What Severance, the most watched series on Apple TV+ right now, is about

Severance is not only a new record-breaker for Apple TV+, but also a real cultural phenomenon. Apple TV+ did everything it could to draw attention to the second season of its sci-fi hit.

Even the company's CEO Tim Cook made a separate video dedicated to the return of the series after a three-year hiatus. And it seems that these efforts have paid off - the series has set new platform records. The details were revealed by Deadline.

The undisputed leader

According to Apple TV+, Severance became the most popular series in the history of the platform by the number of unique viewers in the period from January 17 to February 17, 2025.

Data from an independent Nielsen study shows that a week after the premiere, the series took 4th place in the Nielsen Top 10 Originals ranking, having collected 589 million minutes of viewing in the United States. The new episodes of the second season accounted for 28% of this time, and these figures continue to grow.

The series has not only become a hit with viewers, but also significantly influenced the popularity of Apple TV+. Between January 1 and 19, 2025, the number of new subscriptions increased by 126% compared to the same period in December 2024. The free weekend that Apple TV+ offered on January 3-5 allowed users to get acquainted with the service's original content before the start of the second season of Severance.

Overall, over the course of the season, it has attracted more viewers than any other Apple TV+ series, surpassing even Ted Lasso. The largest markets are the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany, France, Mexico, and Spain.

"We have long admired Ben’s extraordinary gift for original and immersive storytelling, and with he and Dan at the helm, Severance has proven to be an extraordinary success and a cultural phenomenon," said Matt Cherniss, head of Apple TV+ programming.

Despite being considered one of the best drama series of recent years, Severance was quite expensive to produce. According to rumors, the budget for each episode of the second season reached $20 million. However, as Parrot Analytics says, the first season has already brought Apple more than $200 million.

Plot

The series tells the story of Mark Scout, who is experiencing the loss of his wife. He decides to take part in the Severace program from Lumon Industries, which involves the surgical separation of memories between work and daily life. Employees who undergo this procedure do not remember anything about their personal life at work, and vice versa.

Mark and his colleagues in Kristyn Macready's department perform mysterious work every day without knowing its true purpose. Over time, they begin to suspect that the company is hiding something important from them.

Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Christopher Walken and Dichen Lachman returned for the second season. They were also joined by Gwendoline Christie, Alia Shawkat, John Noble and others.

The second season of Severance not only confirmed its iconic status, but also exceeded all expectations, critics say.

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