‘Holy sh-t, this is like “Star Wars”‘: The ultimate oral history of ‘Severance’ Season 2

Three years ago, Ben Stiller and Adam Scott barnstormed Hollywood with their new Apple TV+ series about a near-future, retro-tinged dystopia where people could separate their work selves from their personal lives. The brainchild of disenchanted former cubicle warrior Dan Erickson, the show was called Severance, after the process used to split consciousnesses.

“Dan wrote this pilot script about 10 years ago that had such a relatable concept: to contemplate the idea of cutting off one part of your life.