Apple TV Plus said its Emmy Award-winning series Severance will return for its second season on January 17, 2025. 

Apple also released a video offering a sneak peek at what follows last season’s frantic finale.

Season 2 has 10 episodes, and Apple will be releasing them once a week on Fridays through March 21. 

Severance is a workplace thriller about a company whose employees have undergone a procedure on their brains that separates their memories of their home from work. The nature of their work is a mystery, as are the consequences of trying to pierce the severance barrier.

The cast of Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette returns, joined by new series regular Sarah Bock.

The complete first season of Severance is available to stream on Apple TV Plus.

Severance is executive-produced by Ben Stiller, who directs five episodes this season. Also directing Season 2 episodes are Uta Bresiewitz, Sam Donovan and Jessica Lee Gagné.

The series is written, created and executive produced by Dan Erickson.

Severance Season 2 is also executive produced by John Lesher, Jackie Cohn, Mark Friedman, Beau Willimon, Jordan Tappis, Sam Donovan, Caroline Baron, Richard Schwartz, Nicholas Weinstock. In addition to starring, Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette serve as executive producers.

Netflix led a streaming service-heavy lineup of TCA Awards nominees announced Thursday by the Television Critics Association.

Netflix led all distributors with 13 nominations, followed by HBO with 12 nominations and Apple TV Plus with 10 nods. HBO Max pulled in nine nominations, followed by Hulu with eight nods and Showtime with six, according to the TCA, which is made up of more than 200 professional journalists covering television.

ABC’s freshman comedy series Abbott Elementary drew five nominations to lead all shows, with AMC's Better Call Saul, Apple TV Plus' Severance and Showtime's Yellowjackets garnering four nominations each. 

Abbott Elementary is one of five freshman series vying for top honors in the Program of The Year category, which also includes Severance, Yellowjackets, Netflix’s Squid Game and HBO’s The White Lotus. Veteran shows Better Call Saul, Hacks (HBO Max) and Succession (HBO) will also compete in the category.

“The 2022 TCA Awards are an exciting landmark for the organization and its members, as it will be the first time in three years that we are finally able to celebrate together in person,” said Melanie McFarland, TCA President and TV Critic for Salon in a statement. “It’s fitting, then, that we should ring in this long-awaited occasion with one of the most competitive, talented, and star-heavy nominee rosters in recent memory. This lineup is a testament to how diverse and innovative the modern television landscape has become. We cannot wait to see who will rise above the rest when the winners are revealed at the 38TH Annual TCA Awards on August 6.”

The list of TCA Awards nominations are as follows:

NDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game” – Netflix

Michael Keaton, “Dopesick” – Hulu

Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets” – Showtime

Mandy Moore, “This Is Us” – NBC

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” – AMC

Margaret Qualley, “Maid” – Netflix

Adam Scott, “Severance” – Apple TV Plus

Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul” – AMC

Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout” – Hulu

Jeremy Strong, “Succession” – HBO

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

Pamela Adlon, “Better Things” – FX

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” – ABC

Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere” – HBO

Bill Hader, “Barry” – HBO

Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary” – ABC

Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building” – Hulu

Jean Smart, “Hacks” – HBO Max (2021 Winner in Category)

Jason Sudeikis – “Ted Lasso” – Apple TV Plus

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION

“The Beatles: Get Back” – Disney Plus

“Benjamin Franklin” – PBS

“Frontline” – PBS (Eight-time Winner in Category)

“George Carlin's American Dream” – HBO

“How To with John Wilson” – HBO

“Prehistoric Planet” – Apple TV Plus

“60 Minutes” – CBS (2012 Winner in Category)

“The Tinder Swindler” – Netflix

“We Need To Talk About Cosby” – Showtime

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY

“The Amazing Race” – CBS (2011 Winner in Category)

“Cheer” – Netflix (2020 Winner in Category)

“Finding Magic Mike” – HBO Max

“Legendary” – HBO Max

“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” – Bravo

“Real World Homecoming: New Orleans” – Paramount Plus

“Take Out with Lisa Ling” – HBO Max

“Top Chef: Houston” – Bravo

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING

“Ada Twist, Scientist” – Netflix

“The Baby-Sitters Club” – Netflix (2021 Winner in Category)

“El Deafo” – Apple TV Plus

“Mira, Royal Detective” – Disney Junior

“Octonauts: Above & Beyond” – Netflix

“Odd Squad” – PBS Kids

“Ridley Jones” – Netflix

“Sesame Street” – HBO Max

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM

“Abbott Elementary” – ABC

“Ghosts” – CBS

“Only Murders in the Building” – Hulu

“Pachinko” – Apple TV+

“Reservation Dogs” – FX

“Severance” – Apple TV Plus

“The White Lotus” – HBO

“Yellowjackets” – Showtime

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES OR SPECIALS

“Dopesick” – Hulu

“The Dropout” – Hulu

“The Girl From Plainville” – Hulu

“Maid” – Netflix

“Midnight Mass” – Netflix

“The Staircase” – HBO Max

“Station Eleven” – HBO Max

“Under the Banner of Heaven” – FX

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

“Better Call Saul” – AMC (2019 Winner in Category)

“The Good Fight” – Paramount Plus

“Pachinko” – Apple TV Plus

“Severance” – Apple TV Plus

“Squid Game” – Netflix

“Succession” – HBO (2020 Winner in Category)

“This Is Us” – NBC

“Yellowjackets” – Showtime

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

“Abbott Elementary” – ABC

“Atlanta” – FX (2017 Winner in Category)

“Barry” – HBO

“Ghosts” – CBS

“Hacks” – HBO Max

“Only Murders In The Building” – Hulu

“Reservation Dogs” – FX

“Ted Lasso” – Apple TV+ (2021 Winner in Category)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VARIETY, TALK OR SKETCH

“The Amber Ruffin Show” – Peacock

“A Black Lady Sketch Show” – HBO (2020 Winner in Category)

“I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” – Netflix

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” – HBO (2021, 2019 & 2018 Winner in Category)

“Late Night with Seth Meyers” – NBC

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” – CBS

“Saturday Night Live” – NBC

“Ziwe” – Showtime

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

“Abbott Elementary” – ABC

“Better Call Saul” – AMC

“Hacks” – HBO Max

“Severance” – Apple TV Plus

“Squid Game” – Netflix

“Succession” – HBO

“The White Lotus” – HBO

“Yellowjackets” – Showtime 

Like many industry observers, I have long been baffled by Apple’s strategy with Apple TV Plus, mostly by the fact that it has never licensed a sizable library that kept people on an app after they’d watched the one or two original series they’d initially come there to see.

But seeing where Apple is now, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate that theory.

Apple seems to have carved out a niche as one of the key places to watch the sort of programming that gets buzzed about by media types. Maybe not Yellowstone, but rather, Ted Lasso, CODA, Severance, Slow Horses, 1971, WeCrashed and, as of this week, Major League Baseball. 

And for $4.99 per month, maybe that’s all they need.

Also read: Apple Makes History with Friday Night Baseball Debut

Yes, Apple seems to have made some mistakes along the way. By keeping the Apple TV device at six times the price of an entry-level Roku or Amazon Fire TV stick, it more or less ceded the streaming device market. But then again, dongles are dying off as smart TV interfaces improve, and so maybe Apple was right not to chase that market, after all. 

Conventional wisdom has it that Apple assumed that TV viewing would shift to smartphones and tablets rather than traditional TV sets, and so it didn’t see the need to amp up their dongle game. That didn’t happen, of course, but if Apple ever thought about rolling out an Apple-branded TV, now would be a good time for it.

There have been persistent rumors that Apple is rolling out a subscription plan for its iPhones, e.g., you would lease the phone the way you would lease a car. Given that Sky has rolled out something similar for smart TVs in the UK (Smart Glass), it would not be too much of a stretch to see Apple doing something similar in the U.S. if they did want to take back a piece of the hardware market.

Back to the Programming

Right now, the biggest problem all of the major SVOD services have is that, with the exception of Discovery Plus and (possibly) Disney Plus, consumers can’t tell them apart. They all have the same sort of “HBO-like” programming that appeals to a more sophisticated audience, along with a decent number of shows that are not all that noteworthy or HBO-like but are there to appeal to a certain demographic that the data indicated was being underserved.

Nowhere is that more obvious than Netflix, which seems to be relying on volume to produce hits (e.g., “If we put out 100 shows each month and 5% of them are hits, that’s five hits each month!”).

Not a bad theory, but it’s also created the perception that much of what is on Netflix these days is crap. Add in Netflix’s tendency to cancel series while they are still quite popular and you have the potential for a backlash.

Apple, with its carefully curated approach to original series and loyalty to its more popular ones, won’t be tarred with that particular brush, but their strategy is not without its risks. 

If the originals they produce are all very good and the movies manage to win Oscars, then the theory works. Because $5 a month is not a whole lot to pay even if all you watch is one series. 

Which may well be enough for most viewers to keep their subscription going. The success of the FASTs (not to mention their proliferation) means that there is no shortage of binge-able rerun programming for those times a viewer just wants TV as background noise and so Apple’s lack of library content may not be a problem.

While prior seasons of shows like The Office and Friends may help keep viewers subscribed to the services that have them, it’s unlikely that anyone is subscribing to see Dawson’s Creek or Knight Rider. 

This means that Apple’s decision to position itself as a “sometimes” service makes a lot of sense in a market where everyone else is positioning themselves as an “all the time” service at a moment when viewers are unlikely to pick a single streaming service for the bulk of their viewing. (That time will likely come soon, but right now it seems that everyone is still in the “sampling the chocolates out of the box to see which one is their favorite” stage.)

Finally there is Apple’s Major League Baseball play, which gives it two big advantages: a reason for viewers to return to the app when they’re done watching whatever series they were bingeing, and an excellent vehicle for Apple’s style of advertising. ■

Apple TV Plus has renewed thriller Severance. Dan Erickson created the show and Ben Stiller is executive producer and director. Severance began in February and the season one finale arrives April 8. 

“Thanks to creator Dan Erickson, the brilliant Ben Stiller, and an incomparable cast and crew, Severance has imagined an existence that‘s equal parts riveting and enthralling as viewers around the globe can’t get enough of these rich characters,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming at Apple TV Plus. “We’re excited to go deeper into this wholly unique world and unpack more layers of Lumon in season two.”

The show details Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leading a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of a mystery that will force him to confront some tricky topics. 

“It’s really exciting to see the response from people who are loving the show—and the level of fan engagement,” said Stiller. “It has been a long road bringing Severance to television. I first read Dan’s pilot over five years ago. It has always been a multi-season story, and I’m really happy we get to continue it. I’m grateful to our partners at Apple TV Plus, who have been behind it the whole way. Praise Keir!”

Patricia Arquette, John Turturro and Christopher Walken are also in the cast.

The series is written and created by Erickson. Mark Friedman, Chris Black, John Cameron and Andrew Colville are executive producers alongside Erickson. Stiller, Nicky Weinstock and Jackie Cohn executive produce through Red Hour Productions. 

Endeavor Content produces the show. ■

This week is really all about Friday, Feb. 18. A bevy of content is being released on that day just in time for the long Presidents Day weekend. Amazon Prime is providing viewers with the much anticipated fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, while Netflix has the second season of Steve Carell’s Space Force, as well as Rory Kennedy’s documentary about two recent Boeing plane crashes called Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. Not to be outdone, Apple TV Plus will release Ben Stiller's Charlie Kaufmanesque Severance, along with the appropriately timed Lincoln’s Dilemma. Here's a summary of what's on tap:

Erax, (Netflix, Feb. 17)

Directed by Hebru Brantley and written by Henry G.M. Jones, this 15-minute Netflix short fantasy drama focuses on Auntie Opal and her niece Nina, who are having a sleepover. Together, they accidentally release mythical and dangerous Erax creatures from a storybook. Drama unfolds as the duo attempts to return the monsters back to the book. Brantley is part of Netflix's inaugural Emerging Filmmaker Initiative (EFI), which gave Brantley and two other filmmakers money to develop, produce and distribute their respective short films on Netflix.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Season 4 (Amazon Prime, Feb. 18)

Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is back. After establishing herself as a stand-up comedian, Midge is now looking to hone her act. Tony Shalhoub also stars in the series, which during Season 4 will play host to guest stars including Kelly Bishop, Milo Ventimiglia, John Waters and Jason Alexander. The first and second seasons were hits with audiences and critics alike. Season three wasn't as big of a success with critics, but it had its charms, with Newsday's Verne Gay noting, "There are lots and lots of arc shots — when the camera revolves around characters — to capture the screwball moment, but those never feel redundant or vertiginous. They feel necessary — a device to keep us off balance, and in the moment, and to savor the sheer professionalism of what we are observing."

Severance (Apple TV Plus, Feb. 18)

Ever want to block out your work day? That’s what Mark Scout, played by Adam Scott, is looking to do in Severance. So, he undergoes a surgical "severance" procedure that solves any work-life balance issues. While the nine-episode series is directed and produced by Ben Stiller, don't expect too many laughs. Severance, which also stars Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walkin and John Turturro, is a thriller with plenty of dark undertones. The first two episodes of the series will be available on Feb. 18

Space Force - Season 2 (Netflix, Feb. 18)

Inspired by Donald Trump’s creation of a real United States’ Space Force, this Netflix comedy stars Steve Carell as general Mark R. Naird -- a man who has dreamed of running the Air Force, but instead has to lead the newly formed Space Force. While Carell created the series with Greg Daniels (The Office) the first season got off to a rocky start. Arizona Republic writer Bill Goodykoontz said of Season 1, "There's so much talent here, and so much to draw from. You long for the brilliant savagery of Veep. In the six episodes Netflix provided for review, it’s not there. Too bad. Space Force isn’t toothless. But it could use more bite.” The hope is that Carell and Daniels read the reviews and made improvements to the second season. With a cast that includes Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Fred Willard, Tawny Newsome, Diana Silvers, Alex Sparrow, and Don Lake, there's always hope.

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (Netflix, Feb. 18)

Director Rory Kennedy investigates two Boeing 737 MAX crashes that occurred within five months of each other in 2018 and 2019, killing a combined 346 people. Aviation experts, journalists, former Boeing employees, members of  Congress and the families of victims reveal that sometimes corporations, airlines, manufacturers, and the regulatory agencies that are supposed to be looking out for the public aren’t paying attention to the core issue of our safety. Kennedy exposes Boeing’s decision to focus on its finances instead of public safety. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard served as executive producers.

The King’s Man (Hulu, Feb. 18)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zdBG-iGfes

A prequel in the Matthew Vaughn’ Kingsman spy series, The King's Man is an action film that explores the origins of the first independent intelligence agency and follows "a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds as they gather to plot a war to wipe out millions.” The ensemble cast includes an impressive lineup of actors including Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou and Charles Dance.

Uprooted (Discovery Plus, Feb. 18)

Director Avril Z investigates the unsolved 1986 hanging death of Keith Warren, a 19-year-old Black man from Silver Spring, Md. The police ruled out suicide at the death scene, but no autopsy was ever performed, and no criminal investigation was ever opened. The three-part docuseries follows Warren’s sister Sherri and her 35-year fight against systemic corruption to find out what really happened to her brother.

Lincoln’s Dilemma (Apple TV Plus, Feb. 18)

Jeffrey Wright narrates this four-part documentary series focused on Abraham Lincoln’s challenging quest to end slavery. The series features the voice of Bill Camp as Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. as Frederick Douglass. Based on David S. Reynolds’ book, Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, the series features insights from journalists, educators and Lincoln scholars who offer a more nuanced look at the Great Emancipator. The series was directed by Barak Goodman and Jacqueline Olive.

Free Guy (HBO Max/Disney Plus, Feb. 23)

Ryan Reynolds’ stars as Guy – a man who discovers he’s not actually a bank teller, but in fact a background video game character. After gaining consciousness, Guy becomes determined to save his world before the evil game company CEO (Taika Waititi) destroys it. This Disney/20th Century Studio’s film defied theatrical box office expectations when it garnered over $28 million in its opening weekend and earned an aggregated 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Due to the structure of Disney's distribution contracts, the Shawn Levy film -- which has been available for rental in the transactional window -- will come to Disney Plus and HBO Max SVOD simultaneously. 

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney Plus, Feb. 23)

This animated family comedy originally premiered on the Disney Channel 17 years ago. Now, the show about teenager Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) is back, starring original voice cast members including Pratt, Karen Malina White, Soleil Moon Frye and Alisa Reyes. New additions to The Proud Family include a gay couple -- Randall and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins -- voiced respectively by Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto, and Penny’s new gender non-confirming friend Michael Collins (voiced by EJ Johnson).

ViacomCBS said it has settled its dispute with former CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves and will not have to shell out a $120 million severance package that had been placed in a trust after his termination, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday.

Moonves stepped down in 2018 after allegations that he had sexually harassed several women at the company. 

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but according to a joint statement from ViacomCBS and Moonves, the costs of the settlement will be borne by a CBS contractor and Moonves will "contribute the entire settlement amount to various charities."

Back in 2018 CBS said that Moonves had agreed to donate about $20 million of his severance to several organizations supporting the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace. 

The allegations were first outlined in a July 2018 piece in The New Yorker by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ronan Farrow, which said Moonves engaged in inappropriate behavior with several women including actress Illeana Douglas about 20 years ago. After that piece broke, several other women came forward, and in November of that year the New York Times reported that Moonves had paid a former accuser for years to keep her silence. 

CBS immediately conducted an investigation into those allegations and concluded that while harassment and retaliations weren’t “pervasive” at the broadcaster, the probe found other instances of unprofessional conduct and determined that the company’s policies did not do enough to prevent harassment and retaliation. 

Shortly after Moonves stepped down, CBS said it would not pay a $120 million severance package to the former executive because he was terminated for cause, pointing to the former executive's “willful and material misfeasance, violation of company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the company’s investigation. Mr. Moonves will not receive any severance payment from the Company.”

Moonves fought that claim and filed for arbitration on Jan. 16, 2019 to get back the award.  

In the Friday SEC filing, ViacomCBS said that the disputes between the company and Moonves have been resolved and that on May 14, the parties dismissed the arbitration proceeding, adding that the assets in the trust that held the $120 million severance package, “will revert to the company in their entirety.”

Time Warner reported lower fourth-quarter earnings because of restructuring and programming charges.

Net income was $718 million, or 84 cents a share, down 27% from $983 million, or $.106 cents a share, a year ago. Excluding programming charges at Turner and restructuring and severance charges, adjusted EPS would have been $1.14 compared to $1.07 a year ago.

Revenues fell 1% to %7.5 million.

The earnings beat lowered Wall Street expectations while revenues lagged most forecasts. Time Warner also moved to please investors by increasing its quarterly dividend by 10% to 35 cents a share.

Time Warner said that for 2015, it expected adjusted diluted income per common share from continuing operations to be between $4.60 and $4.70.  Adjusted earnings per share were $4.15 for 2014, up 18%.

“We had another very successful year in 2014, with solid revenue growth and robust 18% Adjusted EPS growth – our sixth consecutive year of at least high teens Adjusted EPS growth,” CEO Jeff Bewkes said in a statement. “Our financial performance reflects the strength of our position as the world’s leading video content company.”

At Turner, adjusted operating income rose 5% to $921 million despite $44 million in charges for programming it will stop airing and $26 million in restructuring and severance charges.

Revenue rose 2% to $2.6 billion. Subscription revenues were up 5%, hurt a bit by Turner’s carriage dispute with Dish Network. Advertising revenues were down 1%. Ad revenue at Turner’s domestic entertainment networks was down because of lower ratings and fewer baseball playoff games. Ad revenues were up at CNN and Turner’s international networks.

For HBO fourth-quarter operating income declined 4% to $394 million because of higher programming, distribution and marketing costs. Programming costs were up 15%. Revenues rose 6% to $1.3 billion.