Highly anticipated $200,000,000 sci-fi show is ‘worth the wait’
Apple TV Plus drama Severance has been hailed as ‘better than ever’ in glowing first reviews ahead of the season two premiere.
The first season of the hit sci-fi dystopian drama starring Adam Scott already boasts a near-immaculate 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The second season looks set to repeat its success.
Fans have been waiting three years for a new season of this ‘trippy’ Ben Stiller show that sees office worker Mark (Adam) lead a team of employees who have opted to have their memories surgically divided between professional and personal life.
As Mark onboards his newly-severed colleague Helly (Britt Lower), his outside life begins to overlap with work when disturbing truths about his job at Lumon are uncovered.
Needless to say, the season one finale ended with a shocking cliffhanger (brief season one spoilers ahead so go catch up if you haven’t yet).
The work halves (innies) finally catch a glimpse of the real world with jaw-dropping consequences like Helly discovering she’s the heir to the company and Mark finding out his supposedly dead wife is actually alive.
Although the plot for season two has largely been under lock and key, creator Dan Erickson teased a ‘dire’ fallout for our motley crew of workers.
He told Vanity Fair: ‘We very much wanted to put our heroes in a scarier place because season 1 ends with them poking the bear. They form this little rebellion, and they’re able to achieve a modicum of success with it.
‘But the question with season 2 was: “What happens when the bear pokes back? What’s the fallout of this victory that they had? I think, without giving much away, the fallout is dire”.’
And, after so much anticipation, it seems they have nailed the landing. No doubt helped by the reported eyewatering $200million (£159.9m) budget ($20million per episode) used for the second season, per Bloomberg.
Variety called it ‘surreal, stylish and worth the wait’.
The review continued: ‘Severance lives or dies not by an airtight, detail-dense story, but by sustaining an eerie sense of unreality. Season 2 fulfills this sine qua non with deceptive ease.’
Screenrant echoed this sentiment in its five-star review. ‘It all culminates in a stunning finale that is somehow on par with the first season’s gasp-worthy ending.
‘Severance is one of the best shows on television right now, and it continues to prove that in its second season, which raises the bar in every single way,’ the review reads.
Adam Scott will return as Mark in this ‘masterpiece’ new season (Picture: Apple TV/Atsushi Nishijima)
‘For those concerned about the long wait, Severance hasn’t lost a single step since its debut in early 2022. Acerbic, witty, and compelling to the extreme, it immediately announces itself as the series to beat in 2025,’ SlashFilm praised.
IndieWire called it ‘deeper and darker’ and BBC hailed it ‘even more mind-bending’. Meanwhile, Decider set the expectations high calling it a ‘masterpiece [which] will exceed your wildest dreams (and nightmares)’.
The show has already scooped up 14 Emmy nominations across the major categories and secured victories for Main Title Design and musical score.
In September, Ben acknowledged fan’s frustrations with the delay in getting new episodes (especially impacted by the 2023 strikes).
‘It’s been an interesting, trying time over the last few years to make things, on all levels for people,’ Ben told Variety.
‘So to keep that focus on trying to make the best possible season, being aware that it’s taken a long time. I, like other people, get frustrated when things take a long time. I want to have the next season sooner.
‘So I understand that feeling of the expectation.’
But eager viewers are finally on the home stretch with the new ten-episode season on the horizon.
Severance will return to Apple TV Plus on Friday, January 17 with episodes airing every Friday. Season one is available to stream now.
Highly anticipated $200,000,000 sci-fi show is ‘worth the wait’