Praise Kier… the Severance Season 2 release date is approaching, meaning the wait is nearly over after that incredible cliffhanger in the Season 1 finale.
It’s been a rocky road to get to this point. Between delays and ballooning production costs, it’s felt like an age waiting for the return of Ben Stiller’s surreal sci-fi series after Season 1 dropped in February 2022.
The story itself centers on Mark (Adam Scott), who leads a team of Lumon employees in a mysterious company where workers’ memories are surgically divided between their work and personal lives. As both the “innies” and the “outies” dig deeper, they uncover sinister secrets.
The Apple TV+ show combines the best of Black Mirror’s dystopian thriller edge with heart-aching drama. Given the cliffhanger ending, you’ll be pleased to know Severance is officially returning, so here’s everything we know so far.
Severance Season 2 release date finally announced
The wait is finally over – Severance Season 2 premieres on Apple TV+ on January 17, 2025. The 10-episode series will air episodes weekly thereafter on Fridays.
As said, it’s been a long old wait to get to this point, especially since the second chapter was confirmed not long after Season 1 aired.
A report on April 28, 2023, indicated that the second season could be delayed due to a “falling out” between showrunners Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman. The report also mentioned “extensive script rewrites” and astronomical episode budgets that could further hinder Season 2.
No one’s going to the break room. We’re on the same really slow schedule we’ve always been on. Same target air date we’ve always had. Love our fans and each other and we all are just working to make the show as good as possible. 💙
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) April 28, 2023
This was disputed by Ben Stiller. “No one’s going to the break room. We’re on the same really slow schedule we’ve always been on. Same target air date we’ve always had. Love our fans and each other and we all are just working to make the show as good as possible,” he tweeted.
Alleged behind-the-scenes turmoil aside, the production was delayed for months amid the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, which together lasted from May to November 2023.
However, good news arrived on January 29, 2024, when Adam Scott took to social media to reveal production was up and running again. Alongside a black-and-white pic of him in his work gear running down Lumon’s halls, he wrote, “Lovely being back at the office.”
Even better news broke on April 23, 2024, when costume designer Carol Deelay shared a production update on Instagram. She said, “It’s a wrap on Season 2.”
Is there a trailer?
Although there’s no full trailer, Apple TV+ did release an official teaser on July 10, 2024. Check it out below:
It doesn’t give too much away, but the 40-second video confirms the Lumon team will be back, including Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving, as well as the dreaded Cobel.
In a series of images, we see what looks set to be the fallout of the group’s success in bringing their “innies” out into the real world. It finishes with the introduction to newcomer Gwendoline Christie’s mysterious character, who says, “You should have left.”
The day prior, Apple TV+ released a smart little teaser of the Severance floor’s elevator light flashing in red. Turns out, there was a secret message hidden in plain sight – in Morse Code, the flickers translate to “tomorrow,” signifying the release of the above teaser trailer.
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 9, 2024
Prior to this, Severance Season 2 was teased as part of Apple TV+’s lineup for 2024. In the compilation, Scott is ominously welcomed back to the office by Milchick, while a later clip shows him flickering between his “innie” and his “outie.”
In the final clip, we see Mark shouting “wait” as the elevator door shuts, but who he’s saying that to is yet to be revealed.
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Severance Season 2 cast
We now know that the core cast are returning, including Adam Scott as Mark Scout. The rest of the Severance Season 2 cast includes:
- Britt Lower as Helly R/Helly Eagan
- Zach Cherry as Dylan George
- John Turturro as Irving Bailiff
- Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel
- Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick
- Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey/Gemma
- Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman
- Jen Tullock as Devon Hale, Mark’s sister
- Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale, Devon’s husband
- Michael Siberry as Jame Eagan, the CEO of Lumon Industries
There are also some fresh faces joining the Severance Season 2 cast. These include Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), John Noble (Fringe), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), and Merritt Wever (Unbelievable).
Bob Balaban (Capote), Robby Benson (Brave New World), Stefano Carannante (Blue Bloods), and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist) are also joining the series. Little is known about their characters right now, but we’ll be sure to drop more details here when they arrive.
It’s unclear whether we’ll see Yul Vazquez as Peter “Petey” Kilmer, a former Lumon employee and friend of Mark’s “innie,” given his death in Season 1. If anything, we’d see him in flashbacks as Mark deals with the events of Season 1.
What will happen?
The Severance Season 2 plot will be dealing with the fallout of Season 1’s events, with the finale seeing Mark, Irving, and Helly’s “innies” heading into the outside world.
Alongside the teaser, Apple TV+ shared the following synopsis, “In Season 2, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.”
One thing’s for sure: there are plenty of burning questions Severance Season 2 needs to answer. Season 1 ended with one of the most dramatic cliffhangers of the past 10 years.
Helly R discovered she’s Helena Eagan, the Lumon heir; Irving arrived at Burt’s door after their romantic connection in Lumon, only to discover he’s already in a relationship; and we last saw Dylan being tackled to the ground by Milchick after allowing the “innies” to escape their bodies for a brief time.
And that’s before we get to the biggest twist from the Severance Season 1 finale: Mark learned that Gemma wasn’t just alive, but had been severed and was working at Lumon as a wellness counsellor called Ms. Casey. “She’s alive,” he screamed as the finale credits rolled.
Speaking to Variety back in 2022 about what this means going forward, Erickson teased, “There’s a question of sort of who was targeted first: 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.”
We’re also expecting to find out more about the mystery behind Lumon Industries and what it’s really up to. Although the “outies” believe they’re handling top secret data, the work their “innies” are doing isn’t productive.
While Mark and co. deal with trashing “scary” numbers, the Optics and Design department frame bizarre Lumon paintings and make products like watering cans. And as for what the guy with the goats is up to, right now it’s anyone’s guess.
There have been numerous theories put forward, one of the leading right now being they’re training some sort of advanced AI – perhaps an artificial recreation of Lumon founder Kier Eagan. However, this still doesn’t explain why Mark and Gemma were targeted, nor does it explain the goats.
While you wait for the Severance Season 2 release date, why not check out the new TV shows coming to streaming this month. You can also read everything we know about The Sandman Season 2, The White Lotus Season 3, Wednesday Season 2, and Yellowjackets Season 3.
