Apple Pulled a Fun In-Character Promo Stunt for ‘Severance’ Yesterday at Grand Central Terminal

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Ahead of the season two premiere of hit TV show Severance, Apple is marketing the show with a fun Severance pop-up at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Apple has assembled a glass cube with workstations that are identical to the setups that Lumon employees use on the show, complete with employees “working,” doing yoga, playing catch, throwing paper airplanes, sipping coffee, and performing other activities that we’ve seen on Severance.

At 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Severance director Ben Stiller made an appearance at the site, with some of the show’s actors visiting as well. Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, and Tramell Tillman were on hand and spent time in the makeshift office space, with the actors in character as their “innies.”

Super fun idea. Season 2 debuts Friday.

My wife and I watched season 1 when it debuted three years ago, and we both really liked it. I’m more of a sci-fi fan than she is. I often enjoy shows where the clever premise itself is the main appeal; she doesn’t it. But while Severance definitely has a clever fundamental premise, it’s really not the main appeal of the show. It’s fundamentally an ensemble character-driven mystery. Such a great cast, all of them playing intriguing, interesting characters. And the direction — especially the five episodes directed by Ben Stiller — is phenomenal. Terrific cinema.

Anyway, when season 1 completed in 2022, my wife and I instantly agreed we’d re-watch before season 2. We started that re-watch just after New Year’s, and holy hell was I reminded how much I don’t just like but love this show. If they sustain the same quality for multiple seasons, Severance will wind up in my count-on-one-hand list of favorite shows ever made. It’s that good.

One true test of a great series is that it’s better on the second watch through. That was true in spades for Severance season 1 — knowing some of the answers from the first watch made it all the more enriching. The first time through, you’re in the dark as much as the protagonists are. The second time through, you know things they don’t know, and that knowledge serves as a jolt of sustained suspense. It’s brilliant storytelling.

My second test of a great series is whether, when I consider who is my favorite character, I not only have a hard time answering, but I have a hard time even eliminating characters from consideration. Multiple great lead characters, and multiple supporting characters who are so interesting I find myself wishing they had bigger roles.

(The only three series I’ve watched in their entirety more than twice: The Larry Sanders Show, The Sopranos, and Mad Men. All three of those shows pass both my tests with flying colors.)

★ Wednesday, 15 January 2025