If the Apple TV+ thriller Severance wasn’t the hottest new show of the year, it was certainly one of them, and now the series has added eight new actors for Season 2, including Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Merrit Wever (Unbelievable), John Noble (Fringe), and Bob Balaban (Moonrise Kingdom).
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (True Detective) has also joined the incoming ensemble along with Robby Benson (Beauty and the Beast) and Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia). With all of these new additions, it’s reasonable to wonder whether we might be introduced to other Lumon Industries departments.
Adam Scott returns as one of Lumon’s team leaders, Mark Scout, along with Patricia Arquette, Michael Chernus, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken.
Created by Dan Erickson, the series follows a group of employees who have undergone a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. I won’t say much more than that, as spoilers are a genuine concern when it comes to this series, whose mysteries seem rather unique.
Severance hails from director Ben Stiller, who also executive produces alongside Erickson and Scott, as well as Caroline Baron, Jackie Cohn, Sam Donovan, Mark Friedman, Richie Schwartz, and Nicky Weinstock. Arquette will be a producer on Season 2 of Severance, which is produced by Fifth Season, the company formerly known as Endeavor Content.
“We are thrilled and delighted to be back on set for the exciting second chapter of Severance,” Stiller said 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!”
Season 1 of Severance was nominated for 14 Emmys, and Season 2 is now in production, though there’s no release date yet. Season 1 reportedly took 11 months just to shoot, but the pandemic may have played a factor there. I don’t know if Apple will have Season 2 ready in time for next year, but it should be streaming by Q1 of 2024 at the very latest.
