In 2022, Stephen King is definitely enjoying some of the most buzzed about shows making their debuts on the small screen. Back in January, the beloved author took to social media to share some love for Yellowjackets, which was in the process of wrapping up its first season on Showtime, and now, a few months later, it is the AppleTV+ original series Severance that is getting the big thumbs up. Rather than just offering a string of adjectives to highlight the show, though, he opted to be sly about it, and provided his compliment via a funny inside joke that likely only those already watching will understand without explanation.
Having premiered back in mid-February, Severance is nearing the end of Season 1, having launched the penultimate episode of the run this past Friday. Clearly Stephen King is tuning in, as he posted the following Tweet his afternoon:
There was finally a Waffle Party!And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you're missing the loopiest, coolest, most involving limited series of the spring.April 3, 2022
If you don't watch Severance, you're probably thinking, "What the hell is a waffle party?" – but fortunately I'm more than happy to explain. In the sci-fi series, a controversial procedure has been developed that creates a barrier in a person's mind between their time at work and their normal life. An individual's consciousness is split, and one half knows nothing of the world other than their employment at the fictional Lumon Industries.
To help make life more bearable for these perma-workers, incentives are occasionally given out, and the greatest incentive of all is a Waffle Party, which is a special festivity with a number of components including a fancy waffle dinner (I'm not providing all of the details here purposefully, as those who haven't watched should really discover them by watching!)
As alluded to by Stephen King, there is a hell of a lot going on in Severance, and the escalation of the mystery is phenomenal. It's both weird and impressively sharp, with insightful commentary on work/life balance in modern culture, and each member of the stellar cast – including Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Dichen Lachman, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette – plays their own fascinating part in the complex puzzle.
The finale of Severance is guaranteed to inspire a great number of questions and speculation, and if you want to be a part of all of it, you still have time. The final episode of Season 1 will be available on Apple TV+ this Friday, April 8, and you can watch the previous eight right now with a subscription to the streaming service. It's one of the best Apple shows yet.
For all of you Stephen King fans, you can learn about all of the developing adaptations of the author's work via our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide (Keith Thomas' Firestarter, Gary Dauberman's Salem's Lot, and John Lee Hancock's Mr. Harrigan's Phone are all on their way in the next few months). And if you're looking for a deep dive into the history of King's books and stories on screens big and small, check out my weekly Adapting Stephen King column.
