Severanceseason 2’s reviews are now emerging online, and critics are saying that the sophomore outing has been worth the three-year wait. Premiering on Apple TV+ in 2022, the acclaimed mystery show stars Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who has had his work memories surgically separated from his personal memories. Mark’s slow discovery of dark secrets within Lumon captivated viewers, butSeveranceseason 2has faced numerous setbacks and delays since it was first announced.
Now, three years later, the wait forSeveranceseason 2 is almost over, and most critics have nothing but positive things to say about the show’s second batch of episodes. All critics have been asked not to reveal any major story elements from season 2, but Graeme Guttman assures fans in his review forScreen Rantthatseason 2 “raises the bar in every single way"from season 1. Ben Travers' review forIndieWireis similarly positive, and he praises the ways in which season 2 “delves deeper into the darkness” of Lumon after theSeveranceseason 1 finale.
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A major focus in many of the reviews is theSeverancecastof characters. In her review forEW, Kristen Baldwin praises the way the show makes “two distinct and worthy individuals” out of each severed character. Anchoring this character work, Baldwin says, are “nuanced performances of the series' stellar leads.” Alison Herman’s review forVarietyis also glowing, andshe praises the show not just for the confident unfolding of the central mystery at its core, but for being a “vibe-forward experience” that sustains “an eerie sense of unreality"with “deceptive ease.”
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In her review forCollider, Carly Lane writes thatSeveranceseason 2 makes “an incredibly strong case for itself as one of the best shows of the year, again,” due to the ways in which it unveils answers regarding Lumon while also raising yet more questions. Jeremy Mathai writes in his review forSlashFilmthatseason 2 is “bolder and more confident,“but also warns viewers against treating the show like “a puzzle to be solved,” saying that the best experience watching the new episodes will come from leaving any “preconceptions at the elevator door.”
Though not yet confirmed by Apple, creator Dan Erickson has expressed interest in makingSeveranceseason 3 and beyond.
Severance Season 2 Looks Like A Strong Return
But Not All Reviews Are Glowing
Writing forThe Wrap, Bob Strauss also shares an enthusiastic review forSeveranceseason 2, singling out Scott’s performance as “the most powerful portrayal since Bill Hader’s ‘Barry’ of a disoriented soul by an actor who’s also the show’s key comedian.“Mark and the other characters really shine because season 2 spends much more time with them outside Lumon, and Katie Doll writes forCBRthat “getting to know the Outies drives home the psychological damage that Lumon has caused.”
The response toSeveranceseason 2 hasn’t been glowing across the board, however, and Samantha Nelson’s review forIGNis far more lukwarm. She writes thatseason 2 “falters by holding too tightly to its secrets, leaning too heavily on vibes, and getting its 10-episode second season off to an agonizingly slow start.” Despite this outlier, it certainly looks likeSeveranceseason 2 will be a win for audiences when it premieres later this month.
Source: Various (see above)
Cast
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
