Severance season 2: Release date speculation, cast and plot
Waffle parties all round – the critically-acclaimed Apple TV+ series is coming back for more.
It's been a long wait for Severance season 2 but, praise Kier, it's finally wrapped filming!
Yep, the next step on the long road to season 2 has been completed, with costume designer Carol DeeLay sharing a celebratory snap on Instagram, declaring: "It's a wrap on season 2."
Despite the runaway success of season 1 of Ben Stiller's Apple TV+ show, it seems the production on season 2 has been a little tumultuous, not least because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.
However, clearly things are now moving pretty quickly on the show, with production resuming in January and wrapping up four months later, so here's everything we know so far about a potential release date, the cast, and the plot of Severance season 2.
Severance season 2 release date speculation
We don't yet have a release date for Severance season 2. However, at a guess, we'd estimate it's coming in early 2025.
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In early January 2024, producer Ben Stiller confirmed that he was "working on" Severance season 2, but more good news came later in the month – when Apple TV+ confirmed that the instalment was in production.
Sharing a shot of Scott's Mark Scout running down a corridor, they described the picture as: "A black and white action shot of Mark S (Adam Scott) running down a long white hallway. On the right side of the picture is a large camera recording the scene, confirming Severance season 2 is in production."
In April 2024, costume designer Deelay confirmed that production had wrapped – meaning it's just post-production to go. Here's hoping things speed along!
Severance season 2 cast speculation
We're expecting to see the following cast members in Severance season 2:
- Adam Scott as Mark Scout
- Britt Lower as Helly
- Zach Cherry as Dylan
- John Turturro as Irving
- Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel
- Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick
- Christopher Walken as Burt
- Dichen Lachman as Ms Casey
- Jen Tullock as Devon
- Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale
- Gwendoline Christie as TBC
- Aia Shawkat as TBC
- Bob Balaban as TBC
- Merritt Wever as TBC
- Robby Benson as TBC
- Stefano Carannante as TBC
- John Noble as TBC
- Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
We're expecting the majority of the main cast, led by Adam Scott and Britt Lower, to return. In October 2022, Variety reported they'll be joined by some new faces.
Game of Thrones and Wednesday star Gwendoline Christie, Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat, The French Dispatch's Bob Balaban and Unbelievable's Merritt Wever are among them, though who they'll be playing remains a mystery at this stage.
Robby Benson (One To One), Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia), John Noble (The Lord of the Rings) and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist) have also been confirmed.
Given that some other guest characters died during the course of season 1, it’s less clear whether they’ll continue to be involved in the story (for example, Yul Vazquez’s 'Petey', who met his demise in season 1, continued to appear in flashbacks and archive footage).
Severance season 2 trailer
A quick teaser trailer for season 2 was released by Apple following the renewal announcement, which you can watch below.
Severance season 2 plot speculation
Severance’s first season ends on quite the cliffhanger, so fans will be thanking Kier himself that a second season is coming to pick up where things left off. Watch out if you’re not up to date – spoilers are coming.
After a season of following the severed 'Outie' life of Mark Scout and the separate 'Innie' life of Mark S, the final episode combines the two plotlines, with 'Innie' Mark waking up inside his body outside of the Lumon building for the first time.
And he’s not alone – thanks to Dylan’s (Zach Cherry) operation of the Overtime protocol, his MDR co-workers Helly and Irving both awaken in their 'outie' bodies too.
Irving (John Turturro) discovers the unsettling paintings he’s been painting of an ominous corridor in the Lumon building, then tracks down his beloved Burt (Christopher Walken) – only to discover he has a partner on the outside. Still, he’s ready to confront outie Burt as the credits roll.
Similarly, Helly (Britt Lower) discovers some hard truths. It turns out her 'Outie' is none other than Helena Egan, part of Lumon’s senior staff who undertook being 'severed' as a PR exercise.
Onstage at a fancy gala, she exposes the truth of the severed employees’ miserable existences.
Meanwhile, Mark (Adam Scott) tells his sister the truth, only to discover even more lies.
Seeing a photo of 'his' wife, he realises something the audience (and the bigwigs at Egon) have known for a while – she’s still alive and working at Lumon as the mysterious wellness rep Ms Casey (Dichen Lachman).
Mark S desperately tries to communicate this in the seconds before his 'Outie' returns to control, shouting "She’s alive!" as Dylan is tackled in the Egon control room.
Altogether, there’s a lot of plot threads to pick up in a second season. Will Helly and Mark’s revelations cause a public backlash against Severance? Did Irving reach Burt? And how will the severed MDR employees be punished when they return to Lumon for their next shift?
Stiller has already offered some insight into what to expect from the second instalment back in April 2022, teasing there would be answers (and more questions) in store.
"I think it’s important for fans of the show to know that the unanswered questions do need to be answered at some point. It’s just, I think we feel this responsibility to do it in a way that is both responsible and entertaining," he told Deadline.
"Part of the fun of the show, I’ve found, is that people have so many different theories and ideas and thoughts about it, so there’s a responsibility you have, and one thing I can guarantee you is that [creator] Dan Erickson has thought about this, and thought about it a lot over many years."
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He added: "We felt that there’s a balance [to aim for], because if too many questions are answered, then you don’t have a chance to really speculate and live in the world as much.
"So, we’re trying to figure out how to live in that world and figure out that balance, but the answers are there. It’s just, we want to try to mete it out in a way that feels fun and satisfying."
We also still don’t know what exactly MDR are working on at Lumon, how Mark’s wife survived, why Ms Cobell (Patricia Arquette) was testing her and Mark’s interactions, or whatever the hell was going on with the baby goats.
In short, there’s an awful lot still to get through, so thank goodness we’re getting more episodes to unravel it all. Waffle parties all round!
Severance season 1 is streaming now on Apple TV+. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
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