Adam Scott sympathizes with your agonizing Severance Season 2 Wait

January 2025 is finally here – and with it, the return of that show you cheated on three years ago and I felt like I was never coming back. We talk, of course, about Severity, sci-fi mystery Apple TV + 2022 which came out of nowhere and immediately became a fan favorite. The first season ended in an all-timer cliffhanger and fans have been eagerly waiting for the second season, which is now coming up on January 17, since

Adam Scott, the star of Severityto understand Scott is no stranger to hitting TV shows, but con SeverityHe went from starring in this weird show that nobody knew anything about to leading one of the most buzzed-about shows on TV. Suddenly, fans were approaching him on the street, he was hearing lingo from the off-world show, and everything about the long-delayed second season became super secret. During the video chat last month, io9 talked to Scott about all that. He discussed his first reactions to the second season, how the fans have been, and how things have changed around the Lumon offices. And don’t worry, the interview is spoiler-free for season two.

Germain Lussier, io9: Fans had to wait almost three years to find out what happens next with the Severity crew, but I wonder, how long did you have to wait to get the scripts and find out what happens, and what were your reactions to it?

Adam Scott: Before there are actual scripts, Dan (Erickson, showrunner) tends to map out the season. So I had a rough idea of ​​the direction and arc of the season before I started getting scripts. So it was really fun to see how far he would take the story this season. Because the first season, originally, the story went a little further than it ended up going. And then Ben (Stiller, executive producer) said, “Oh, that line, ‘She’s alive,’ is a great place to end the season.” So Dan ended up finding that as the dividing line of the seasons. So to see how far we go and what it will be is really interesting and fun. So I’m going to sort of get this information before scripting of any kind.

io9: And during that wait, have people been coming up to you asking when the show is coming back? What is so?

Scott: Yeah, and I think it was September or something, Apple announced the release date of January 17th. And it was so great to be able to tell people a date. Because several times a day, people ask me where the second season is. And I understand. It’s been a while. So it was great to be able to say ‘January 17’. But now, it comes in a matter of weeks. So that’s great. It is so great that people have been as patient as they are, and that they are willing to wait this long.

io9: We don’t really have a choice, but I agree.

Scott: Yes, it is true.

io9: So I watched a couple of episodes of the season and without spoiling anything, it looks like Innie Mark is completely invested in getting answers. Obviously you are still the main character, but in this season, but I almost saw it as a stand-in for the audience. It is not played. Do you agree with that and how has your performance changed this season?

Scott: Well, I think the information that Mark found out at the end of the first season… the first season, we saw him gradually grow disillusioned with Lumon, which is this place that he believed in all along. And his whole identity and life was based around this place. And he became disillusioned with it. But I think when the ninth episode rolled around and they ran away, he felt like he had reached the ceiling of what he thought Lumon’s depravity could be. So finding this piece of information, I think, has blown the roof of every expectation of what I thought was even possible, quote without quotes, “bad”, or what terrible things that a company or people could do to one the other So, I think we start the second season with him being thrown back into this situation where he’s more disillusioned now. Now he is in a place of needing answers and needing to know what exactly to do with this information and if there is even a way to get it to his outtie.

io9: And it’s a unique show because you have the innie and the outtie. And they are different people, apparently. So I wonder, am I right to assume that it’s more fun to play innie Mark?

Scott: I do not know. I like to play both. I think they are just different parts of the same person. And I think it’s all the same guy. But there are things I like to play with both.

io9: understood. Now, these days, there are so many shows, especially with streaming, that it’s rare to actually be in one that hits. Looking back at the first season, at what point did you realize, “Oh, I’m on a show that everyone’s talking about”?

Scott: We did the first season in a bubble. We have no idea if we should watch it or like it. So when it came out, we were all kind of holding our breath. But I think when I started hearing terms from the show like ‘innie’ and ‘outtie’, things like in culture in a podcast or referenced anywhere, I think that’s when I knew we got a little bit. And it was so strange to hear it out. All of a sudden, talking about scripts and history or whatever, we had to start sending secure emails with code words. The whole first season, which took place over a period of a few years, nobody cared about anything we were doing. We don’t need to hide anything. And all of a sudden, it was this kind of closed secret thing that we were doing. And it was really, really fun and weird to all of a sudden have this show that people were kind of paying attention to intensely.

io9: And as someone who has done so much great TV, what is it about? Severity what feels different?

Scott: I do not know. I think the world that Dan and Ben have created just looks and feels unlike anything else. And I think it’s a testament to the audience that they’re willing to stick with a show like this that throws a lot of curveballs and a lot of mystery at them.

Severity the second season on January 17 with new episodes every Friday through March 21. We’ll have more from the cast and crew in the coming weeks.

Want more io9 news? Check when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Warsand Star Trek free, what is next for the DC Universe in film and TVand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.