Severance’s 3-Year Wait for Season 2 Could be Its Best Storytelling Asset

Severance was a major dark horse breakout hit for Apple TV+ – that is it was back in 2022 when the series first premiered. Behind-the-scenes circumstances like major Hollywood strikes caused major setbacks to production on Severance Season 2, which is only now premiering some three years later. For most TV shows, a three-year delay between seasons would make it nearly impossible for audiences to get re-invested in the characters and storylines; however, in the case of Severance, the show’s premise actually creates a unique opportunity for a multi-year gap to be turned into an exciting storytelling device.

Missing Time Is The Point

Severance is built upon the idea of its main set of characters from the Lumon corporation’s Macrodata Refinement Division compartmentalizing the hours of their day into two separate consciousnesses: one that only exists inside the workplace, and one that exists outside of it. The show’s mysteries hinge on gaps of time and knowledge the characters miss out on by only living half-lives. A three-year gap in time between seasons can be converted into a narrative time gap that becomes the central mystery of Season 2.

[RELATED: 10 Severance Plotlines to Remember Before Season 2]

Season 1 of Severance ended with a finale episode that saw the MDR team activate the “Overtime Contingency” protocol, thereby activating their “innie” work selves in the outside world. The impact of that rebellious act was massive: Mark Scout (Adam Scott) learned he had been the target of life-changing manipulation by Lumon – including the company letting him think his “outer” self believe his wife is dead when his “innie” was actually working with her every day. More importantly, though, we found out that Mark’s rebellious co-worker Helly (Britt Lower) was Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon’s CEO James Eagan, and the main proponent of the severance process. Helly launched into a tirade against Lumon onstage at a major gala, totally up-ending her own plans for gaining wide approval for the procedure.

The finale episode’s developments were explosive enough for there to be serious repercussions from Lumon and its mysterious board. By the time the fallout had cleared, and the punishments doled out, Mark and co. could end up right back at work again, either unaware of the real-world impact of their rebellion, or possibly having the entire incident wiped from their memories. The arc of Season 2 would therefore be the mystery of Mark and co. piecing together what really happened during the time gap, as well as what happened to each of them on a personal level to convince their “outies” that returning to work at MDR was the best course of action.

There are already hints that this kind of storytelling angle is could be in the plans for Severance Season 2; maybe not a three-year time jump, but at least a gap of missing time that will need to be explained. A clip of the first eight minutes of the season indeed shows Mark Scout back at work at MDR, being greeted by his supervisor Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman), as usual. However, Mark quickly discovers that his team is not back with him and that there are three new MDR employees in their place. Milchick gives Mark an explanation about the impact of his department’s rebellion – but it’s almost certainly not the whole truth.

So already the stage is set for Severance Season 2 to use missing time to maximum advantage for telling its story. By peeling back the layers of what happened in the long gap of time between Season 1 and Season 2, Severance would have more than enough rich narrative soil to play with even more mystery and (eventually) game-changing reveals.

Severance will stream Seasons 1 and 2 on Apple TV+.