Apple TV+ brought Lumon Industries to life Saturday in a surprise, star-studded event — and it confirmed renewal of Severance for season three in the process.
The streamer surprised thousands of the show’s fans with a Lumon-style Outdoor Retreat Team-Building Occurrence, aka ORTBO. It featured a panel discussion moderated by Stephen Colbert at the surreal workplace thriller’s primary location, Bell Works in Holmdel, New Jersey.
Wild ORTBO with Stephen Colbert celebrates Severance at Lumon’s HQ
With the Severance season two finale in the books, Apple TV+ delighted thousands of fans by transforming Bell Works into the fictional Lumon Industries headquarters for an immersive event celebrating the Emmy Award-winning series. The surprise gathering coincided with the official announcement that the global phenomenon has been renewed for a third season.
The spectacular event featured a Q&A session with the cast and executive producers moderated by Stephen Colbert of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, along with a live performance of the show’s Emmy Award-winning theme song by composer Theodore Shapiro.
Star-studded attendance
Photo: Apple TV+
The event brought together key figures from the Severance team, including executive producer and director Ben Stiller, creator and writer Dan Erickson and most of the cast. They included Adam Scott, who plays Mark and also serves as an executive producer, Britt Lower (Helly R./Helena), John Turturro (Irving), Zach Cherry (Dylan) and Dichen Lachman (Ms. Casey).
Also in attendance were Tramell Tillman (Milchick), Sarah Bock (Miss Huang), Jen Tullock (Devon Scout-Hale), Michael Chernus (Ricken Hale), Gwendoline Christie (Lorne) and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Drummond). The panel discussion took place in the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed building that serves as the actual filming location for Lumon Industries in the series.
Immersive experience
Photo: Apple TV+
Fans took in an immersive Lumon experience as they entered Bell Works. The space featured the illuminated Kier wall from the show, ambient jazz music and a re-creation of the Severance elevator bank. Attendees enjoyed gourmet Belgian waffles and melon bars while watching the season two finale.
Each guest received an official blue Lumon Access card upon arrival and a greeting from Sarah Bock in character as the unsettlingly young Miss Huang.
Watch an ‘Inside the Lumon Event’ video
The experience included meticulously re-created sets from the show, such as the cubicles of the Macrodata Refinement team, complete with disturbing break room posters and a display of Helly R. “strewn on a desk.” Fans were also invited to record messages to their hypothetical “innies” — their work selves who would have no memory of their outside lives.
Another highlight of the event took the form of Shapiro’s live performance of the show’s theme song. And as that went on, organizers unveiled a life-size exhibit of the Mammalians Nurturable department. It featured Gwendoline Christie in character as Lorne.
About the series
Photo: Apple TV+
Severance follows Mark Scout (Scott), who leads a team at Lumon Industries where employees have undergone a surgical procedure that divides their memories between work and personal lives. This experiment in “work-life balance” is challenged as Mark uncovers mysteries about the nature of his work and himself.
In the second season, Mark and his colleagues discover the serious consequences of tampering with the severance barrier, leading them “further down a path of woe.”
The critically acclaimed first season received numerous accolades, including 14 Emmy Award nominations with wins for Outstanding Music Composition and Outstanding Main Title Design. The series also earned two Writers Guild of America Awards and nominations for Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild and Directors Guild Awards.
Both seasons of Severance are now streaming globally on Apple TV+, with the newly announced third season currently in development. Fifth Season studio produces the series with a team of executive producers including Ben Stiller, Dan Erickson, John Lesher and Adam Scott.
Photo: Apple TV+
Watch Severance on Apple TV+
Severance season one and now stream on Apple TV+. New episodes air on Fridays (though they’re usually available the night after 6 p.m. PT).
Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. Customers who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
Photo: Apple TV+
After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 471 wins and 2,090 award nominations and counting,” the service said.
Apple TV+ is home to more than 200 exclusive movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso). The service also offers documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.
