"Severance" season 2 has been Apple TV Plus's most hotly anticipated returning show for some time. Well ... either that or "Slow Horses."
But since we last saw an episode of "Severance" we've seen the better part of four new seasons of "Slow Horses." Seriously, the final episode of "Severance" season 1 was on April 8, 2022. It's been over two and a half years.
That wait though, is now officially coming to an end. After a tease or two, we now know exactly when "Severance" season 2 will premiere on Apple TV Plus. We even got our first official teaser trailer, which revealed a major twist.
Beyond that though, there's a fair amount we're still piecing together about the upcoming season of Apple's psychological thriller. So here's everything we know so far about "Severance" season 2, including the release date, trailers, cast and more.
'Severance' season 2 release date
"Severance" season 2 will premiere on Apple TV Plus on January 17. This was initially revealed in July via a date announcement trailer and was confirmed in October's official teaser trailer.
Season 2 will have 10 episodes, with subsequent episodes released every Friday through March 21. There will also be a companion podcast titled "“The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott," which will be a behind-the-scenes breakdown of each episode. The first season of the podcast has already started up and the second season will be released on Fridays in conjunction with episodes of "Severance" season 2 (h/t The Hollywood Reporter).
'Severance' season 2 trailers
Possible spoilers for "Severance" seasons 1-2 beyond this point
With "Severance" season 2 fast approaching, the trailers and teasers are coming in hot.
The first trailer we got was a season 2 date announcement trailer. Aside from giving us a very quick recap of some of season 1's events — and revealing the January 17 release date — this trailer didn't give us much else.
But it did reveal our first look at Gwendoline Christie's new, yet-to-be-named character. It also likely confirmed that Mark will run into Helly Riggs (Britt Lower) again at some point this season.
Then, we got an official teaser trailer for season 2. You can read our full trailer analysis, but there's not a ton in this teaser trailer. It's mostly Mark Scout (Ben Scott), running through the halls of Lumon's "severed" floor.
However, it does end with a twist — and a first look at Mark's new co-workers.
After a couple of rewatches though, there are a few of interstitial scenes as Mark is running that jump out. Dylan (Zach Cherry) is face-to-face with a not-quite-identical doppelganger. Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) is in a room that could be the Lumon boardroom. And we see one of Irving's (John Turturro) sketches ... along with a carved watermelon that looks eerily like his head. We also get seemingly pushed further toward the conclusion that Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) is really Mark's supposedly dead wife Gemma.
Only eight more Mondays until Severance Season 2 premieres. You can do it.#Severance Season 2 — January 17 on Apple TV+ pic.twitter.com/UuggZmlafiNovember 18, 2024
In this teaser from Apple TV on X (Twitter), we see Irving dealing with an onslaught of creeping black goo. This is something Irving had to deal with in season 1, though it's still mostly unclear why.
There's now been a second full trailer for season 2, and it's darker and more conspiracy-laden than the first. It shows that what the Innies did in the outside world at the end of season 1 did not go unnoticed by those inside or outside Lumon. This probably protects them, especially Mark, as he searches for his supposedly dead wife who was revealed to be alive at the end of season 1.
But that's not all that's teased. It seems we're likely to learn a lot more about what the Eagans — including Helly, who is severed and whose Innie seems to have a relationship with Mark's Innie — are doing at Lumon.
And apparently, there's a lot to explore. In an interview with SFX magazine (h/t Games Radar), showrunner Dan Erickson revealed "We know the exact year that each Eagan CEO took power and which technological advancements happened under their watch. There's inter-family drama that I've built for them over the course of the generations that will probably never be on the show. But I know it, which helps me. Ironically, having it that rigidly figured out gives us freedom, because we know the sandbox, and we know all the toys that are in the sandbox, and now we can play." So expect plenty of Eagan drama going forward.
It's beginning to look a lot like Severance.#Severance Season 2 — January 17 on Apple TV+ pic.twitter.com/oiiaB47g1WDecember 24, 2024
Finally, if you really want to spoil yourself you can watch the first eight minutes of episode 1 of season 2 on Apple TV Plus. In this extended clip available to subscribers, we see Mark sprinting through the halls of the severed floor and into the Wellness department before returning to Macrodata refinement to find all new employees before being greeted by Mr. Milchick, which we had seen previously in the first official trailer. To learn more, you'll need to go watch it for yourself.
'Severance' season 2 cast
"Severance" season 2 is bringing back many familiar faces. It's also adding some new ones, including a few big names.
Here's who you can expect in season 2, based on what we know so far:
- Adam Scott as Mark Scout: Mark is a "severed" employee at Lumon and works in Macrodata Refinement.
- Britt Lower as Helly Riggs/Helena Eagan: A new severed employee who is revealed to be an Eagan heir.
- Zach Cherry as Dylan George: A severed colleague of Mark, Helly and Irving in Macrodata Refinement.
- John Turturro as Irving Bailiff: A severed colleague of Mark, Helly and Dylan in Macrodata Refinement. Has a romantic work relationship with Burt.
- Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel: An executive overseeing the severed floor who also poses as Mark's next-door neighbor Mrs. Selvig.
- Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick: The floor manager of the severed floor.
- Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman: the retired chief of the Optics and Design division and Irving's Innie's love interest.
- Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey: The former wellness counselor of the severed floor who looks exactly like Mark's dead wife Gemma.
- Jen Tullock as Devon: Mark's sister and who gives birth in season 1.
- Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale: Devon's husband and an author.
- Gwendoline Christie in an unknown role: Appears to work on the severed floor in season 2.
- Merritt Wever in an unknown role
- Alia Shawkat in an unknown role: Appears to be one of Mark's new co-workers in Macrodata Refinement to start season 2.
- Bob Balaban in an unknown role: Appears to be one of Mark's new co-workers in Macrodata Refinement to start season 2.
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson in an unknown role
- John Noble in an unknown role
- Robby Benson in an unknown role
- Stefano Carannante in an unknown role: Appears to be one of Mark's new co-workers in Macrodata Refinement to start season 2.
Here's who could appear in season 2, but hasn't been confirmed yet:
- Sydney Cole Alexander as Natalie: A liaison for Lumon's board of trustees.
- Michael Siberry as James Eagan: The current CEO of Lumon Industries.
- Ethan Flower as Angelo Arteta: A senator who supports the widespread use of severance.
- Nora Dale as Gabby Arteta: Angelo's wife and a new mother.
- Nikki M. James as Alexa: Devon's midwife and Mark's fling.
"Severance" season 2 plot speculation and season 1 ending explained
Before we dive into theories about season 2, let's unpack that wild "Severance" season 1 ending.
The finale starts with Dylan completing the Overtime Contingency process and Mark, Helly and Irving's Innies waking up in their Outie bodies. Each scrambles to figure out their circumstances. Mark finds himself face to face with his boss Harmony Cobel, Irving is painting the dark hallway and Helly is attending the Lumon gala because she's actually Helena Eagan!
In Mark's story, he quickly steers clear of Cobel and learns Devon is his sister. After Ricken performs a reading from his book, he accidentally alerts Cobel that he is an Innie. While he converses with Devon about severance, Cobel tears away to the Lumon office. She calls Milchick to stop Dylan, while she intends to get to Helly.
In Helly's story, she is horrified to see the gala has an exhibit that puts a positive spin on her severed experience. As Helena, she is supposed to make a speech, so she uses the opportunity to excoriate severance: "We’re not happy, we’re miserable. They torture us down there!"
In Irving's story, he finds newspaper clippings about ex-Lumon employees suing the company as well as a directory of employees' home addresses. He zeroes in on his love interest, Burt, and drives to his house. But he hesitates when he sees Burt with another man.
As Milchick bursts into the security room to tackle Dylan, all three Innies are at crisis points. Helly is removed from the stage, Irving pounds on Burt's door and Mark discovers his wife Gemma is identical to fired wellness counselor Gemma. "She's alive!" he tells Devon, just as the switch turns all of them back into their Outties.
Will season 2 pick up from that very moment, with the Outties waking up and realizing something has gone awry?
It's possible. Mark certainly is running around frantically in the season 2 teaser trailer. But given that he runs into a new group of Innies, it's possible not everyone may be returning to Lumon. It's also possible that not everyone remembers the end of season 1.
Helly/Helena though, does show up in a trailer. She will undoubtedly have to deal with the repercussions of Helly declaring severance a "lie" to a large crowd that includes her father.
Mark, meanwhile, just told his sister that Lumon should be investigated. The stage is set for the greater public to question what Lumon does and whether severance should be outlawed.
Outie Irving's current location at Burt's house should result in an interesting and very telling interaction. If Burt retired, he should have no recollection of Irving and vice versa. Yet, Irving's manic paintings of the dark hallway at Lumon indicate that some Innie memories still linger outside. Could feelings also transcend severance?
As for Mark, his Innie now knows that his dead wife Gemma and Ms. Casey could be one and the same. But that revelation will be complicated by the kiss that he shared with Helly.
"To put him in this position where the Innie Mark, we’re starting to root for him and Helly, but now we also want to root for Outtie Mark to find his wife," Stiller told Variety. "That’s an interesting juxtaposition and conflict we’ll explore in the second season."
The dynamic between Innie and Outie is definitely at the forefront of this season's story. In an interview with Collider, Stiller said "Knowing how Season 1 ended, there were so many obviously big questions. We now have sort of opened up the world for the innies who have been on the outside world, so we felt like there was a responsibility to open up the story in that way and ratchet up the stakes and really dig into these relationships in terms of what Mark is dealing with in this very unique situation of the innie and the outie."
Speaking with The Direct, Tramell Tillman reveals that this season is "focusing so much more on the four friends." Tillman's character Mr. Milchick is the only person regularly on the severed floor who isn't severed, but his job revolves around ensuring that the Innies only learn pertinent information for their roles at Lumon and that anything they do learn doesn't make it to their Outtie.
While we may not know exactly what to expect in "Severance" season 2, the show's creators certainly do. When speaking to Esquire, show creator Dan Erickson laid out that there's an overall plan already laid out — though it has some flexibility.
"There’s an overall plan for the show. I have an end point in mind, and I intentionally didn’t plan it season by season, because I wanted it to be flexible enough that we could get there in two seasons or six seasons. I want to allow us to be surprised by where the show goes. There’s a sense of what Lumon is trying to do and the role that our main characters are going to play in that, and where it all will culminate. It’s really exciting to think about taking the next step on that trip."
Can't wait for season 2? Here's our guide to the best shows to stream while you wait for Severance season 2.
