How to watch Severance in the UK for free, as season two resumes filming

Everything you need to know about season two of the dystopian show, and where you can watch it

This biting satire says a lot about work-life balance (Apple TV/The Independent)

The award-winning Apple TV+ show Severance was the break-out hit of 2022, winning plaudits for its social commentary on 21st century work culture. The near-future sci-fi satire held up a mirror to unsustainable work-life balance practices and said a lot about how employees should take back control.

Created by Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman, the show follows Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott) and his cast of colleagues, Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturro) and Dylan (Zach Chery), who work at the shadowy biotech company Lumon Industries, where some employees have their minds altered using a medical procedure called “severance”. It means that each character’s work memories are “severed” from their home memories, so the characters are essentially leading two separate lives.

Quickly becoming a favourite among fans and critics, the science-fiction drama was renewed for season two before the first had finished airing its audacious cliffhanger finale. Season two has suffered a series of delays, however, with the potential release date now pushed to 2025.

Whether you’ve been served recommendation after recommendation or just want to rewatch the show to spot clues you’ve missed, here’s how you can dive into the office-based dystopian series in the UK, and everything we know about when the second season will start.

Watch Severance on Apple TV+

How to watch ‘Severance’ in the UK for free

You can watch Severance in the UK on Apple TV+. There are nine episodes of the mysterious series to watch, and they all chart an extreme, chilling take on corporate life.

If you’re not already an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can sign up for a seven-day free trial. After your trial ends, it’ll cost you £8.99 per month. If you manage to get through every episode before your trial ends, you can just cancel your trial, and you won’t be charged when your subscription officially starts.

Watch Severance on Apple TV+ now

Watch Severance with a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+

New subscribers only. £8.99/month after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

When does ‘Severance’ season two start?

On 6 April 2022, Apple TV+ renewed the show for a second season. It was expected to return in late 2023 but, in a cruel twist of irony, it seems the series is having its own workplace drama.

According to Puck editor Matthew Belloni, it’s been chaos behind the scenes. In his What I’m Hearing newsletter, Belloni wrote that the second season “has been plagued by pricey problems, including scrapped scripts and the dreaded showrunners who don’t speak to each other”.

According to Belloni, writer Erickson, a “newbie” in the industry, was partnered with veteran Friedman, but they “ended up hating each other”. Friedman was set to leave the show at the end of the first season, but Ben Stiller, the executive producer and one of the show’s directors, reportedly couldn’t find a good enough replacement, so he stayed on, which led to scrapped scripts. Stiller allegedly brought in Beau Willimon, the creator of House of Cards, to help write season three. He was also roped into helping fix season two’s back half.

Then, on 9 May 2023, production of Severance season two was paused due to the Writers Guild of America going on strike. The strike officially ended four months later on 27 September 2023, but the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists was also in the middle of its own strike, and the guild didn’t come to an agreement until November. This was only ratified in early December.

After a turbulent year, fans of Severance finally got the news they were hoping for on 29 January 2024, when director Ben Stiller posted an image of Adam Scott as Mark Scout running down a hallway, confirming that Severance had finally returned to production.

Watch Severance on Apple TV+ now

Watch Severance with a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+

New subscribers only. £8.99/month after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

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