WhenSeverancecame out on Apple TV+in February 2022, fans were quickly sucked into the dark world of Lumon Industries and their employees. The wild adventure follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott) as he tries to uncover the inner machinations of a company with a ‘severance’ program that literally erases any work memories an employee has once they exit the building.The season finale endson some pretty major cliffhangers, andit wasn’t long before word-of-mouth spread about this truly original sci-fi drama. Along with some inspiredwatercooler discussions about the twistsand turns of the Innies and Outies,Severancealso managed to nab14 Emmy nominations (and two wins)for its first season. So, why on earth has it taken three years for the series to return for Season 2?
‘Severance’ Season 1 Ends With Some Huge Cliffhangers
More and more clues are unveiled throughout the first nine episodes of the series that illustrate that something isn’t quite right aboutwhat’s going on behind closed doors at Lumon. It quickly becomes clear that Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) and her right-hand man, Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman), are hiding something.The final episode of Season 1ends with Dylan (Zach Cherry) successfully figuring out how to allow Mark, Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving’s (John Turturro) Innies to be able to switch places with their Outies. Helly discovers that her Outie is actually the descendant of Lumon founder Kier Eagan, and that she willingly underwent the severance program as a PR stunt for the company. Mark learns that he joined the program because he couldn’t bear the pain of losing his wife, and Irving races to the home of his Innie love, Burt (Christopher Walken), after finding his home address in his personal effects.
The most shocking moment occurs when Mark realizes that his dead wife is actually Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), the mysterious wellness counselor at Lumon. Plus,Helly is actually able to blurt out at a Lumon party that the company tortures its employees (before she’s overtaken by security), which means thatall of these events set the stage for an intriguing Season 2.Where will these characters end upgoing forward now that they’ve uncovered some of Lumon’s secrets?
‘Severance’ Ending Explained: Unpacking the Labyrinth of Mysteries
“All hail Keir!”
‘Severance’ Season 2 Was Delayed Because of the Hollywood Strikes
The series was renewed for a second seasonbefore the Season 1 finale even aired (in April 2022). The reason it took such a long time to come back is because of a major event that impacted all of Hollywood. The strikes that took place resulted in a total shutdown of production in 2023. First, the writers' strikeprevented scripts from being crafted, and then the subsequent actors' strike led to production being shuttered completely.These strikes (which lasted 148 and 118 days, respectively) effectively led to a hiatus for the entireSeverancecrew.
But there were also rumors from behind the scenes that there were production delays on Season 2even before the strikes. There were reports thatSeveranceshowrunnersMark FriedmanandDan Ericksonwere having serious creative differences, and were no longer speaking to each other in the run-up to creating the second season. Executive producerBen Stiller(who also directed several Season 1 episodes) and the studio were stuck looking for replacements (thus grinding any development of the second season to a halt). However, reps from Apple said that these rumors were unfounded, and everyone on the team was working together without any issues. Whether there was any truth to the drama or whether the strikes were the main issue behind the delay,production finally wrapped in April 2024, nearly a year after it was scheduled to be completed.
Scott recentlyacknowledged at a panel at this year’s CCXPthattheSeveranceteam was aware of the fans' frustration at having to wait so longto find out what happens next for these characters: “It was a crazy way to end season one and then leave all of you guys hanging for years… So we cannot wait for you to see season two.” He even hinted thatSeason 2 picks up directly after the action of Season 1, which means the high-stakes thrill ride will continue as soon as the new season drops. Even if fans have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Season 2 for several years, everyone knows the wait will be well worth it.
Season 1 ofSeveranceis available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S. Season 2 premieres on August 03, 2025.
Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
Watch on Apple TV+
