Filming has begun on Season 2 of Ben Stiller’s workplace satire, Severance, and anybody who survived the brutal cliffhanger that ended the first season of one of 2022’s best new shows should understand just how great that is. Apple TV+ also announced a number of cast additions for its sophomore season, which makes sense, especially if this next offering dives deeper into the lives of the Lumon employees’ Outies. Some big names will be joining the waffle party fun, including Game of Thrones alum Gwendoline Christie and John Noble of Fringe.
Season 2 will continue the stories of Lumon Industries’ microdata refiners (played by Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry and John Turturro) but will add eight to Severance’s cast. Along with Gwendoline Christie and John Noble, Apple TV+ revealed that Bob Balaban (The Chair), Robby Benson (Beauty and The Beast), Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (The Tourist), Alia Shawkat (Search Party) and Merritt Wever (Godless) will be part of the new ensemble.
It’s unclear what roles these actors will play, and whether they’ll be part of the Lumon family or people on the outside but, if I don’t get a scene with John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Bob Balaban, I might riot. With the Innies discovering a little bit about their lives outside of the office at the end of Season 1, it’s possible that some of these new characters could be related to the MDR employees.
Other integral figures from the first season are also set to return in the next chapter, the streamer announced. They include Patricia Arquette, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Tramell Tillman, Michael Chernus and Christopher Walken.
Severance was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards this year, taking home trophies for Outstanding Main Title Design and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score). The story revolves around Lumon Industries, a mysterious, billion-dollar company with seemingly cult-like tendencies. Most notably, it requires its employees to undergo a controversial procedure that completely severs the brain, preventing the worker from remembering anything about their personal life and vice versa.
Season 1 was full of eerie twists and turns, culminating in complete chaos after the Innies discovered that it was possible to wake up their work personas outside of Lumon's walls. Curious about the lives and families that their Outies went home to every night, they enacted the "Overtime protocol," with the season ending on a cliffhanger that has led to some pretty wild fan theories. (The goats! The waffle parties! The scary numbers!)
Executive producer/director Ben Stiller celebrated the second season’s start of filming with an astute reminder on Instagram that we all chose to be here:
We’ve still got a while before we can actually see the continuation of the drama series' story and find out if they address any of the questions we hope Season 2 answers. In the meantime, you can rewatch the first season with an Apple TV+ subscription, and check out these shows that Severance fans might like.
