What if work and memory could be surgically split apart? That question drives Severance, a 2022 sci-fi thriller series created by Dan Erickson and set inside the offices of Lumen Industries.
What is Severance about?
At the center of the show is a company procedure that separates a person's work self from their outside self so completely that neither remembers the other's life. Employees who undergo it walk into the office each morning with no memory of home, and walk out each evening with no memory of the job, leaving two versions of the same person who never meet. The series follows a team inside Lumen Industries as cracks start to show in that arrangement, with questions about what the company actually does, and why, bleeding through the wall meant to keep the two lives apart. Mystery and workplace drama sit side by side here, with the sterile, oddly cheerful office setting doing as much unsettling work as any twist. Rather than resolving its central premise quickly, the show lets the implications of a divided self accumulate episode by episode, turning an office job into the setting for something much stranger.
About the cast
Adam Scott anchors the show alongside Britt Lower, with Patricia Arquette, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken filling out an ensemble that spans both the company's management and its severed employees. The mix of comedic and dramatic performers reflects the show's blend of workplace unease and larger mystery.
Context & significance
Created by Dan Erickson, Severance is a United States production that runs roughly 50 minutes per episode and pulls together drama, mystery, sci-fi, and thriller elements around its central premise. The show has built a strong critical reputation since its debut, standing out for a visual style as distinctive as its concept, with the sterile Lumen offices becoming as recognizable as any character. Its genre mix allows it to move between tense psychological drama and dry workplace comedy within a single episode.
Watching Severance on Ktime
Severance is available to stream on K-Time with a free account login, and Persian-speaking viewers can navigate the whole experience through the platform's Farsi interface. Both Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles are provided for this series, giving households the choice of how they want to watch.