Severance has been off the air for a month, so it’s about time for the withdrawal symptoms to kick in. Restlessness. Inability to focus on other media. Obsessively bringing up the show in conversation until your friends stop returning your texts.
Two seasons in, the series became a worldwide phenomenon, with viewers dissecting each episode for clues and enthusiastically coming up with theories about the meaning behind Severance’s cryptic symbols and surreal events.
Eerie and thought-provoking, the show has a knack for gripping you to the point where you become so invested it’s tricky to pull away from the goings-on at Lumon Industries. Not impossible, though.
At least, we hope not. While season 2 ended with a banger of a finale, the series will be on hiatus for a while. Until it makes a comeback, one has to keep busy.
There may not be another series exactly like Severance, which is exactly why the Apple TV+ hit is so compelling. But whether you watch the psychological thriller for the vibes, mysteries, or characters, these 10 titles come close.
Black Mirror
An anthology series exploring the dark side of technology, Black Mirror is the kind of media you should consume slowly rather than binge in one sitting. Each episode packs a punch, delivering a near-future scenario in which innovations take a disturbing turn.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll look at the screen in horror. Like Severance, Black Mirror seamlessly blends sci-fi with psychological drama, making viewers ponder what they’ve just witnessed, sometimes for days on end. Fun!
Fringe
Craving another sci-fi show that will make you care deeply about the characters? Fringe is an excellent pick. With a tremendous cast that nails their performances, the series asks questions about identity and the ethical boundaries of science. Familiar stuff.
Fringe starts like a procedural, when an FBI agent partners up with an eccentric scientist and his son to investigate strange phenomena. Soon, the show hints that there’s a larger, mind-bending mystery at play.
The slow-burn pays off. By the time season 3 rolls around, you won’t just be hooked – you’ll be furiously hitting the Next Episode button.
Maniac
With a cast led by Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, Maniac is best enjoyed in a frenzy. The miniseries consists of only 10 episodes, so we suggest clearing a weekend and settling in for a wild ride.
The show follows two strangers who participate in a mysterious pharmaceutical drug trial. But as the experiment unfolds, they’re plunged into dreamlike scenarios that force them to confront past traumas and their sense of self.
It’s a weird little show, in the best way possible.
Counterpart
Like Severance, Counterpart dives into themes of duality, identity, and the choices that shape who we become. Also, what’s better than watching J. K. Simmons command the screen? Seeing him play a double role.
The sci-fi thriller kicks off when a low-level employee at a Berlin-based UN agency discovers that his organisation is hiding a gateway to a parallel Earth. On the other side, there’s another version of himself, more confident and dangerous. A complex web of espionage ensues.
Silo
If you’re into Severance for the slowly unraveling mystery that challenges the protagonist’s understanding of reality, Silo should climb a few spots on your watchlist.
Based on Hugh Howey’s Wool novels, the dystopian series is set in a giant underground bunker housing the remnants of humanity. It revolves around an engineer who begins to question the official narrative about why the outside world is uninhabitable.
Turns out, he silo’s greatest threat might actually come from within.
Succession
At first sight, Severance and Succession have little in common. The latter centres on the uber-rich Roy family, who own a global media empire. As the aging patriarch is on the verge of stepping back from the company, his children spiral into a ruthless power struggle.
Look deeper, though, and you’ll notice that both series dissect the dehumanising effects of corporate power. They also explore what happens when loyalty to a company takes an emotional toll.
Or maybe this is a reach, and we just love to recommend Succession to anyone willing to listen. You’ll have to watch it to find out.
Dark Matter
Apple TV+ has a weird tendency to release intriguing series and never advertise them. Too bad, because absolute gems like Dark Matter end up flying right under the radar.
The series, based on Blake Crouch’s novel of the same name, follows a physicist who is abducted and wakes up in an alternate version of his life. Not only does he need to find a way back home ASAP, but he has to contend with questions about paths not taken.
You can’t help but root for him, even as you’re on the edge of your seat.
The Leftovers
The Leftovers kicks off three years after 2% of the world’s population mysteriously vanishes in an event known as the Sudden Departure. The story is about the residents of a small town, who struggle to make sense of the loss and crumble under the weight of existential uncertainty.
Highly underrated while it was still on, The Leftovers is less about getting answers and more about emotional truth. Like Severance, it offers a meditative look at what it means to be human when everything familiar starts to fracture. It makes for an interesting follow-up.
Homecoming
Want more unease and psychological tension? Homecoming follows a therapist who used to work at a facility that helps veterans transition back to civilian life through an experimental program. But as she gets drawn deeper into the program’s questionable methods, she begins to uncover disturbing truths.
Homecoming is likely to appeal to Severance fans because it questions the cost of corporate and institutional power. If you need an additional incentive, the first season of the show stars Julia Roberts, and the second Janelle Monáe.
Twin Peaks
A cult classic, Twin Peaks is set in a small and quirky town. When a high school student is murdered, an FBI agent comes to investigate, uncovering a dark underbelly of weirdness. Expect an exquisite blend of surrealism, crime drama, and psychological horror.
Twin Peaks and Severance both use strange, almost otherworldly elements to explore the more sinister sides of the human experience. If you like it when the boundaries between reality and illusion become blurry, you can’t do wrong with giving this iconic series a stream.
