Ever forced a smile during a tone-deaf meeting or rolled your eyes at a cringey icebreaker? Apple TV+’s Severance takes these frustrations to dystopian extremes, offering a cutting critique of modern work culture.
For the uninitiated, Severance imagines a world where employees at Lumon Industries undergo a surgical procedure to completely “sever” their work and personal lives. On paper, this ultimate work-life balance sounds ideal: no personal baggage at work, no work stress at home. But as season 1 shows, this supposed freedom is actually a prison that disconnects workers from themselves and each other.
Severance premiered nearly three years ago and struck a nerve, especially in the wake of COVID 19's workplace upheavals. Its caricature of corporate life made us laugh—and cringe at how familiar it felt. With season 2 premiering Jan. 17, it’s the perfect time to reflect on that cringe and explore how to make our own workplaces a little less like Lumon's world in Severance.
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