Severance was arguably the most creative and ambitious series of 2022—and season 2 is on its way.
Severance centers on four employees of Lumon Industries: Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan. Mark and the others have been severed, meaning that they have implants in their brains that separate their work memories from the rest of their lives, effectively turning each of them into two different people. But surprise, surprise: the corporation that forces its employees to hand over their memories turns out to be pretty evil, and Mark discovers a web of lies and control extending far beyond his basement cubicle.
Adam Scott told AV Club how interesting and challenging it was to play two different versions of Mark (or, as Lumon workers say, his “innie” and “outie”). According to Scott, “Splitting up the character was an interesting journey … One [version of Mark] has 40 or so odd years of experience, the other has two and a half years of being alive inside Lumon. It became a matter of how it manifests emotionally, physically, and if there’s a slightly different tenor in the voice. Finding out all these things about Mark Scout was really fun.”
Season 1 ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, so if you’re champing at the bit to find out what happens next, you’re not alone.
Severance season 2 resumes filming after the WGA and SAG strikes
Severance paused production while its writers and actors fought for fair wages and working conditions during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The SAG strike ended in November2023, but production on season 2 didn’t resume until January 29, 2024. Director Ben Stiller posted a shot of Adam Scott running down a hallway as Mark, with the caption “Back to work.”
Here’s everything else we know about Severance season 2!
Severance season 2 cast: Who’s in Severance season 2?
After that season 1 cliffhanger, we can expect the following cast members to return for season 2:
- Adam Scott as Mark
- Britt Lower as Helly
- John Turturo as Irving
- Zach Cherry as Dylan
- Tramell Tilman as Milchick
- Christopher Walken as Burt
- Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel
- Jen Tullock as Mark’s sister Devon
- Michael Chernus as Mark’s brother-in-law Ricken
- Dichen Lachman as Gemma / Ms. Casey
As we see more of the world of Lumon Industries, though, we’ll also be treated to these new cast members, although we don’t know what roles they’ll be playing yet.
- Gwendoline Christie (Games of Thrones, Star Wars, The Sandman)
- Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia)
- Bob Balaban (The Chair)
- Robby Benson (Beauty and the Beast)
- John Noble (Fringe)
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist)
- Alia Shawkat (Search Party)
- Merritt Wever (Godless)
Severance season 2 plot
We don’t know the season 2 plot yet, but we can make a few guesses based on the events of season 1.
In the season 1 finale, Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving launch a daring plan to spread the truth about what’s happening to innies on the severed floor of Lumon. Dylan sneaks into the control room to wake up Mark, Helly, and Irving after hours, and all hell breaks loose.
Mark finds out that his outie’s deceased wife is actually Lumon’s Ms. Casey, while Devon finds out that her lactation consultant is actually Mark’s boss. All signs point to a conspiracy that reaches far beyond Lumon’s walls.
Meanwhile, Helly finds out that her outie is none other than Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon’s CEO. Helly wakes up at a Lumon gala, where Helena is expected to give a speech about all the benefits of severance, but when Helly reaches the stage, she announces that Lumon imprisons and tortures its severed employees. Helly also finds out that her father wants everyone to be “children of Kier”—that is, severed.
Season 2 will presumably pick up where season 1 left off, with Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving dealing with the fallout of their plan. How will their outies react to what happened? Mark may launch a search for Gemma, while Irving grapples with waking up in front of his old crush Burt’s house. Helena and Dylan may not be happy with what their innies have done.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunner Dan Erickson revealed that season 2 will have a broader scope than season 1. “We’re going to continue to really focus on the relationships between these characters, and we’re expanding the world. The first season was an ensemble piece at work, but it was much more focused on Mark on the outside, obviously …. In season 2, we’re going to be showing all of these people on the outside. Similar to Mark, they each had their own reason for getting this procedure, and they’re all at some stage of a healing process for one thing or another.”
A first look that Apple TV+ tweeted, showing Adam Scott as Mark on the director’s monitor, gives us a tiny clue about what may happen in season 2. The shot seems to show Mark on Lumon’s severed floor, meaning that he chose to go back to work after the events at Ricken’s party. Mark could try to figure out how to communicate with his innie in his quest to find Gemma and find out what’s happening at Lumon.
Severance season 2 release window: When is Severance season 2 coming out?
Given the production delays, it’s hard to say when Severance season 2 will come out. A 2025 release window seems likely, but it’s impossible to be sure.
(featured image: Apple TV+)
