X
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
Summary Mark Scout (Adam Scott) is one of several employees at Lumon Corporation who undergo a procedure which separates their work and home memories so they can only recall the ones related to where they are in this sci-fi thriller from Ben Stiller and created by Dan Erickson.
Created By: Dan Erickson
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
- 2022
- TV-MA
- Apple TV+
Severance
Season 1 Premiere: Feb 18, 2022
8.7
Where to Watch
Summary Mark Scout (Adam Scott) is one of several employees at Lumon Corporation who undergo a procedure which separates their work and home memories so they can only recall the ones related to where they are in this sci-fi thriller from Ben Stiller and created by Dan Erickson.
Created By: Dan Erickson
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 36 Critic Reviews
83
94% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
6% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 36 Critic Reviews
83
94% Positive
34 Reviews
34 Reviews
6% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
With an exceptional cast (rounded out by Patricia Arquette, John Turturro and Christopher Walken), this is an original, weird, thought-provoking and beautifully crafted story that asks just how much of ourselves we should give over to our jobs.
With smart performances, an intriguing script, and buckets of style from Ben Stiller in pure thriller mode, it easily climbs up the list of Apple TV+’s best shows.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 292 User Ratings
8.7
90% Positive
264 Ratings
264 Ratings
5% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
4% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 292 User Ratings
8.7
90% Positive
264 Ratings
264 Ratings
5% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
4% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
This is legit one of the best TV shows of all time, the finale is just perfect. Let's hope Season 2 will be just as good
Report
AMAZING !!!
First off, i had no idea Ben Stiller was capable of directing in the first place. Let alone direct this gem. Severance delivers suspense, mystery, thrills, and a few satire chuckles here and there. Every episode uncovers at least one question a viewer might be asking him/herself. notable performances:
Adam Scott (MARK)
John turturro (IRVING)
Tramell Tillman (MILCHICK)
Report
Playful and mordantly funny, “Severance” is like a Charlie Kaufman-designed nightmare, from the midcentury-menacing set to the way it sketches the innies’ hermetic lives. ... The nine-episode season suffers from streaming slump in the middle, but it hooks you early and accelerates late.
Severance is classic slow-burn TV, lulling you with its hypnotic weirdness before piling on the twists. By the end, I was on the edge of my seat begging for a second season. [14 - 27 Feb 2022, p.7]
It’s wacky, unsettling, and remarkably assured.
There’s a dark humor, absurdist vibe that, alongside the mysteries (What are the workers doing at Lumon? Why does Mark’s boss live next door to him?), makes “Severance” appealing. But some of that interest gets undone by over-long episodes and a thudding pace.
What exactly are we watching? As a critique of office life, it’s empty, and somewhat patronizing. ... There is certainly a strain of comedy being worked here, along with some seemingly random, one might say Buñuelian weirdnesses, but it is not often funny; at times, it feels meant as satire, but of what? ... The season finale is genuinely exciting and suspenseful, but, really, even as an advocate of slow television, we might have got there in half the time with twice the effect.
Adam Scott stars as one of several employees who have had the titular procedure that divides their memories into 2 parts: work and personal. As a result, each side doesn't know anything about the other. On the plus, the visuals are strikingly stark, sterile and stylized. On the negative, things happen with tedious slowness. While there are consistent ominous overtones, the tension doesn't develop. The final episode ramps up the stakes, but leaves things hanging for Season 2. The cast also includes Patricia Arquette (as the creepy boss), John Turturro (as one of the workers) and Christopher Walken (as the man he befriends). It was directed by Ben Stiller, who certainly has a way with visual uniqueness, but his abilities at generating pace and pressure require lots of patience. (Nine one-hour episodes)
Report
Wanted to like it very badly, but it's probably an acquired taste for people who are fans of this actor. This is my only suspicion as to why this gets such high reviews. That's why there are relatively few ratings here, and they're mostly positive. You go into this show either a fan of the actors / premise, or you don't, because within 2-3 episodes, it hits a brick wall in terms of popular appeal. Here's my issue with this show: it's literally devoid of charm. This is probably because of the actors, not just the dreary setting. The writing itself comes off as a wannabe highbrow, but ultimately just is boring, unfunny, and pedantic.
But overall, it's void of charm.
I know that people are going to say "that's the point of it." But the actors lack compunction. There's nothing there to the performance. You have to have screen presence, and the main actors generally lack it. From what I understand this show was probably done among a friend group and they hired only friends, rather than people who would have made for more compelling TV.
It comes off as trying to push the critique of corporate culture to new lengths, but it just feels like this was done before, many times over, better. It felt like a copy of something that we have all seen before. In a way it just felt like a corporate take on a corporate work setting. It's just silly.
Report
I lasted only 5 episodes of this and during all that time the show did a very bad job at justifying why would such contrived, controversial and outright dangerous concept as severance even exist? It looks like it increases neither the quality of work nor the quality of life of the workers. Hugely ineffective to say the least.
At certain point I couldn't suspend my disbelief any longer, and the slow as hell pacing surely didn't help.
Report
Le type même de la série qui part du bon pied, attise une curiosité certaine sur ses deux premiers épisodes, expose son « concept » très innovant mais in fine ne parvient pas à transformer l’essai… loin de là même !
Et pourtant, cette série pioche volontiers à l’envi tout ce qu’elle peut piquer à droite et à gauche parce qu’elle a la dalle et bouffe à tous les râteliers en même temps : du 1984, Brazil, Vol au dessus d’un nid de coucous, Kafka, **** ; de la critique qui se veut acerbe envers la mentalité des odieuses corporations, les travailleurs serviles surveillés et surexploités, le libre arbitre en détresse… et ainsi de suite…
La réalisation est soignée, la musique souvent hypnotique mais ces ronds de jambe rendent la série rapidement maniérée et prétentieuse. « Severance » ne sait plus où elle veut en venir et se perd en cours de route, sa paranoïa (salutaire) se dilue dans la lenteur et les atermoiements de son intrigue qui pédale dans la choucroute.
Et pourtant en seulement 9 épisodes (pour cette première saison), on aurait pu s’attendre à autre chose que la somnolence prodiguée par les épisodes 3-4-5-6-7-8-9… une lenteur, une torpeur qui habite la majorité des situations, lesquelles se répètent malgré une volonté de réveil lors du dernier épisode (quand même) mais il est déjà trop **** !
A vouloir trop en faire et toucher à tout, « Severance » loupe le coche : ni satirique, ni surréaliste, ni inquiétante… mais surtout lénifiante en définitive ! malgré l’excellent duo Adam Scott / Britt Lower vraiment habités par leurs rôles respectifs.
Report
Production Company:
- Endeavor Content
- Red Hour Films
Initial Release Date: Feb 18, 2022
Number of seasons: 2 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 2 Wins & 14 Nominations
Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards
• 5 Wins & 12 Nominations
