Fans hail first minutes of $200,000,000 TV show that ‘made 3-year wait worth it’

Just the first few minutes of Severance season two have already got fans hooked, as they’ve hailed the opening scene a ‘masterpiece’.

After nearly three years, the beloved sci-fi series has finally returned, starring Adam Scott as Mark Scout.

For the uninitiated, the show follows Mark after he and several employees undergo a procedure called ‘severance’, meaning they have their memories of their work lives (outies) and professional lives (innies) separated.

The innies and outies have no link to each other, and can’t access memories of the other.

But the boundary between work and life begins to get even more complicated when the outside world begins to overlap with Mark’s professional life, as disturbing truths about his job emerge.

The Apple TV Plus drama became a huge fan-favourite when it launched in 2022, scoring an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes for the first instalment, and the second season looks to be following in its success.

The first few minutes have fans hooked (Picture: Apple Plus TV)

Apple TV Plus has knocked it out the park with their 2025 treat (Picture: AP)

In fact, the first few moments already have fans obsessed.

The opening scene sees Mark running through a maze of white walls of the Lumon Industries offices, turning back on himself, winding around corners, and seemingly going in circles.

It mirrors his intro in the first season, when he was searching the halls for the Macrodata Refinement wing, but this time, he’s hunting for Ms Casey in the Wellness Center, only to find it doesn’t exist at all, according to ScreenRant.

Season one ended on a huge cliffhanger (Picture: Apple TV+/ AP)

It’s been a long three-year wait (Picture: Apple TV+. All Rights Reserved)

‘The first scene alone made the almost 3 year wait for S2 worth it. Peak television is back,’ a viewer called Leo wrote on X.

‘I had the biggest smile on my face that whole scene,’ @MovieMediaX said.

Charlie wrote: ‘I love how it directly reflects the beginning of season 1. Instead of Mark feeling comfortable and “happy” at Lumon while briskly walking to his desk, he is now energized, more independent, and scared as he races through the hallways.’

@Bio21 added: ‘Even the music is like a more intense version of the S1 opening.’

Season one scored 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (Picture: Apple TV/Atsushi Nishijima)

‘It was amazing!! Gosh!’ @Kirmendez17 said, as @ChicagoBulldawg added: ‘How do I explain to someone who hasn’t watched this that a minute straight scene of mark running through the severed floor is literal peak television.’

‘This opening scene for #Severance OH THEY DID NOT PLAY WITH THE BUDGET AND THE CAMERAWORK,’ @luci added.

@lippasbae wrote: ‘You know when Adam Scott running outta elevator in the opening sequence with epic cinematography and the coolest camera work is bound to be a PEAK TELEVISION. what an insane opening of season 2.’

Ahead of its release, the synopsis for season two – which reportedly cost $200million (£164m) to make for its 10 episodes – teased: ‘In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.’

Executively produced by Ben Stiller, the cast also includes Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman and Jen Tullock.

After the long wait for season two, showrunner Dan Erickson explained the delays, saying that some scenes that had been written went back to the drawing board during the filming stage.

He told The Wrap: ‘It’s just a feeling. Ben [Stiller] and I work together really closely on crafting the story, both at an outlining phase and then with the scripts. You just sort of know when you know.

‘We were very adamant that we not move ahead at any point until we really felt like we had it.’

The writers strikes across Hollywood also caused delays, with Adam telling the publication: ‘That’s part of the reason, or most of the reason, that the season has taken so long to come out.

‘We were lucky enough to get like weeks of ramp up to shooting whenever we start shooting.’

‘All of us have to calibrate ourselves to be running a marathon and not a sprint,’ Helly actress Britt added. ‘In the case of this show, it’s a long form art piece that it takes a lot of time to craft.’

Severance season 2 premieres on Friday January 17 on Apple TV Plus, with episodes dropping weekly.

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