Severance Trailer: Adam Scott Has His Memories 'Surgically Divided' In The New Apple TV+ Thriller

Having a good work-life balance is important — just ask the many people who spent the past year working from home. But there's a limit to how separate those two major parts of your life can be. Or maybe there isn't. According to the upcoming Apple TV+ sci-fi series "Severance," separation is crucial, and if it takes a surgical procedure to keep your personal baggage out of the office, why not embrace it?

The series is poised to prod at the question of work-life balance using an ominous corporation, a questionable medical procedure and a team of workers led by Adam Scott's Mark. An employee with a dark past, Mark welcomes the opportunity to balance two ends of his life, but ultimately finds himself at the center of a dangerous mystery. And thus we have a thrilling new series.

At some point, we'll have to stop comparing every unsettling sci-fi concept to "Black Mirror," but today ain't the day, so I'll go ahead and say the obvious — "Severance" could easily pass as an episode of the long-gone Netflix anthology series. Its obviously deranged concept hits just a little too close to home: like all eerie sci-fi developments, this sounds like the kind of technology humanity would happily approve until its realities eventually set in. And that's where the dystopia begins.

Even within our brief glimpse at the world of "Severance," the implications of its tech are enough to terrify. The participants undergoing this surgical procedure are joining a team at Lumon Industries, where employees' work and personal lives are surgically divided. "I have, of my own free accord, elected to undergo the procedure known as severance," Mark begins the trailer by reciting, in tandem with his group of fellow employees. "I give consent for the Lumon Corporation — and it's a good corporation — to sever my memories between my work life and my personal life. I acknowledge that once the procedure is complete, I will be unable to access my personal memories whilst on Lumon's severed floor. Nor will I retain work memories when I return home at the end of the day."

That sounds ... unhealthy, to say the least. Apple TV+ describes the series in detail and trust me, it only gets more disturbing from here:

In "Severance," Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in 'work-life balance' is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work ... and of himself.

As Apple TV+ continues to fill the void left by everyone's favorite feel-good football show, maybe they should turn towards less disturbing stories? Just kidding, audiences love being creeped out! Bring on the existential dread, I say! Given that the "Severance" trailer is all kinds of trippy and unnerving, I think Apple TV+ is looking to deliver on that promise. The series comes from writer-creator Dan Erickson, with director and executive producer Ben Stiller. "Severance" stars Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation") alongside Academy Award winner Christopher Walken and Emmy Award winner John Turturro. The cast also includes Britt Lower ("High Maintenance"), Zach Cherry ("You," "Succession"), Dichen Lachman ("Jurassic World: Dominion"), Jen Tullock ("Before You Know It" ), Tramell Tillman ("Hunters"), and Michael Chernus ("Orange is the New Black") .

"Severance" premieres with two episodes on February 18, 2022, followed by new episodes weekly on Fridays.