10 TV Exhibits Like Severance You Want To Watch

“Severance” Season 2 cannot come quickly sufficient. Followers of Dan Erickson’s visually and psychologically arresting science fiction drama have needed to wait practically 4 years to be taught the fates of Lumen Industries workers Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Decrease), Dylan (Zack Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro), all of whom had their lives and livelihoods put in jeopardy as a consequence of Season 1’s cliffhanger finale.

For the uninitiated, the Apple TV+ collection explores a not-too-distant future by which an organization can sever or bifurcate an individual’s thoughts in order that they basically have two units of separate recollections — one because the individual they’re of their private life, and one other because the individual they’re once they come to work. This basically creates two separate individuals who share one physique, one among whom spends the whole thing of their life working a mind-numbing workplace job.

However for those who’re studying this, it is doubtless since you’ve already blown by “Severance” Season 1 and are eagerly searching for one other collection able to making you are feeling the identical means. Whereas that is actually a tall order to fill given how refreshing and distinctive “Severance” is, we did handle to seek out 10 TV exhibits that can certainly assist fill the void till Apple TV+ begins releasing new episodes later this month.

There is definitely no higher place to begin this record than with Peacock’s “Courageous New World,” a polarizing however unmistakably provocative adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s seminal 1932 sci-fi novel. It was developed initially for the SyFy community by David Wiener, recent from co-executive producing the Amazon Prime Video collection “Homecoming” (which we’ll talk about additional down). He has since gone on to be the showrunner for the online game adaptation “Halo.” For “Courageous New World,” Wiener was blessed with a staggering quantity of directing expertise, together with Ellen Kuras (“The Umbrella Academy”), Adrij Parekh (“Succession”), and, most notably for our functions, Aoife McArdle. After “Courageous New World” was cancelled a single season in, McArdle was tapped to affix Ben Stiller in directing the first season of “Severance.”

“Courageous New World” largely takes place within the futuristic, obvious utopia of New London, the place residents are beholden to a inflexible caste system and exhaustively managed — technologically, pharmaceutically, and sociologically — in order that they’re by no means sad. This completely organized society is threatened when an outsider named John (Alden Ehrenreich) is introduced amongst them from the decaying wastes of the so-called Savage Lands. His culturally unorthodox values (resembling monogamy, privateness, and emotional honesty) come into direct battle with New London’s handlers, particularly as his mysterious lineage and expertise for storytelling unexpectedly see him change into one among their most influential figures.

The collection shares the dread “Severance” has for a future thriving on effectivity and devoid of interpersonal complexity. Although Peacock did cancel it after one season, it is nonetheless an intriguing watch — particularly for individuals who have learn Huxley’s novel, who will certainly discover the modifications made to replace the story for a contemporary viewers.

A grasp of the corporatocratic dystopian sub-subgenre, Sam Esmail has instructed loads of tales that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with “Severance” when it comes to tone and theme. After all, his USA collection “Mr. Robotic” comes instantly to thoughts, however we might argue that “Severance” followers can be even higher served by his lesser-known follow-up, “Homecoming.” Directed by Esmail and created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, the Amazon Prime Video collection follows the lifetime of social employee Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts) throughout and after her time on the mysterious Homecoming Transitional Assist Middle.

Whereas employed there, Heidi appears to be working with new U.S. veterans who’re struggling to re-adjust to life after fight. As we see in lots of flashbacks, nonetheless, her job is not precisely what one would count on of a social employee — and, much more disconcerting, this so-called Assist Middle begins to look an increasing number of like a jail with every new revelation about its internal workings. To make all of it appear even shadier, Heidi presently works as a waitress, and suspiciously fails to recall key recollections of her time at Homecoming when confronted by the U.S. Division of Protection.

Although “Homecoming” is not precisely an anthology collection, Heidi’s thrilling storyline is contained to the first season, with Roberts utterly absent for a Season 2 that is simply not as sturdy as the primary outing. So if Season 1 would not fairly fulfill your “Severance” withdrawal solely, you could be higher off taking a look at different titles on this record earlier than barrelling forward to the subsequent installment.

Created by Justin Marks, “Counterpart” follows mild-mannered authorities worker Howard Silk (J.Okay. Simmons) as his world is turned the wrong way up by the arrival of a doppelganger from one other world. Like the workers of Lumen Industries on “Severance,” Howard spends his working life performing mundane but perplexing duties he would not know the aim of for a corporation he has little to no understanding of. This modifications when Howard is out of the blue confronted at work by a person who appears to be like precisely like him — however slightly than being his “innie” or “outie,” this different Howard (additionally performed by Simmons and generally known as “Howard Prime”) is a customer from a parallel Earth, a being referred to by the Workplace of Interchange as a Counterpart.

Howard’s work has, in reality, been serving to the U.N. talk with and monitor the opposite Earth (“Prime World”), regardless of him being stored at the hours of darkness as a seemingly interchangeable low-level worker. In the meantime, in distinction to the Howard of our Earth (“Alpha World”), Howard Prime is a ruthless and intimidating intelligence officer who has been despatched over to neutralize a Prime World murderer who infiltrated Alpha World. (For causes that slowly change into obvious over the course of the collection, Prime World resents and is rising extra hostile towards Alpha World.) Although there was some hope that “Counterpart” would discover a second life on a streamer after it was cancelled by Starz, this story of two Simmons exists (maybe appropriately) in solely two seasons, every thrilling and rewarding sufficient to warrant a watch. That is very true if “Severance” confirmed you that clandestine organizations and grounded sci-fi are your factor.

Of the exhibits we chosen for this record, “Westworld” may look like the strangest inclusion — particularly for those who, like many viewers, stopped watching even earlier than it obtained the axe from HBO. At first, this very free re-imagining of Michael Crichton’s novel (and his personal 1973 movie adaptation) performs out as longtime followers may count on, with a theme park full of rich patrons being endangered by technologically superior robotic cowfolk who maintain a grudge in opposition to humanity. However because the collection progresses previous the stunning ending of its 1st season, it delves into a lot bigger concepts — some would say too giant.

With out giving freely an excessive amount of a couple of collection that depends fairly closely on its probably thrilling (or irritating) twists and turns, its formidable exploration of synthetic intelligence as a method of making new life is what units HBO’s “Westworld” other than earlier iterations of the story. The characters should reckon with how this quickly rising expertise is employed in pre-existing techniques already crumbling below the burden of institutional rot and human greed. When you’re prepared to verify your expectations on the door and give up to the rollercoaster that’s “Westworld,” you will discover it is a completely amusing park to spend one’s time in whereas ready for “Severance” to return.

What are you aware — extra clones! First launched on Apple TV+ in 2024, “Darkish Matter” may simply be the most effective sci-fi collection in years. Created and government produced by style novelist Blake Crouch (who wrote the 2016 novel upon which the collection is predicated), it stars Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, an excellent quantum physicist pressured to make a life-altering determination at a pivotal second in his scientific profession.

His dilemma resembles that of Schrödinger’s Cat, with Jason metaphorically and concurrently caught in two outcomes till he makes this selection — begin a household together with his loving spouse Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) or dedicate himself to his work. When Jason chooses the latter, this metaphor haunts him into obsession till, by his unparalleled scientific genius, it turns into actuality. He constructs a technological dice that, with the help of a newly engineered drug, permits those that enter it to create and journey to alternate timelines relying on decisions they might have made. Jason makes use of it to see what his life may seem like if he hadn’t given all of it to physics, and finds a quainter however happier life the place he and Daniela have a son. It appears nice to Jason — too unhealthy this timeline already has a Jason in it.

“Darkish Matter” is a present finest skilled realizing as little as doable, so if two feuding Joel Edgertons strikes your curiosity, simply go forward and provides the pilot a strive. And with a 2nd season on the best way, you’ll be able to relaxation assured its jaw-dropping finale will not go away you hanging off the cliff for too lengthy.

When you’re within the temper for a shorter journey — and possibly a scarier one as effectively — Virgin TV’s British sci-fi thriller miniseries “The Feed” is what you are after. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video in america, the collection takes place in a near-future society the place technological developments permit folks to speak by way of neural implants. This collective hyper-social community — by which individuals can instantaneously alter their very own notion of actuality, actually share feelings, and expertise vivid replays of not simply their very own recollections, however the recollections of others — is thought on the earth as The Feed.

This world-changing invention has, amongst many different issues, made its founding household the Hatfields rich, highly effective, and largely chargeable for the well-being of society. Harry Potter alum David Thewlis performs inventor and patriarch Lawrence reverse “Recreation of Thrones” star Michelle Fairley as his partner Meredith. And, as a deal with for these of you who’ve already seen Starz’s “Counterpoint,” Claude Lambert actor Man Burnet options prominently as their passionate wayward son Tom.

The complete Hatfield household is thrown into disaster when The Feed begins malfunctioning, compelling its customers to carry out extraordinary and sometimes violently delinquent acts. The collection thus charts their makes an attempt to unravel this challenge because it quickly begins to unravel the whole lot they suppose they perceive about human nature and connection.

No matter “Superbad” reunion you imagined for Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, it most likely wasn’t “Maniac.” The duo star within the Netflix miniseries, which was developed in 2018 by Patrick Somerville (“The Leftovers;” “Station Eleven”) and Cary Joji Fukunaga (“True Detective”).

Owen Milgrim (Hill) lives with schizophrenia, always subjected to intrusive hallucinations and paranoid ideas that alienate him from society — significantly his rich (and morally compromised) household. To confront his situation with out their assist, he enrolls in an experimental drug trial facilitated by an organization that claims to be creating a tablet able to curing all psychological sickness. There, he meets Annie Landsberg (Stone), a lady whose makes an attempt to get well from previous trauma and reside a secure, purposeful life are undermined by signs of a persona dysfunction. Collectively, they undergo harrowing (and imaginatively rendered) exams of the psyche meant to divulge to them who they honestly are and ship them house unburdened by their pasts — if their minds can survive the journey, that’s.

Along with being aesthetically just like “Severance,” the present’s model of sci-fi is peppered with the identical markers of company dystopia that really feel absurd but eerily genuine on the identical time. From crippling monetary hardship to the proliferation of ad-supported residing, Somerville and Fukunaga present a world that ought to be all too acquainted to “Severance” followers.

It will be unimaginable to make a listing of this type with out together with some point out of Damon Lindelof. Although “Misplaced” and even his “Watchmen” adaptation include comparable themes, ideas, and, frankly, vibes with “Severance,” neither are fairly as becoming as “Mrs. Davis.” Created by Lindelof and Tara Hernandez, it stars “The Hunt” actor Betty Gilpin as Sister Simone, a nun who’s pressured into battle with a night-omniscient and omnipresent synthetic intelligence named Mrs. Davis.

Mrs. Davis would not seem to share a lot in widespread with Skynet, nonetheless. In actual fact, her steering — seemingly adopted willingly by nearly everybody on Earth, from low-level criminals to world leaders — has allowed humanity to prosper in new methods whereas avoiding the pitfalls which have traditionally pushed them nearer to extinction. (Sure, the parallels to organized faith are exactly as unsubtle as the remainder of the formidable and exhausting collection is.) All Mrs. Davis desires now could be for Simone to speak to her, and she or he goes to extraordinary lengths to make this occur — nonetheless, Simone goes even additional to keep away from her, blaming Mrs. Davis for a tragedy in her previous.

In most regards, “Mrs. Davis” is arguably the weirdest present really helpful on this record — actually weirder than “Severance.” However whereas they differ in tone and route, they reconverge on their shared concepts on the character of technological development and its potential impact on humankind.

Likelihood is, you do not want us to make you conscious of “Black Mirror.” The British anthology collection from Charlie Brooker has been a persistently viral sensation since its 1st season landed on Netflix in 2011. Since then, they’ve produced 28 distinctive tales of digital dystopias and technological terrors, together with an interactive movie and a really disturbing vacation particular.

As longtime “Black Mirror” followers can attest, the collection has at all times been a bit all over, and has solely change into extra unpredictable when it comes to high quality, type, tone, and even style because the seasons go on. With this in thoughts, there are a couple of particular episodes that evoke the identical or comparable expertise to watching “Severance” that we might be completely happy to attract your consideration to: Season 1, Episode 3 — “The Total Historical past of You,” (written by “Succession” scribe Jesse Armstrong, it encompasses a machine that replays recollections in your head); the 2014 Christmas Particular “White Christmas” (by which Jon Hamm and Rafe Spall go on a twisting journey by technological disgrace); Season 3, Episode 1 — “Nosedive” (which takes place in a society organized round private app rankings); Season 4, Episode 1 — “USS Callister” (the place Jesse Plemons will get a little bit too into “Star Trek”); and Season 6, Episode 1 — “Joan is Terrible” (starring Annie Murphy as, effectively, you).

FX and Hulu’s “Devs” is sort of unimaginable to elucidate with out ruining the onslaught of revelations that make it one among the best sci-fi thrillers of the previous decade. If this miniseries already sounds intriguing — with the added data that it was created, written, and directed by A24 favourite Alex Garland and stars Nick Offerman in arguably the best position of his profession — we suggest heading over to a streamer now to keep away from even the tiniest of spoilers. When you nonetheless want convincing, buckle up.

“Devs” is known as after a fictional superior expertise program run out of Silicon Valley by an enigmatic and emotionally tortured CEO named Forest (Offerman). The division’s purpose is to develop a quantum pc so highly effective it may well precisely predict the long run, in addition to decide the sequence of occasions that made the current second unavoidable. When newcomer Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) joins the engineering staff, she rapidly begins to query the character of their work, Forest’s competency and sanity, in addition to his true aspirations for such expertise.

When you’ve been struggling to decide on a present from this record, “Devs” is probably going your finest guess. It has the high-concept company conspiracy of “Severance,” the techno-religious overtones of “Westworld” and “Mrs. Davis,” the obsessive exploration of selection and actuality of “Darkish Matter,” and a lot extra to supply that we actually cannot get into right here with out spoiling the enjoyable. Simply give it an opportunity — and for those who hate it, take consolation within the chance that one other universe exists the place you did not watch it in any respect.