Severance

Storyline

Created by Dan Erickson and directed with chilling geometric precision by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, Apple TV+'s dystopian workplace thriller Severance emerged as one of the most brilliant, captivating television debuts of the decade, earning 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Set within the sterile, labyrinthine corporate headquarters of Lumon Industries, the series explores a radical medical procedure known as 'severance,' which surgically divides an employee's memories between their personal life ('Outie') and work life ('Innie'). Adam Scott delivers a career-best, deeply moving dual performance as Mark Scout, a grieving widower on the outside whose severed workplace persona leads the mysterious Macrodata Refinement division alongside Dylan (Zach Cherry), rule-abiding Irving (John Turturro), and defiant new hire Helly R. (Britt Lower). As Helly rebels against the torture of being trapped in an endless corporate purgatory with no memory of sleep or sunlight, and Mark's Outie is contacted by a rogue former supervisor who has been 'reintegrated,' the terrifying secrets of Lumon's cult-like founder Kier Eagan begin to unravel. Featuring Theodore Shapiro's hypnotic four-note piano score and an all-time great season finale, Severance is a masterclass in modern sci-fi.