SeveranceLike this list

18 items

• Legion. Season 1

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  Severance's retrofuturist vibes and nothing's-as-it-seems twists find a friend in Legion, the character-rich adventure of a man who discovers his mental health issues might also be superpowers.

• The Prisoner

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  "I am not a number! I am a free man!" is the declaration this classic 60s scifi show starts every episode off with. Severance draws huge inspiration from The Prisoner, along with just about every TV dystopia that's aired since 1967.

• Ender's Game

  Card, Orson Scott,

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  If you love the question of "just what are those spreadsheets for?" you'll find much to appreciate in Ender Wiggins' experiences training for an upcoming war through video games. (His author's not the world's greatest guy, but that's part of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Altered Carbon, Season 1 (TV series)

  View on wikipedia.org

  You'll have to go to Netflix for your Altered Carbon fix (frankly, the books aren't nearly as good), but Dichen Lachman plays a pivotal role in THIS cyberpunk-infused corporate nightmare, too. Season 2 isn't worth watching, but season 1 is a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Trial

  Kafka, Franz, 1883-1924

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  You can't have Kafka-esque without Kafka, and The Trial - in which a man's arrest and trial occur at the behest of unseen authorities, with little recourse - is probably the most comparable to Severance. It's a quick read, but you won't forget it…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Giver

  Lowry, Lois,

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  A strange, sanitized world where your job is chosen for you and nothing good happens to people who complain? Lois Lowry's The Giver might be for kids, but it's one of the most recognizable dystopias of the last 40 years, and it's easy to imagine…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bioshock Infinity

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  If you like the religious fervor with which Certain People approach Kier Eagan and the Compliance Handbook (or just the fact that Severance is happening in a fictional US state), Bioshock Infinite's approach to American history will probably appeal.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Unreal and the Real

  Selected Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin

  Le Guin, Ursula K., 1929-2018

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  Only have time for a short story? Pick this up and read "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the story of a perfect city with a dark secret hidden in its shadowed corners. The process of severance provides a similar way for people to ignore the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Office Space

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  The classic "take this job and shove it" comedy is a clear ancestor of Severance's absurd rules, weird office rituals, and control-freak middle managers.

• Eyes Wide Shut

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  If you know, you know.

• The Truman Show

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  What's reality if you live your entire life in a world hand-built by one person? How do you become your own person if you're being surveilled at all times? We really do live in a society.

• No Exit, and Three Other Plays

  Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905-1980.,

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  Hell is other people in the titular play - in which a handful of people spend the afterlife locked in a single room together for all time. You can probably see the comparison.

• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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  If you enjoy the surreality of memory loss within a scifi setting, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an easy next watch.

• Blade Runner

  [the Final Cut]

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  What's the line between "human" and "not human"? Blade Runner asks the question using replicants, androids that look identical to flesh-and-blood people, while Severance relies on the innie/outie divide.

• Brazil

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  A dark satire of workplace life and bureaucracy twined up with dreams of love, featuring bizarre visuals and a script that the immortal Tom Stoppard contributed to.

• Ex Machina

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  Like Blade Runner, Ex Machina asks when a tool of convenience crosses over into the realm of humanity. Like Severance, there's palpable dread running through Alex Garland's only good directorial endeavor, especially when it comes to the technocrats…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dark City

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  A man wakes in a bathtub with no idea how he got there. Amnesia, unforgettable settings, and unexpected twists keep this one in conversation with Severance.

• Severance: The Lexington Letter

  View on severance.wiki

  The Lexington Letter is a free tie-in novella by the creators of Severance! If you love the Lumon worldbuilding and want more, here's where you'll find it. (It's officially available through Apple Books, so also consider reading it there.)