Apple TV Plus series Severance has added several stars to its cast, including Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie. A first-look photo promoting the show's upcoming season was also released in the same vein.

Severance is a psychological thriller with roots in the science fiction genre and follows Mark, a Lumon Industries employee who agrees to have his memories of work split and separated from his personal life and leads a team of similarly ‘severed’ workers. Mark begins to question the nature of it all when shady details begin to come to light about not just the company he works for but also himself. The show had a long prep cycle leading up to the present, with co-director Ben Stiller first reading the screenplay 5 years before the show aired. This long phase was worth it, as the show’s first season was a big success and Severance brought prestige to the sci-fi genre at the 2022 Emmys.

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Apple TV Plus announced that 8 new stars have joined Severance ahead of its second season. The additions were comedy drama star Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever (Godless), Alia Shawkat of Search Party fame, Robby Benson from Beauty and the Beast, Stefano Carannante (Mirabilia), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson of The Tourist, Fringe’s John Noble, and, as mentioned, Christie, who played Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, which was only recently matched in viewership by its successor House of the Dragon. Apple also announced the production of Severance season 2 is officially underway.

Severance Season 2 Apple TV Plus

Stiller, who co-directed the first season of the Dan Erickson-created show alongside Aoife McArdle, was markedly enthusiastic about the second season. "We are thrilled and delighted to be back on set for the exciting second chapter of Severance," said Stiller in a statement. “Though we don’t know how long we’ve been gone or who we are outside, we are told people enjoy the show and we couldn’t be happier. Praise Kier!" It’s a sure bet that the actors are also looking forward to filming the second season so they can get a grip on the story going forward, as Stiller admitted that Severance episodes were filmed out of order to keep actors in the dark previously, leaving little room for privileged exposition.

The success and acclaim for Severance should not come as a surprise, as the showrunners drew influence from many commendable sources both within and outside the science fiction genre, including works by George Orwell, who has inspired countless works from reimaginings to video game adaptations. These influences are apparent in the depth of the premise and interactions, and the stellar execution is sure to make the best use of the additional star power being drawn in, with the second season possibly even set to rival the first season’s reception, which garnered 14 nominations.

Severance season 1 is now available on Apple TV Plus.

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Source: Apple TV Plus