Severance star Adam Scott says he knew the series would inevitably get weirder, but he had faith in creator Dan Erickson and executive producer Ben Stiller.
"I loved Twilight Zone so much. I fell in love with the Twilight Zone when I was like 12. It was on every night, 11, and I just watched all of it. So I was just into the Twilight Zone and so when I first read the script five or so years ago, it drew those comparisons in my mind," Scott explains to 12DOVE.
Severance was created by Erickson, who submitted the pilot to Stiller's Red Hour production company back in 2015. The series stars Scott as a widower named Mark Scout who, after getting fired from his teaching job, undergoes a controversial procedure that essentially separates your work life from your home life into two separate people.
- Severance creator explains how season 1's reaction influenced where the story went in season 2: "What makes the show so special is Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan"
- Severance creator Dan Erickson talks keeping the acclaimed show's spark alive in season 2: "It's not just that it's still there - I think it's better"
It seems relatively normal at first, until a new coworker named Helly R. (Britt Lower) comes along and questions the policies and protocols - which are anything but normal or ethical. The season quickly unravels into a dystopian nightmare full of nosebleeds, dance parties, and baby goats - and ends on one of the most devastating cliffhangers.
"But it was also something completely different from that. It was an entire world that was skewed and just a bit, sort of a few degrees off from our own. But at the same time, maybe not if a technology like this was introduced into the world, maybe this is exactly how things would evolve and exactly how things would seem, but the depth of Dan's imagination, I never had any doubt about that."
No spoilers, but the new season definitely takes a deep, deep dive into Erickson's imagination...and the stakes are higher than ever for Mark, Helly, Dylan (Zach Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro).
Continued Scott: "Whenever we go in a new direction or he introduces a big new weird idea, it's always exciting. And no, I never would've imagined it would go to this particular place because I just always sort of had faith in Dan and Ben and figure that where they decide to take us is gonna be the right direction.
Severance season 2 hits Apple TV Plus on January 17. The first season is streaming now for free. For more, check out our Severance season 2 review, our interview with creator Dan Erickson about the pressure of returning after a long hiatus, or check out our set visit report and interview with Ben Stiller.
