By Vivien Bernardino
When the sophomore season of “Severance” premiered in January after a three-year wait, creator and showrunner Dan Erickson was concerned the show would not catch up with the hype of its predecessor.
Now he is relishing the Apple TV+’s workplace psychological thriller’s renewed popularity and the chance to make a sweep at this year’s 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
From TV comeback to Emmy nods
“Severance” racked up 27 Emmy nominations Tuesday — almost double the 14 its freshman season received in 2022 — including one in the outstanding drama series category and two directing nods for Ben Stiller and Jessica Lee Gagné.
It is vying for the top prize alongside “Andor”, “The Diplomat”, “The Last of Us”, “Paradise”, “The Pitt”, “Slow Horses”, “and “The White Lotus”, according to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
“Severance” also earned nine best acting nods for its stars, including lead actor for Adam Scott, lead actress for Britt Lower, supporting actors for Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, and John Turturro, and supporting actress for Patricia Arquette.
The Emmys will be held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on September 14.
In an Instagram post, Erickson shared that he’s excited to return to the Emmys after three years, while congratulating the people behind the show’s success.
“[My] most giddy congratulations to all the nominees, and every brilliant individual who put their time, effort, talent and love into Season 2 of Severance. These incredible 27 NOMINATIONS belong to EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU,” he wrote.
“Thank you to the Television Academy for this crazy and amazing honour. We’ll see you in September!!!”
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Workplace dystopia
Set in the fictional town of Kier, “Severance” follows a group of employees at the shadowy biotechnology corporation Lumon Industries who have agreed to undergo a life-altering surgical procedure to split their consciousness into two beings: “innie” and “outie”.
The innie is a severed employee’s identity at Lumon, while the outie is their personal self outside of work. Albeit the same person, neither the innie nor the outie knows what’s going on in each other’s worlds.
At the heart of the show is Mark S., a former history professor who takes a job as a microdata refiner at Lumon to escape his grief — at least from 9 to 5 — following the death of his wife Gemma.
Season 1 introduces viewers to Lumon’s “severance” procedure and its chilling concept of work-life balance, while Season 2 follows Mark and his colleagues as they unravel the secrets behind and beyond the walls of the company’s severed floor.
Season 3 in the works
After Season 2 ended its 10-episode run in late March, Apple TV+ announced that “Severance” is returning for another season.
While details remain under wraps, director and executive producer Stiller assured fans that Season 3 will be as “equally enjoyable” as the first two.
“Making ‘Severance’ has been one of the most creatively exciting experiences I’ve ever been a part of,” the Hollywood star said in a statement issued by the streaming service the same month.
“While I have no memory of this, I’m told making season three will be equally enjoyable, though any recollection of these future events will be forever and irrevocably wiped from my memory as well.”
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