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Severance left us all wanting more with its first season, as its slow-burn mystery built to one heck of a cliffhanger. In its finale, its characters' minds were blown wide open – so much so that it's hard to imagine where season 2 is going to go.
The possibilities are endless. Fortunately, creator Dan Erickson, producer Ben Stiller and several of the show's cast members stopped by San Diego Comic-Con today (Thursday, July 21) and gave us some clues as to what to expect, as well as diving deep into season 1. Below, we go into all that we learned.
First, though, a quick recap (spoilers ahead): Severance follows a team of office workers at a sinister biotech company called Lumon Industries, who have all undergone a surgical procedure known as 'severance'.
Supposedly used to keep the work they do a secret, the operation splits people's consciousnesses in two: one for work and one for their personal lives. That means that when they're in the office, their 'innie' can't remember anything about their real life, and is essentially trapped at work. As soon as they leave, their 'outie' can't recall what they've been doing all day.
Season 1 saw Mark (Adam Scott), the new head of Lumon's Macrodata Refinement division, and his colleagues Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro) join forces to rebel against the organisation, as they attempt to rediscover who they really are and learn the truth about their jobs. Now you're refreshed, let's jump in...
Big changes were made
Ben Stiller confirmed the Apple TV Plus series was filmed over 10 months, but it featured some major changes during that time. One of the biggest was revealed by series creator Erickson who explained that Adam Scott's Mark and Britt Lower's Helly originally had opposite roles. In the pilot, Mark was the one to wake up on the conference room table, while Helly was the employee who had been there longer.
Season 2
The cast and crew have been discussing what will happen in season 2. Severance creator Erickson detailed what he's hoping to explore. "Something that I am excited about going into season 2 is building out the world a little bit more and being able to see with this one slight tweak to reality what the different ramifications would be." They'll also explore the mysterious goats as well, as season 2 will finally reveal their significance.
Bloopers
A blooper reel was screened in Hall H, which showed Christopher Walken dancing – and Lower trying to wrangle a baby goat. Cute!
Mr. Milchick
Will we see the delightfully frightening Mr. Milchick in season 2? "Who's to say," was the very tight-lipped answer. One thing is certain though, we weren't the only ones creeped out by the character. "When Tramell Tillman stares at you, it is very scary," Stiller told the Hall H audience.
Set secrets were uncovered
Scott revealed that Stiller kept the office's rainbow ceiling lights in the 'Defiant Jazz' dance scene a secret, so the cast's reactions are completely real. Plus, Lumon's hallways are all connected, meaning the cast would often get lost. Scott even said he'd lose his way looking for the bathroom – and have to shout for help…
The show had to feel real
Erickson explained how they wanted the show to feel realistic. He told audience members: "We didn't want it to feel like sci-fi – we wanted it to feel grounded." Part of this meant including real-life professionals. Stiller said that the actor who implants the chips in episode 2 is actually a real neurosurgeon. He helped them work out how the severance procedure would work in real life.
They can't help looking at Reddit theories
Erickson said he was warned against reading Reddit theories about the show but he couldn't help himself. "It's really interesting to see what people's theories are," he explained. "And sometimes you see ideas that are better than yours." However, the creator admitted that he's had to stop now that he's in the midst of writing the show's second season.
Severance influences
According to Erickson, sources of inspiration for the show include The Truman Show, Dark City, and Office Space. Stiller also noted that Severance is a subversion of shows like Parks & Recreation and The Office, while discussing his switch from comedy to drama.
Severance is currently available to stream on Apple TV Plus. If you've already binge-watched the whole lot and have found yourself itching for your next genre fix, then why not check out our roundup of the best sci-fi movies, and draw up a new to-watch list. You can keep up to date on all things Comic-Con with our complete SDCC 2022 schedule.
