In 2022, Severance became one of the best shows on Apple TV+ by turning the idea of a work drama on its head. Thanks to the series’ sci-fi premise, the split between work and home life results in two distinct personalities residing in the same body for each of the employees at Lumon Industries. And the employees at work want to know more about who they are outside of the office.
Apple TV+ renewed Severance for a second season in April 2022, and it’s now been over two years since the season 1 finale because of the actors and writers strikes of 2023. Thankfully, a new season is on the way, and we’re sharing everything you need to know about Severance season 2.
What is Severance about?
Severance could have been a standard workplace drama if not for the show’s “severance” procedure. Essentially, Lumon Industries has devised a way to split its employees’ identities so they have no memories of their lives outside of work. When they’re in the office, all they know is their names, their employee duties, and the skills necessary to do their jobs.
This causes the employees to have two distinct personas: Innies and Outies. The former are their office personalities, while the latter represent their true selves away from work. The show primarily focuses on Mark Scout, as portrayed by Adam Scott, as he slowly uncovers clues that Lumon has been hiding big secrets from its employees, including key aspects of their identities.
What happened in the Severance season 1 finale?
The Innies successfully found a way to temporarily retain their personas outside of work. What they discovered was definitive proof that Lumon Industries has lied to and manipulated their employees. More importantly, Mark learned that his late wife, Gemma, is not only still alive, but also an employee of Lumon who goes by Ms. Casey at work. Meanwhile, Helly Riggs was disturbed to learn that she’s really Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon Industries CEO James Eagan. Helly also realized that as Helena, she voluntarily underwent the severance procedure to help get it legalized.
Lumon’s Harmony Cobel realized what was happening with Mark and Helly, but failed to stop Helly from giving a public speech that denounced the severance procedure. But because Lumon shut down the overtime contingency that allowed them to exist in their Innie personas outside of work, Mark, Helly, and their co-worker Irving may not retain any of the information that they’ve learned.
Who’s coming back for Severance season 2?
In addition to Adam Scott as Mark Scout, the following cast members are confirmed to be reprising their roles in Severance season 2.
- Zach Cherry as Dylan George
- Britt Lower as Helly Riggs/Helena Eagan
- Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick
- Jen Tullock as Devon Scout-Hale
- Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey/Gemma Scout
- Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale
- John Turturro as Irving Bailiff
- Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman
- Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel
Who’s joining the cast of Severance season 2?
Several new cast members signed on for Severance season 2, most notably Gwendoline Christie, whose previous credits include Game of Thrones, The Sandman, and Wednesday. Robby Benson, who voiced the Beast in Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast, is also joining the cast, alongside Fringe and Sleepy Hollow star John Noble.
The other new additions include Arrested Development‘s Alia Shawkat, Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie), Bob Balaban (Waiting for Guffman), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist), and Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia).
There are currently no details about the characters that the new cast members will portray. And given that the premise of Severance is built around separating the characters’ work identities from their real selves, there’s a good chance that many of these actors will have dual roles on the show.
What’s going to happen in Severance season 2?
Director and executive producer Ben Stiller shed some light on Severance season 2 during an interview with Variety. He also revealed that the budding romantic connection between Mark and Helly will be complicated by the reveal that Gemma is still alive.
“There is this growing connection between Mark and Helly happening during the season, and then on the outside, Mark is trying to get over his wife’s death — and then we’re going to find out that his wife is still alive,” said Stiller. “To put him in this position where the Innie Mark, we’re starting to root for him and Helly, but now we also want to root for Outie Mark to find his wife. That’s an interesting juxtaposition and conflict we’ll explore in the second season.”
Additionally, series creator Dan Erickson told Variety in the same interview that one of the show’s central mysteries in season 2 will be why Lumon faked Gemma’s death and let Mark believe that she was gone.
“There’s a question of sort of who was targeted first,” said Erickson. “Was Mark targeted because of his relationship to Gemma, or was it the other way around? And that’s something that we don’t see this season, but we will see in subsequent seasons. That’s the big question, what is special about Mark? And is it actually that there’s something special about him or is it more about Gemma, and he was sort of pulled in? Those are all left unanswered this season, but we will get into it.”
During a separate interview with Thrillist, Erickson touched upon the enigmatic room full of goats that set off fan theories in season 1. He said the goats are “part of a bigger thing,” and the answers to that mystery may be revealed in season 2.
When will Severance season 2 premiere?
Stiller has revealed that Severance season 2 was filmed between January and April 2024. That potentially puts it on target for a release later this year.
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