Severance Season 3: Everything We Know So Far

Hey, have you heard about this little show on TV called "Severance"? It's on this little-known streamer called Apple TV+, it just wrapped up its thrilling and mystery-laden second season, and, oh yeah, it's all anyone can talk about these days. Who knew that a dark office satire all about taking work/life balance to the furthest possible extreme would resonate with audiences as much as it has? Well, that's precisely what's helped turn this series from a quirky oddity into a runaway pop-culture sensation.

"Severance" comes from creator Dan Erickson and executive producer/director Ben Stiller, both of whom crafted a labyrinthine world that's just a few degrees off from our own. Every bit of that tireless world-building effort led to a sophomore season that all but blew viewers away (present company included, as you can see from my very positive review for /Film), putting our main characters through the wringer and leading to a finale that left us waiting on the edge of our seats for more. That last statement alone is prone to trigger some mild post traumatic stress among readers, of course, because we all remember the endlessly long three-year wait between seasons 1 and 2 — predominantly as a result of the writers and actors strikes in 2023.

Will we have to endure that exact same fate this time around? Can we even look forward to a third season to come? And, most importantly, why is Miss Huang (Sarah Bock) a child? You have questions and, luckily, we have (some) answers. Here's everything we know so far about "Severance" season 3.

Let's get the most pressing issue out of the way right off the bat. While not quite as severe a cliffhanger as the first season, the season 2 finale of "Severance" ended with the story obviously still far from complete. Main heroes Mark S. (Adam Scott), Helly R. (Britt Lower), and Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) had just helped yet another rebellion instigated by our favorite "innies" — employees of the sinister Lumon Industries that have opted to undergo the severance procedure, separating their work memories from their personal ones. After learning that the person they once thought as their wellness director, Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), was actually the wife of Mark's "outie," long presumed dead after a tragic car accident in the real world, season 2 focused on breaking her out of captivity and reuniting the couple. They manage to accomplish exactly that by the end ... though not without another wrinkle thrown into the mix, as Mark's innie opts to stay with his lover Helly rather than join Gemma.

So, after all that, fans have been left with one major question: Will season 3 of "Severance" happen? Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long at all before getting an answer. Those same fans woke up the next morning after the finale aired and were greeted by some most welcome news. According to a press release, Apple has officially granted the green light to renew "Severance" for a third season. That hardly comes as a surprise, especially since members of the creative team like Ben Stiller have already been talking about the next season as almost a foregone conclusion. For his part, Stiller released an amusing statement celebrating the news:

"Making 'Severance' has been one of the most creatively exciting experiences I've ever been a part of. While I have no memory of this, I'm told making season 3 will be equally enjoyable, though any recollection of these future events will be forever and irrevocably wiped from my memory as well."

Where will "Severance" take things next? The trajectory of this sci-fi series has always felt as much about the destination as it is the journey, and this past season made sure we would be hooked. In terms of the broader plot, Lumon Industries now finds itself at its most dangerous crossroads yet. Having come so close to achieving the greatest feat in the history of the world (or something like that) with the mysterious Cold Harbor file, the evil corporation run by the Eagan family now appears at risk of its most serious security snafu ever. Thanks to Mark (both his innie and his outie), Gemma has been successfully freed from the confines of Lumon and now seems set up to become the primary whistleblower on all their heinous actions. But, at the same time, our trio of innies remain trapped inside the building ... and something tells us that floor manager Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman), the creepy lead researcher Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson), and Jame Eagan himself (Michael Siberry) won't sit idly by.

So what could season 3 end up looking like? We'd imagine that, unlike the season 2 premiere, the plot would have to pick up almost immediately after the events of the finale — sans any major time jump. Gemma appears set to take on a much more significant role on the outside, likely teaming up with fellow ally and beloved sister-in-law Devon (Jen Tullock) with the loyalty-flipping wild card Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) in tow. The big unknown is whether Mark S. and Helly R. will cooperate, since taking down Lumon will inevitably mean ending their own severed existences and that of all innies everywhere, as well. The reintegration procedure was previously floated as a possible middle ground, allowing individuals like Mark or Dylan to coexist with, well, themselves. But Helly's outie, whom we all know to be none other than Helena Eagan, would likely never subject herself to that.

This tension may end up becoming the main conflict of season 3, and we can't wait to see how it gets resolved.

We touched on this briefly in the last section, but the idea of which characters will return in "Severance" season 3 is worth digging into even more deeply. The season 2 finale was slightly more violent than the typical episode of the show, resulting in the death of Lumon goon Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson). Also out of the picture (for now, at least) appears to be Miss Huang, sent away to join a fellowship program out in the middle of nowhere. There's also John Turturro's Irving Bailiff, whose innie Irving B. was forcibly retired back in the lore-heavy episode 4 and whose outie followed suit, choosing exile out in the real world after his investigations into Lumon put him squarely in their target sights. It's difficult to say whether he or Christopher Walken's Burt Goodman (or his husband Fields, played by John Noble) will ever factor into the story again, but everyone else ought to be present and accounted for.

Season 3 wouldn't be complete without Mark S. and Helly R., of course, and they'll inevitably be joined by Dylan G. as they remain inside the bowels of the severed floor. As for our antagonists, Jame Eagan still lurks as the man behind the curtain of all this unpleasantness, while Mr. Milchick will be none too pleased about getting tricked by his Macrodata Refinement team once again (though there are at least hints of a possible change of heart in the works, given Lumon's treatment of him in recent weeks). Can things ever go back to "normal," relatively speaking, after such a brazen act of rebellion on the severed floor? That remains to be seen.

The idea of time running out has always been a major theme in "Severance," and the same applies to the viewers who have been along for the ride all along. Much as been made of the unbearably long wait between seasons 1 and 2, and there would probably be riots in the streets if production on season 3 took a similar amount of time to complete. Luckily, the cast and crew all seem aware of avoiding the same mistake this time around and have promised a much shorter turnaround time for the next batch of episodes to come. When exactly will that be, however? We'll have to talk to the manager about that one, apparently.

There is no word in the official press release for the season 3 renewal about when we can expect a new premiere date on Apple TV+. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, creator/writer Dan Erickson had this to say: "I would hope that season 3 comes sooner. Certainly a big part of it was the fact that we had the strikes which shut us down for five or six months for production." He stops short of announcing an exact date, however, cautioning viewers that "Severance" still takes a certain amount of time to refine. As he explained:

"It is always been a show that we're always very careful with it and very meticulous about how exactly we're telling the story. That was the case on season 1 as well — actually, I think season 1 took about the same amount of time as season 2, but the difference is people weren't waiting for it at that time. Nobody knew what it was. But having said that, having done it twice now, there is more of a sense of understanding procedurally what works and how to streamline it, so our goal is never to draw out people's pain for three years. And I hope that we don't have to do that again."

Be sure to stay tuned to /Film for more updates on "Severance" season 3 as they come in.