"Severance" in second season: Apple launches major marketing machine
The sci-fi-themed drama series is finally back on Apple TV+ after a long time. The company is promoting "Severance" wherever it can.
"Severance" marketing on Apple.com: major campaign for next series season.
(Image: Screenshot Apple.com)
Fans of the award-winning Apple TV+ series "Severance" can breathe a sigh of relief: the second season started on Friday – almost three years after the start of the first. One or two cliffhangers should now find an answer, but the sci-fi drama remains mysterious as usual. There will be a total of ten episodes, which, as is typical for Apple TV+, will not be released in one go, but week by week on the streaming service. The last episode will be available on March 21. Apple has launched a major marketing campaign for the release, which includes some guerrilla aspects.
Appearance in Grand Central Station
For example, the Apple homepage was briefly taken over by "Severance" – along with many blue balloons, which play a role in the first episode. Stars like lead actor Adam Scott made the rounds on US primetime talk shows. Last week, several "Severance" actors made a live appearance at Grand Central Terminal, the main local train station in New York City, which is also home to a large Apple store. They were seen in glass boxes, seemingly going about their monotonous work at the company Lumon, which plays an important role in the series. According to Scott, the actors were "not allowed to go to the loo for three hours".
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The first episode of season 2 (as well as the episodes that have already been made available to journalists) has already received positive reviews. The world of the show has become "even bigger and stranger", wrote the New York Times, for example. The Guardian continues to find the series "incredibly compelling". On Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews landed at a total of 96 percent "certified fresh", with the first episode only receiving a rating of 81 percent from normal viewers.
Apple urgently needs hits on TV+
"Severance" revolves around a group of office workers who are able to completely separate their work and family lives due to brain surgery. Why this is necessary and what exactly is behind the company Lumon, for which they work, is revealed step by step. Many questions remained after season 1, whether these will all be answered in season 2 remains to be seen. "Severance" was paralyzed for three years due to the major strikes in Hollywood, and there were also internal upheavals among the creators, including actor Ben Stiller.
Apple urgently needs shows that generate sufficient hype for its streaming service. TV+ is still significantly smaller than Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, but costs the company billions. TV+ relies almost exclusively on its own material and only occasionally provides limited access to repertoire content, which is much more present on Netflix & Co. Apple TV+ costs 10 euros per month and is therefore cheaper than its competitors.
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