Ben Stiller’s Severance
Apple TV Plus is a streaming service that’s been around since 2019, yet despite starting before Disney Plus, they’re struggling to become a household name. That might change in the next couple of years, considering they’re beginning to have some big hits, such as last year’s award-winning movie Coda, and Ted Lasso, which has garnered a decent-sized fanbase. I want to talk about a show that premiered at the beginning of the 2022 on their service, that isn’t as commonly talked about yet. Severance is a sci-fi thriller/comedy, with Ben Stiller directing and producing most of the episodes. I could write a whole article on Ben Stiller alone, because he’s had a long career in acting and directing. He directed hits like Zoolander and Tropic Thunder and smaller cult classics like The Cable Guy and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Stiller directed seven of the nine episodes of Severance, and I think it’s some of his best work. He has started to work on series more in the last few years, directing most of the mini-series Escape at Dannemora in 2018, which received good reviews. As I said, I could dig way more into him and his influence on the show, but I think there are already a lot of talking points to cover in this article, and I don’t want to spend too much time on any one of them.
Severance’s set up is this: A company named Lumon, which is one of the world’s leading corporations, comes up with a procedure to “sever” employees' brains so that when they leave work, their “Outie” version doesn’t remember what they did, and when they go into work; their “innie” version doesn’t remember who they are on the outside. I was pretty hyped for the show when I initially heard this premise, but I figured it would be more of a workplace comedy with a little bit of drama sprinkled in due to the casting.
One of the show's biggest surprises was the show's lead actor, Adam Scott, and his ability to act a wide range of emotions, especially with how quickly the character’s emotions can change in Severance. I was surprised by this because Adam Scott is typically known for comedic roles in things like Step Brothers and Parks and Rec. While this show does have great comedy sprinkled in, it’s more focused on the realistic backlash and controversy over the Severance procedure itself. I love the world this show takes place in; it feels very well thought out.
Adam Scott isn’t the only good actor, though. Actually, the whole cast is great and has good chemistry. Zach Cherry plays one of Adam Scott’s coworkers and stands out for his comedic presence. John Turturro is another one of the coworkers, and he plays such a loveable character. His screen presence is great, and he brings a lot of slight emotions to the character that others might not have, and I find him super likable. I think a big portion of the credit for their likeability goes to the creator and co-writer, Dan Erickson. He came up with the pilot and wrote it over ten years ago. After seeing the pandemic's effects and the claustrophobic feeling that Severance brings, I think they complement each other in a way.
Every aspect, from the directing to the acting, to the writing, is done with passion. The music is excellent, too, composed by Theodore Shapiro, and it helps set the vibe of the series right from the start. Speaking of the start of the show, the opening credits scene is really trippy, and features the music of Theodore Shapiro as well, but that isn’t why I want to mention it. It is just very unique and also sets the tone for the show very well. It features Adam Scott CG animated in different scenarios and has so much thought put into it. The artist is named Oliver Latta, and he is a director himself, and it shows. Every time it came on, I couldn’t help but watch instead of clicking the little “Skip Intro” button in the corner. It won an Emmy in the 2022 Emmy Awards Ceremony for Outstanding Main Title Design. So did Theodore Shapiro for Outstanding Music Composition for a series.
Despite this show’s critical success, I haven’t heard much about it. The more I research it, the more I realize it’s gained a lot of popularity over the last few months, especially after the Emmy nominations and whatnot, but I certainly don’t think it’s enough. This should be the talk of the year, the best new show of 2022, but I have barely heard of it. Considering season 2 was greenlit and is in production at the moment (projected to be released next summer 2023), I think it will gain more traction as time goes on and as a trailer for season 2 releases.
This is a landmark in Ben Stiller’s career that started with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. That movie is a great one, and it also has Adam Scott in a smaller role. Watch it if you haven’t, but it is similar to Severance in a way. It is an office workplace comedy/adventure and features Ben Stiller as the titular character. The main character daydreams about being anywhere but stuck in an office, and I think that was something Ben Stiller could connect with at the time, considering he directed, produced, and starred in that movie. Since that movie came out, he has definitely directed a lot more than acted. His more significant roles have slowly faded out, with only a couple of movies like Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb in 2014, and Zoolander 2 in 2016, released recently, which he also directed. Now his bigger projects are the ones he helms, like Severance. But, again, this show is a workplace comedy/thriller that stars Adam Scott, and Ben Stiller is behind the camera this time. Stiller has made it out of the office and is really pursuing his passion now, directing. Let me tell you, this first season was released almost a decade after Walter Mitty, and his talents and stylistic choices have drastically changed and improved.
Please go watch Severance on Apple TV Plus for free with a trial. If you end up seeing me, tell me your thoughts, I’d love to chat about it.