When we last left Lumon Industries in the first season of Severance, the workers of the mysterious “severed” floor had just discovered life-changing truths.
Mark (Adam Scott) learned his supposedly late wife was alive and has been working alongside him as the “severed” Ms Casey (Dichen Lachman).
The severed floor at Lumon Industries is a puzzling, isolated workplace where employees’ memories are surgically divided, creating two separate versions of themselves: one that exists only at work (innie) and another outside it (outie).
The finale’s twists raised stakes no-one saw coming, and according to the lead star, Severance second season – which releases January 17, 2025 – takes things even further.
“As far as [Lumon’s] moral depravity goes, it [learning about Ms Casey] is beyond anything Mark could have imagined,” Adam, 51, tells TV WEEK.
Director Ben Stiller, 59, says it was important to expand the world the show had created.
“It can’t tread water,” he explains. “It was important to delve into the weirder areas and allow the story to deepen.”
For Adam, Severance is grounded in a relatable core.
“Mark wants to escape a certain feeling and, in this instance, it’s grief,” he says. “We all do that to a certain extent, but how it’s blown up to a bigger scale [in the series] is fascinating.”
Season two will also explore more of Lumon’s disturbing depths while delivering the surreal mix of mystery and dark humour fans have come to love. Ben emphasises the challenge of balancing it all.
“You don’t fully know the show’s tone until you’re in it with the actors,” he says. “It’s collaborative, and it evolves as you go.”
Stream Severance from January 17 on Apple TV+ from $12.99/mth, with a 7-day free trial.
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