By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -When Adam Scott filmed “Severance” for Apple TV+, he and fellow cast members were unsure how viewers would respond to a streaming series built around brain chips, a room full of goats and waffle parties.
The psychological thriller, the most-nominated show at Sunday’s Emmy Awards, tells the story of office workers who undergo a surgery that makes them forget their home life at work, and vice versa.
“We all felt it was weird, and maybe too weird,” said Scott, the “Parks and Recreation” actor who plays a history professor turned manager inside the sterile offices of the fictional Lumon Industries.
Voters for the Emmys, the highest honors in television, have embraced the mind-bending tale. “Severance” racked up 27 Emmy nominations and won six trophies at an Emmys ceremony last week for technical awards.
The sci-fi series is in the running for more Emmys on Sunday including the top prize of best drama. Competitors include “Star Wars” series “Andor,” emergency room tale “The Pitt” and murder mystery “The White Lotus.” Winners will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony televised live on CBS.
Scott was nominated for best drama actor and “Severance” co-star Britt Lower for best drama actress. Seven other “Severance” stars received supporting or guest actor nods.
Many of the “Severance” actors play two characters – an “innie” version who works at Lumon performing tedious tasks and an “outie” variation who lives in the outside world.
Among the show’s unusual touchpoints, the Lumon building includes a room where caretakers raise herds of goats. One employee is rewarded for good work with a waffle party that provides an opportunity for sexual experiences.
What does all of this add up to?
“Severance” offers a philosophical take on the work-life balance and the power of corporations, while “poking a stick at it with an absurdist light,” said Chris Rice, co-CEO of Fifth Season, the production company behind the show.
Supporting actor nominee John Turturro, who plays loyal Lumon employee Irving, said the show “poses questions without giving all the answers.”
“I think people find that really participatory,” he added.
Plus, “people have to navigate work life and personal life, and that is an eternal conundrum that people go through.”
BIG QUESTIONS
“Severance” debuted in 2022 to critical acclaim and gained traction with viewers when season two was released in January 2025. The show landed in Nielsen’s top 10 list of the most-streamed shows.
Stars of the series said they thought it was more than job dissatisfaction that drew people to “Severance.” They cited loneliness in today’s society as people are glued to technology rather than seeking human connection.
“There’s a certain alienation that we’re all feeling from one another these days,” Scott said.
Zach Cherry, a supporting actor nominee who plays dependable office worker Dylan, said “Severance” makes people turn inward.
“Beyond the characters connecting to each other,” Cherry said, “it’s also about the characters learning to connect to all the different parts of themselves, which I think is also something that everyone has to deal with.”
Lower, who plays the stubborn Helly, said the show has earned fans among high school and college students who have not yet entered the workforce. She believes the series is prompting people to ask deep questions, such as “what makes us human?”
“To me, that is kind of the most exciting part,” Lower said. “Are the innies human? Are they full humans? And what makes them that?”
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Dawn Chmielewski;Editing by Mary Milliken and David Gregorio)
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