Apple has been steadily working to broaden the world of the Apple TV+ collection “Severance,” by on-line supplies, e-books, podcasts, and different content material – and so have its followers. Benefiting from its platform energy, the Cupertino tech big has been capable of simply distribute supplemental materials that provides to the present’s storytelling skills, providing viewers extra clues concerning the mysterious employer on the coronary heart of the collection, Lumon Industries, and different characters.
And for followers of the manufacturing itself, a companion podcast with creator Ben Stiller and star Adam Scott delves into the nuts and bolts of how scenes have been filmed and different behind-the-scenes content material.
At present the hottest Apple TV+ collection ever, “Severance” has gained consideration and awards for its cinematic methods, course, manufacturing design, and extra, however can be resonating with viewers as a result of it displays a sure discontent with American society.
With its borderline absurdist takes on subjects just like the perils of capitalism, the lengths folks will go to attain work-life stability, company oppression, classism, and the evils of expertise, “Severance” is reaching a broader group than those that usually watch sci-fi.
The advertising and marketing across the “puzzle box-style” TV collection, the place on-line content material turns into part of the present itself, is one thing that brings to thoughts the work that was completed in earlier years across the cult traditional, “Misplaced,” the place web site tie-ins provided additional clues concerning the present’s mysteries, just like the Dharma Initiative.
Not like “Misplaced,” nevertheless, “Severance’s” creators have promised that they know the place the collection goes and the way it will finish – which makes it extra enjoyable to go down the rabbit gap chasing on-line clues.
Under are a few of the supplemental supplies that broaden “Severance’s” universe and supply hints at what’s to come back.
Official Companions
- “Severance: The Lexington Letter,” printed by Apple Books. This companion story and tell-all is instructed from the angle of a severed Lumon Industries worker Margaret “Peg” Kincaid, who discovers a few of the darkish truths about her employer.
- Included on this obtain can be the Macrodate Refiner’s Orientation Booklet for newly-severed staff, which incorporates a Lumon model of Microsoft’s Clippy — besides he’s an anthropomorphized severance chip, not a paperclip.
- “The You You Are,” printed by Apple Books. Within the collection, this guide is penned by “Severance” character Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD, and finally ends up enjoying a job within the severed staff’ awakening. The companion guide, which is accessible as each an e-book and a narrated audiobook, presents the primary 8 chapters of Ricken’s oeuvre dedicated to self-discovery and weird anecdotes.
- The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott. Produced by Audacy, the creator’s official podcast recaps and divulges behind-the-scenes particulars alongside actor interviews.
- Lumon Industires’ LinkedIn profile. Researching your subsequent job on LinkedIn and you may come throughout the Lumon Industries enterprise profile, which introduces followers to founder Kier Eagan’s ideas, together with his 9 core rules of Imaginative and prescient, Verve, Wit, Cheer, Humility, Benevolence, Nimbleness, Probity, and Wiles. The web page typically posts try-hard odes to company success and self-improvement alongside its makes an attempt to recruit new employees to hitch Lumon, headquartered within the fictional city of Kier. The sinister undertones of its content material aren’t all that totally different from a few of the company communicate that surrounds it on LinkedIn, oddly.
- Meet up with “Severance” creator Dan Erickson in his Reddit AMA. It’s just a few years outdated, however nonetheless value a learn for any followers on the lookout for “official” – if restricted – solutions to their questions. (For instance, Erickson dismissed the “it’s all a simulation idea” by responding, “Sure, the workplace is actual. It exists bodily and every little thing we see there may be truly taking place.”)
- Roku’s Free Fan Expertise. The streaming media participant and TV maker partnered with Apple TV+ to supply “Severance” followers a free Season 2 preview that included character intros for Mark S., Helly R., and others, plus different behind-the-scenes content material, together with an unique forged interview. (Because the premiere has now handed, you’ll be able to entry the fan expertise by way of Roku Search as a substitute of the Residence Display screen menu.)
- Lumon Industries on TikTok. This TikTok account hosts the video content material produced by Lumon (aka Apple’s advertising and marketing crew), however seems to be independently run. On the web page, you’ll discover the retro-looking video footage of the city referred to as Kier and extra excerpts from Lumon’s Administration Program (“LUMP”) – like what to do when low morale plagues your crew. For instance, it recommends you purge all distractions so staff can concentrate on their “necessary and mysterious” work.
- There are additionally social media accounts for Lumon Industries on X, Instagram, Threads, and YouTube, however these are additionally not verified or run by Apple.
- Reddit customers can delve into “Severance” theories and share concepts in communities like r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus, r/SeveranceTVshow, r/WelcometoLumon, or can share shitposts in r/okbuddyseverance,
- Tumblr customers can be a part of the net Tumblr Group dedicated to “Severance,” the place you’ll find followers’ weblog posts and fan-made artwork.
- Because it’s a “actual” guide, you’ll be able to depart “The You You Are” tome a Goodreads assessment. One chosen assessment reads: “Bullies are nothing however bull and lies. I’m trying ahead to studying the guide in its entirety, however each time I order a replica, it will get stolen off my entrance steps. So irritating.”
Fan-Made Enjoyable
- Lumon Industries web site. Designed by programmer Daniel Shiffman and a number of other of his YouTube collection viewers, this fan-made web site enables you to fake to be an MDR worker, refining the numbers – scary and in any other case – by binning them into packing containers on the backside of the display. Whereas the fan model doesn’t look fairly just like the software program seen on TV – the bins aren’t labeled with the assorted “tempers” as on the present, for example – there’s a little Easter Egg referencing the display pulled from Season 2, Episode 1 on the web site.
- Additionally from Shiffman, the You You Are bot on Bluesky and X auto-posts excerpts from Dr. Ricken Hale’s guide, like: “A society adrift dines on illusions, however the famished thoughts feasts upon profundity hidden inside actuality’s kaleidoscope.” Shiffman additionally put the bot’s supply code on GitHub.
- Severance Wiki. This fan-made wiki dedicated to all issues “Severance,” enables you to analysis characters, music, areas, episodes, occasions, theories, and extra, multi function vacation spot. (There are additionally wikis obtainable on Fandom and wikiwand.)
- A fan-made Lumon workplace is accessible for the Sims 4 recreation.
“Severance” Season 2 is on Apple TV+, which lately arrived on Android cell units too. Season 2 started airing on Jan. 17, 2025, and can embrace 10 episodes, ending on March 21, 2025.
Do you may have a favourite Severance fan-made expertise? Let me know: sarahp@techcrunch.com.
