Apple TV Plus seriesSeverancehas added several stars to its cast, includingGame of Thronesstar Gwendoline Christie. A first-look photo promoting the show’s upcoming season was also released in the same vein.
Severanceis a psychological thriller with roots in the science fiction genre and follows Mark, a Lumon Industries employee who agrees to have his memories of work split and separated from his personal life and leads a team of similarly ‘severed’ workers. Mark begins to question the nature of it all when shady details begin to come to light about not just the company he works for but also himself. The show had a long prep cycle leading up to the present, with co-director Ben Stiller first reading the screenplay 5 years before the show aired. This long phase was worth it, as the show’s first season was a big success andSeverancebrought prestige to the sci-fi genreat the 2022 Emmys.
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Apple TV Plusannounced that 8 new stars have joinedSeveranceahead of its second season. The additions were comedy drama star Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever (Godless), Alia Shawkat ofSearch Partyfame, Robby Benson fromBeauty and the Beast, Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson ofThe Tourist,Fringe’s John Noble, and, as mentioned, Christie, who played Brienne of Tarth inGame of Thrones, which was only recentlymatched in viewership by its successorHouse of the Dragon. Apple also announced the production ofSeveranceseason 2 is officially underway.
Stiller, who co-directed the first season of the Dan Erickson-created show alongside Aoife McArdle, was markedly enthusiastic about the second season. “We are thrilled and delighted to be back on set for the exciting second chapter ofSeverance,” said Stiller in a statement. “Though we don’t know how long we’ve been gone or who we are outside, we are told people enjoy the show and we couldn’t be happier. Praise Kier!" It’s a sure bet that the actors are also looking forward to filming the second season so they can get a grip on the story going forward, as Stiller admitted thatSeveranceepisodes were filmed out of orderto keep actors in the dark previously, leaving little room for privileged exposition.
The success and acclaim forSeveranceshould not come as a surprise, as the showrunners drew influence from many commendable sources both within and outside the science fiction genre,including works by George Orwell, who has inspired countless works from reimaginings to video game adaptations. These influences are apparent in the depth of the premise and interactions, and the stellar execution is sure to make the best use of the additional star power being drawn in, with the second season possibly even set to rival the first season’s reception, which garnered 14 nominations.
Severanceseason 1 is now available onApple TV Plus.
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