/severance-season-2-first-footage-1236032398/ |title='Severance' Season 2 Finally Gets First Footage as Adam Scott Returns to Lumon — With Balloons |website=Variety |first=Ethan |last=Shanfeld |date=June 10, 2024 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}

On July 9, 2024, a post on the Apple TV+ account on social media platform X teased an announcement about season 2.{{Cite web |last=Christoffel |first=Ryan |date=July 9, 2024 |title=Apple TV+ teases Severance season 2 news with morse code video |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/07/09/apple-tv-teases-severance-season-2-news-with-morse-code-video/ |access-date=July 10, 2024 |website=9to5Mac |language=en-US |archive-date=July 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710022635/https://9to5mac.com/2024/07/09/apple-tv-teases-severance-season-2-news-with-morse-code-video/ |url-status=live }} In the video, a light blinks the word "tomorrow" in Morse code. The next day on July 10, Apple TV+ announced that season 2 would debut on January 17, 2025. The first trailer for season 2 was released on October 23, 2024.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/severance-season-2-trailer-adam-scott-new-lumon-employees-1236186387/ |title='Severance' Season 2 Trailer: Adam Scott Uncovers Lumon Mysteries and Meets New Employees |website=Variety |first=Ethan |last=Shanfeld |date=October 23, 2024 |access-date=October 24, 2024 |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126235814/https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/severance-season-2-trailer-adam-scott-new-lumon-employees-1236186387/ |url-status=live }}

{{External video|caption=Video by Apple TV+|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYVyTvnAsQw Severance — Inside the Grand Central Terminal Pop-Up {{!}} Apple TV+]|headerimage=File:YouTube 2024.svg}}

On January 14, 2025, three days before the premiere of the second season, Apple TV+ recreated the show's 'Macrodata Refinement' office inside a glass box at Grand Central Terminal. Actors Scott, Cherry, Arquette, Lower, and Tillman entered the glass box and behaved as though they were working their respective jobs at Lumon Industries for about two and a half hours.{{Cite news |last=Vasquez |first=Whitney |date=January 14, 2025 |title='Severance' cast, Ben Stiller take over NYC's Grand Central with clever pop-up ahead of highly anticipated Season 2 premiere: 'Like a proud dad' |url=https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/entertainment/severance-cast-ben-stiller-take-over-grand-central-with-season-2-pop-up/ |access-date=January 16, 2025 |work=New York Post |archive-date=January 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116031243/https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/entertainment/severance-cast-ben-stiller-take-over-grand-central-with-season-2-pop-up/ |url-status=live }} The pop-up's uniqueness and the cast's dedication generated largely favorable responses from the public.{{Cite magazine |last=Dockterman |first=Eliana |date=January 15, 2025 |title=The Genius of Severance's Grand Central Pop-Up |url=https://time.com/7207099/severance-grand-central-station-pop-up/ |access-date=January 16, 2025 |magazine=Time}}

On March 21, 2025, IKEA India and Australia posted the same advertisement promoting office supplies replicating a similar set up to the Macrodata Refinement office. The tagline pokes fun at the "mysterious and important work" joke that is told by the office workers.{{Cite web |last=OKeeffe |first=Chloe |date=March 23, 2025 |title=IKEA take inspiration from Severance with new campaign |url=https://extra.ie/2025/03/23/obsessed/severance-ikea-campaign |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323132040/https://extra.ie/2025/03/23/obsessed/severance-ikea-campaign |archive-date=March 23, 2025 |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=Extra.ie |language=en-GB |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Herring |first=James |date=March 24, 2025 |title=Ikea Australia leans Into the 'Severance' aesthetic |url=https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2025/03/ikea-australia-leans-into-the-severance-aesthetic/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323104305/https://www.famouscampaigns.com/2025/03/ikea-australia-leans-into-the-severance-aesthetic/ |archive-date=March 23, 2025 |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=Famous Campaigns |url-status=live}}

On March 26, 2025, some cast members appeared at Tower Bridge in London to celebrate the renewal of season 3.{{Cite web |last=Peake |first=Amber |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Severance cast make surprise appearance in London to celebrate show's renewal |url=https://www.londonworld.com/whats-on/severance-tower-bridge-london-stunt-season-3-renewal-5052883 |access-date=March 26, 2025 |website=LondonWorld |language=en}} Cast members included Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, and Gwendoline Christie.{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Matthew |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Apple TV+'s Severance cast surprise London commuters at London Bridge Station |url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/25040167.apple-tv-s-severance-cast-surprise-london-commuters/ |access-date=March 26, 2025 |website=News Shopper |language=en}} At the event were balloons with Adam Scott's face.{{Cite web |last=Williamson |first=Lucy |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Severance cast surprise London commuters with huge balloon installation |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/tv/gallery/apple-tvs-severance-cast-surprise-31286389 |access-date=March 26, 2025 |website=My London |language=en}} On the same day, Apple updated their computer section on their website to include the Lumon Terminal Pro. However, the item was not actually for sale but served as marketing to promote both the show and the Apple TV+ service.{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/26/the-lumon-terminal-pro-computer-pops-up-on-apples-website/ |title=The Lumon Terminal Pro computer pops up on Apple's website |website=TechCrunch |first=Sarah |last=Perez |date=March 26, 2025 |access-date=April 26, 2025}}

The official release dates of second season episodes were on Fridays, but Apple TV+ released episodes the prior Thursday at 9:00{{nbsp}}pm ET.{{cite web |last1=Fuentes |first1=Tamara |title=Here's When Every Episode of 'Severance' Season 2 Drops |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a63446881/severance-season-2-release-schedule/ |website=Cosmopolitan |date=March 21, 2025 |access-date=March 24, 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Hauari |first1=Gabe |title=When does the 'Severance' Season 2 finale come out? How to watch, stream final episode |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2025/03/19/severance-season-2-finale/82547027007/ |website=USA Today |date=March 19, 2025 |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

The first season was released in the UK on Blu-ray and DVD on December 2, 2024,{{Cite web |title=Severance - Series 1 [Region A & B & C] |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Severance-Blu-ray-Region-Adam-Scott/dp/B0DK99WC5F |access-date=December 13, 2024 |website=Amazon UK |archive-date=January 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119101709/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Severance-Blu-ray-Region-Adam-Scott/dp/B0DK99WC5F |url-status=live }} in Australia on December 4, 2024,{{Cite web |title=Severance - Season 1 |url=https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/severance-season-1-system-collections-generic-list1system-object-blu-ray |access-date=December 13, 2024 |website=JB Hi-Fi |language=en |archive-date=January 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119004206/https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/severance-season-1-system-collections-generic-list1system-object-blu-ray |url-status=live }} and in the United States on December 17, 2024.{{Cite web |title=Severance season 1 is coming home on Blu-ray |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265105/severance-season-one-blu-ray-release-date |date=October 8, 2024 |access-date=December 13, 2024 |first=Charles |last=Pulliam-Moore |website=The Verge |archive-date=December 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210061010/https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265105/severance-season-one-blu-ray-release-date |url-status=live }}

An epistolary novel related to the series, Severance: The Lexington Letter, was released by Apple Books purporting to be a "tell-all" exposé of sinister occurrences at Lumon Corporation, in the form of a dialogue between former Lumon employee Margeret "Peg" Kincaid and her innie (work self), sent as a letter to a Topeka newsletter.{{cite web |last=Edwards |first=Belen |title=4 fascinating things we learned from the 'Severance' companion book |url=https://mashable.com/article/severance-lumon-lexington-letter-theories |date=March 17, 2022 |access-date=February 5, 2025 |website=Mashable.com |archive-date=February 10, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210062255/https://mashable.com/article/severance-lumon-lexington-letter-theories |url-status=live }}

A fictional self-help book from the series, The You You Are, was released by Apple Books as an e-book and an audiobook, the latter read by the actor Michael Chernus in his role as Ricken Hale.{{cite web |last=Shanfeld |first=Ethan |title='Severance' Self-Help Book 'The You You Are' Available to Download |url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/severance-self-help-book-the-you-you-are-how-to-read-1236292864/ |date=January 31, 2025 |access-date=February 1, 2025 |website=Variety}}

The official Severance podcast premiered in January 2025, hosted by Ben Stiller and Adam Scott. Each episode of the podcast recaps an episode of the series, and features interviews with an actor, crew member, or fan of the show.{{cite web |last1=Shanfeld |first1=Ethan |title='Severance' Podcast Hosted by Ben Stiller and Adam Scott Launching on Audacy (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/severance-podcast-ben-stiller-adam-scott-1236217331/ |website=Variety |date=November 27, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2025}}

• Cypher, a 2002 thriller with similar themes of memory erasure and separate identities in a mysterious workplace setting
• Drug-induced amnesia § In popular culture
• My Own Worst Enemy, a 2008 TV series about a secret agent and his cover, who has no knowledge of his own double life
• Paycheck, a 1952 novelette by Philip Dick, that explores a theme of erasing memory of the time spent on a contract

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/umc.cmc.1srk2goyh2q2zdxcx605w8vtx|Severance}} – official site
• {{IMDb title|11280740}}
• [https://severance.wiki/Start Severance] – wiki site

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