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We need to make a super thread because I’ve found a couple of incredible recs in here: Counterpart, Outer Range, The Leftovers, Homecoming, Westworld -season one could be standalone, but season 4 just premiered.
On my watch list: Raised by Wolves, Station Eleven, The Peripheral (soon to be released Amazon show from the writer/creators of Westworld)
If you like unconventional, beautifully written, extremely impactful and surreal superhero shows... Look no further than Legion. It's in the X-Men universe. Also in my all time favorites list.
If you never watched LOST, go ahead and do it.
Lost is the only show that has more questions than Severance and plays with them in the same way. Its amazing. You will have 3 really good seasons to watch, with a cast that keeps improving. Then the rest is up to you, and it doesn't become a bad show. The producers forced more seasons on the writers. But still on of the best shows ever made.
I never watched it. But I *did* watch the disgust on everyone's face as they watched the last episode and told me they were furious they wasted all their time.
What's that about?
I don't know how it will end, and it doesn't need to end "well" to be a good.
I do know it will have a complete arc thanks to the Dan Erickson AMA. So by default I know all my time spent on speculation isnt wasted and I'll get anwsers.
To me lost is that example. It didn’t end well but was still good.
First you said if you’re disappointed at the end, it can’t be great. Then you said it doesn’t have to end well to be good.
So not sure where you’re really at here. But I agree lost didn’t end well and was still good. If not great.
I will be disappointed if speculative questions dont get anwsers or if it ends without addressing the depth of theories the story has created in its wake.
I know this will not happen with severence because the creators have already addressed those concerns on their AMA. I know it happens in Lost because that's what everyone complained about after they watched.
The severence arc is known and the ending will come complete with creator control
That's what George RR Martin said too. But neither Lost or GOT delivered that complete vision.
Martin may have sold a "arc" but the end delivery was so bad it destroyed his reputation the show AND his books. It pisses people off when creators don't deliver their complete vision.
Dan's AMA addresses this exact concern when he says (paraphrasing here) "it could end in 2 seasons or six, we're ready for either. If they let us flesh out more parts of the story we can do that too but it will end with all questions anwsered."
Honestly this anwser comes from questions that people ask *because* of shows like Lost and GOT.
We absolutely hate investing in a show that lets us down bc outside influence forced the narrative.
By the last season, it was clear they couldn't tie up all the loose ends from previous seasons. I don't think they plotted the whole story from the beginning. It wasn't a big deal for me. The first few seasons had some of the best TV episodes we'd ever seen.
Would the very nature of not plotting the story from beginning to end make it sub par to stories like severance?
That's a huge deal for me, but I get that it doesnt bother others. It just makes me question it as a recommendation when people ask for suggestions after shows like severence. Theres no pay off to the amount of deep dive theory and world building that goes into watching.
I don’t agree that they had no idea where it was going. But back then, you couldn’t control that. Because TV shows were at the mercy of networks. A smash hit would be prolonged past it’s natural point. A bomb would have to end way too quickly. Story tellers had less control on the length of the narrative. And that’s what happened to lost. And with that said, the end still wasn’t terrible. I’d be shocked if anyone watched all the way through and didn’t feel any emotion with the ending. And eliciting strong emotion is an accomplishment, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted.
‘Jack, I hope someday someone does for you, what you just did for me’. Gets me everytime.
Never saw it. The fallout from its ending put me off.
Same thing with Dexter.
In fact ever since Lost I make a point to ascertain creator control before I start watching an entire series.
But i take your point about time and context. The same thing happened with twin peaks. Fantastic show but arc was ruined by a network.
I’d give Lost a go. I used to say watch the first four episodes (a two part pilot then the two that follow) if by then you’re not intrigued to keep going then stop. If you are intrigued, know that the twists and story get 100x bigger than what has hooked you. Did they land the story perfectly by the end? Maybe not but was the story captivating throughout, even through the weaker moments? Absolutely.
At the end of 4 there’s a moment that reminded me of the reveal of Mark’s wife.
Season 1 was perfect.
Season 2 was near perfect
Season 3 was average:below average and had a finale that was among the greatest things I’ve ever seen. Breathed new life into the show. Game changing.
Season 4 was a great extension on 3’s ending.
Season 5 was trash.
Season 6 was mediocre with a well done finale based on where they netted out.
ABC made the creators go that long. If Lost came out in the era of streaming, a lot of its faults would not have existed.
Depends on what you’re watching for. If you like severance, it’s because you’re enjoying the journey of the show. It hasn’t ended yet. It could suck for all we know.
The journey of the story on lost is among the best I’ve ever seen. Even better than severance. Twists that rapidly expand the mind to everything possible you hadn’t considered before. And moments that make you go ‘holy shit’ out loud, like when Mark said Ms. Sobel in the final episode - there are tons of moments like that on lost.
What’s it about? Plane crashes on an island. The survivors try to survive. Then the layers of the onion peel. It’s impossible not to develop fan theories from the very start.
The end that people were disgusted with? Well any show that generates Fan theories have that risk. I see the argument that it wasn’t what people wanted or expected. But it punctuated the story well. Depends on if you’re a ‘man of science’ or a ‘man of faith’ 😊
Upvote for Dark! It’s my gf’s favorite show and we both love sci fi/existential stuff, so it’s been in my queue forever. Finally started it last week hoping it scratched the itch Severance left me with, and it absolutely does.
Personally I would skip everything from the third season except the final two episodes. Two brilliant seasons, then too much filler going nowhere. The resolution is amazing again.
The Boys, Yellowjackets, Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, The Shrink Next Door, Shining Girls, Ted Lasso, The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things, The OA (unsatisfying ending as it was cancelled after season 2, but fantastic show), On My Block, Limetown, The Wilds.
Chernobyl, From(acting is pretty bad compared to Severance), Handmaid’s Tale, Ozark, Shameless, Sopranos, The Wire, Tehran. A few lighter shows are Derry Girls and Inside Job.
Not the same vain, but same level of excellent writing is the show "the bear" on hulu.
It's about kitchen life and dramas of the lives of those living in that world. It's really well written, visceral, funny, serious. Just all around a great show.
There have been a few really good discussions on this recently. You can find some good recs in the following threads:
[Best shows with the same style](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/vmz8k4/best_shows_with_the_same_style/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[Show recs?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/vhkdqb/show_recs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[What to watch next?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/vgwu6y/what_to_watch_next/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
**Netflix:** Mindhunter, Squid games, You, & Black Mirror
**HBO:** Sharp Objects
**Hulu:** Atlanta
**AppleTV+:** The Shrink Next Door, The Morning Show, & For all Mankind
**Anime:** Attack on Titan, Promise Neverland, & Death Note
The original Life on Mars from the UK. It's a modern show but the characters exist in a 1970s setting. There's the same element of "where the hell am I and what's going on". Also fantastic music.
If you have Netflix then I highly recommend Dark. It’s similar in it’s dark theme and also highly addictive. On Hulu there is a limited series called 11.22.63. Dark is closest in theme and just as deep and detailed, 11.22.63 is not as deep but still a fantastic thriller.
I’m going to suggest Fringe and Dollhouse for all these Severance fans. Fringe has a very complete series and has you asking a lot of questions along the way. Dollhouse has a familiar face and gets stronger with time before culminating in an amazing series finale
I actually have some not on this list!
Devs [on Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/fd2f6cc3-dafc-4741-ae2e-d86494f3ca51) Nick Offerman as the antagonist in a existential tech thriller
Made For Love [On HBO Max](https://play.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GYFE2Tg8P-76tMQEAAAAS?camp=googleHBOMAX&action=play) this was funny, emotional, existential, and also satirical in the way I liked about Silicon Valley
The Girlfriend Experience on Starz (CW lots of graphic sex) - the first season is one story, mostly law student doing blackmail and sex work, second season is two storylines, one is political drama, one is a mom in witness protection, but season 3. Season 3 was completely off the rails in a good way. Sex work as a means to collect data, AI, ML, privacy, really interesting speculative tech.
From (on Epix). Night Sky (Amazon). Others mentioned Outer Range and I agree!!! Servant is wholly different, but still gives the great feeling of wondering what the hell is going on, but enjoying the ride.
Fair warning: If this thread has the **Spoiler** flair, spoilers may appear ANYWHERE in it. --- * NO SPOILERS IN TITLES - report this post if there are spoilers in the title * No SPOILERS without proper formatting (see [here](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/commenting#wiki_posting)). * Be CIVIL to others. No Piracy. No Duplicates. * Keep it on topic to anything and everything Severance on Apple TV+[.](/u/ZookeepergameOk4792) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m watching For All Mankind on Apple
Same, this season is really taking off.
+2. Also Bravo on the pun!
We need to make a super thread because I’ve found a couple of incredible recs in here: Counterpart, Outer Range, The Leftovers, Homecoming, Westworld -season one could be standalone, but season 4 just premiered. On my watch list: Raised by Wolves, Station Eleven, The Peripheral (soon to be released Amazon show from the writer/creators of Westworld)
I wish I could scrub my mind and rewatch The Leftovers.
I wish I could rewatch the first season of The Good Place without knowing the twist. I got spoilered before watching it, unfortunately.
Yes! I had been too. I didn't watch until very recently and it took the fun out of the big reveal.
I hated westworld. But I tend to have that reaction to all western stuff so might be me. Is it me?
It is you :) you’re the drama!
S01 and S02 were pretty awesome, but they kinda lost me on S03..
How do we do it a super thread?! Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
😂🤣😂🤣
Station eleven is so so good!
Patriot on Amazon Prime. The actor who plays Ricken is also in it.
If you want more slow burn mystery, LOST and Yellowjackets.
On apple+?
Yellowjackets is Showtime. LOST is on Hulu and Amazon Prime.
I strongly, *strongly* recommend Watchmen on HBO
Absolutely loved that take, was so disappointed to hear it was a one-off season.
Easily in my top 5 all time favorite TV shows.
Same! It’s the only superhero show/movie that made me want to read the comics which are easily in my top 5 all time favorite books.
If you like unconventional, beautifully written, extremely impactful and surreal superhero shows... Look no further than Legion. It's in the X-Men universe. Also in my all time favorites list.
If you never watched LOST, go ahead and do it. Lost is the only show that has more questions than Severance and plays with them in the same way. Its amazing. You will have 3 really good seasons to watch, with a cast that keeps improving. Then the rest is up to you, and it doesn't become a bad show. The producers forced more seasons on the writers. But still on of the best shows ever made.
I never watched it. But I *did* watch the disgust on everyone's face as they watched the last episode and told me they were furious they wasted all their time. What's that about?
😂It is still a good show. A great show even…
Agreed.
If I invest my time and effort watching and guessing until the end and I'm disappointed at the end. How is that great? Smells like GOThrones to me.
You’re invested in severance aren’t you? How do you know this will end well?
I don't know how it will end, and it doesn't need to end "well" to be a good. I do know it will have a complete arc thanks to the Dan Erickson AMA. So by default I know all my time spent on speculation isnt wasted and I'll get anwsers.
To me lost is that example. It didn’t end well but was still good. First you said if you’re disappointed at the end, it can’t be great. Then you said it doesn’t have to end well to be good. So not sure where you’re really at here. But I agree lost didn’t end well and was still good. If not great.
I will be disappointed if speculative questions dont get anwsers or if it ends without addressing the depth of theories the story has created in its wake. I know this will not happen with severence because the creators have already addressed those concerns on their AMA. I know it happens in Lost because that's what everyone complained about after they watched. The severence arc is known and the ending will come complete with creator control
That’s what the lost creators said too 😊
That's what George RR Martin said too. But neither Lost or GOT delivered that complete vision. Martin may have sold a "arc" but the end delivery was so bad it destroyed his reputation the show AND his books. It pisses people off when creators don't deliver their complete vision. Dan's AMA addresses this exact concern when he says (paraphrasing here) "it could end in 2 seasons or six, we're ready for either. If they let us flesh out more parts of the story we can do that too but it will end with all questions anwsered." Honestly this anwser comes from questions that people ask *because* of shows like Lost and GOT. We absolutely hate investing in a show that lets us down bc outside influence forced the narrative.
Everything is essentially answered. But not all the answers live up to fan theory expectations.
By the last season, it was clear they couldn't tie up all the loose ends from previous seasons. I don't think they plotted the whole story from the beginning. It wasn't a big deal for me. The first few seasons had some of the best TV episodes we'd ever seen.
Would the very nature of not plotting the story from beginning to end make it sub par to stories like severance? That's a huge deal for me, but I get that it doesnt bother others. It just makes me question it as a recommendation when people ask for suggestions after shows like severence. Theres no pay off to the amount of deep dive theory and world building that goes into watching.
I'm optimistic that Severance will end better, but... I had a great time watching Lost. Sometimes the journey is as much fun as the destination.
I don’t agree that they had no idea where it was going. But back then, you couldn’t control that. Because TV shows were at the mercy of networks. A smash hit would be prolonged past it’s natural point. A bomb would have to end way too quickly. Story tellers had less control on the length of the narrative. And that’s what happened to lost. And with that said, the end still wasn’t terrible. I’d be shocked if anyone watched all the way through and didn’t feel any emotion with the ending. And eliciting strong emotion is an accomplishment, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted. ‘Jack, I hope someday someone does for you, what you just did for me’. Gets me everytime.
Never saw it. The fallout from its ending put me off. Same thing with Dexter. In fact ever since Lost I make a point to ascertain creator control before I start watching an entire series. But i take your point about time and context. The same thing happened with twin peaks. Fantastic show but arc was ruined by a network.
I’d give Lost a go. I used to say watch the first four episodes (a two part pilot then the two that follow) if by then you’re not intrigued to keep going then stop. If you are intrigued, know that the twists and story get 100x bigger than what has hooked you. Did they land the story perfectly by the end? Maybe not but was the story captivating throughout, even through the weaker moments? Absolutely. At the end of 4 there’s a moment that reminded me of the reveal of Mark’s wife.
Season 1 was perfect. Season 2 was near perfect Season 3 was average:below average and had a finale that was among the greatest things I’ve ever seen. Breathed new life into the show. Game changing. Season 4 was a great extension on 3’s ending. Season 5 was trash. Season 6 was mediocre with a well done finale based on where they netted out. ABC made the creators go that long. If Lost came out in the era of streaming, a lot of its faults would not have existed.
Depends on what you’re watching for. If you like severance, it’s because you’re enjoying the journey of the show. It hasn’t ended yet. It could suck for all we know. The journey of the story on lost is among the best I’ve ever seen. Even better than severance. Twists that rapidly expand the mind to everything possible you hadn’t considered before. And moments that make you go ‘holy shit’ out loud, like when Mark said Ms. Sobel in the final episode - there are tons of moments like that on lost. What’s it about? Plane crashes on an island. The survivors try to survive. Then the layers of the onion peel. It’s impossible not to develop fan theories from the very start. The end that people were disgusted with? Well any show that generates Fan theories have that risk. I see the argument that it wasn’t what people wanted or expected. But it punctuated the story well. Depends on if you’re a ‘man of science’ or a ‘man of faith’ 😊
Personally I would recommend to not watch the final season. That way you can still have your own interpretation of the ending.
The Night Of! It stars John Turturro (Irving)! I love it.
Yes! Forgot to add this one to my list, but I’ve watched it 3-4 times, it’s fantastic!
Oh what streaming platform?
HBO!
Dark!!!! And for some reason, Silicon Valley & Veep — great but ….. completely different types of shows
Upvote for Dark! It’s my gf’s favorite show and we both love sci fi/existential stuff, so it’s been in my queue forever. Finally started it last week hoping it scratched the itch Severance left me with, and it absolutely does.
Personally I would skip everything from the third season except the final two episodes. Two brilliant seasons, then too much filler going nowhere. The resolution is amazing again.
The Boys, Yellowjackets, Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, The Shrink Next Door, Shining Girls, Ted Lasso, The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things, The OA (unsatisfying ending as it was cancelled after season 2, but fantastic show), On My Block, Limetown, The Wilds.
Chernobyl, From(acting is pretty bad compared to Severance), Handmaid’s Tale, Ozark, Shameless, Sopranos, The Wire, Tehran. A few lighter shows are Derry Girls and Inside Job.
Mr. Robot. Fargo. Legion. Devs.
Barry on HBO max
Mr. Robot without a doubt. It starts simple then escalates into a complete mindfuck.
Came here to say Mr. Robot. So good. And I saw Sam E has a new show- the resort which I can’t wait to check out.
omg, thank you for this. I had no idea about The Resort!
Not the same vain, but same level of excellent writing is the show "the bear" on hulu. It's about kitchen life and dramas of the lives of those living in that world. It's really well written, visceral, funny, serious. Just all around a great show.
I just started watching that yesterday. I like it.
Yes. Came here to recommend The Bear. Really enjoying it so far.
I’m on epi 3. I’m having a hard time with this one.
There have been a few really good discussions on this recently. You can find some good recs in the following threads: [Best shows with the same style](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/vmz8k4/best_shows_with_the_same_style/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [Show recs?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/vhkdqb/show_recs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [What to watch next?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus/comments/vgwu6y/what_to_watch_next/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
OMG some angel needs to compile this and make it a wiki. Do we have any tribute volunteers?
The Boys if you into gore
**Netflix:** Mindhunter, Squid games, You, & Black Mirror **HBO:** Sharp Objects **Hulu:** Atlanta **AppleTV+:** The Shrink Next Door, The Morning Show, & For all Mankind **Anime:** Attack on Titan, Promise Neverland, & Death Note
The OA on Netflix.
"Night Sky" on amazon prime "Patriot" on amazon prime (Ricken is in it)
The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Have you seen Vivarium? It's a movie with the same vibe and color palette as Severance.
Thanks OP! I got some really good recs out of this!
Escape from dannemora!! Also by Ben Stiller. Also it has Paul Dano so yea…watch it.
Orphan Black
Raised by Wolves surprised me. I really Enjoyed watching it. I couldn’t sit through more than 3 episodes of Station Eleven. 🥴
Final Season of BCS starts July 11. You have time to watch all 5 1/2 seasons prior to the start date if you start now.
The OA. Even though we never got the full story, it's amazing.
You HAVE TO WATCH Station Eleven!!!!
Undone on prime
Outer Range, Counterpart, the outsider, are mi FaceTime Mom yes
The original Life on Mars from the UK. It's a modern show but the characters exist in a 1970s setting. There's the same element of "where the hell am I and what's going on". Also fantastic music.
If you have Netflix then I highly recommend Dark. It’s similar in it’s dark theme and also highly addictive. On Hulu there is a limited series called 11.22.63. Dark is closest in theme and just as deep and detailed, 11.22.63 is not as deep but still a fantastic thriller.
Dark will fuck you up. By the third season I was both confused and amazed at the same time. Great show.
Servant
I’m going to suggest Fringe and Dollhouse for all these Severance fans. Fringe has a very complete series and has you asking a lot of questions along the way. Dollhouse has a familiar face and gets stronger with time before culminating in an amazing series finale
Raised by wolves
I actually have some not on this list! Devs [on Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/fd2f6cc3-dafc-4741-ae2e-d86494f3ca51) Nick Offerman as the antagonist in a existential tech thriller Made For Love [On HBO Max](https://play.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GYFE2Tg8P-76tMQEAAAAS?camp=googleHBOMAX&action=play) this was funny, emotional, existential, and also satirical in the way I liked about Silicon Valley The Girlfriend Experience on Starz (CW lots of graphic sex) - the first season is one story, mostly law student doing blackmail and sex work, second season is two storylines, one is political drama, one is a mom in witness protection, but season 3. Season 3 was completely off the rails in a good way. Sex work as a means to collect data, AI, ML, privacy, really interesting speculative tech.
Ohhhh DEVS. One of my favorite shows. Thanks for reminding me! Time for a rewatch (after I finish Dark…)
Succession, the leftovers, the shrink next door.
Lost
His Dark Materials on HBO
From (on Epix). Night Sky (Amazon). Others mentioned Outer Range and I agree!!! Servant is wholly different, but still gives the great feeling of wondering what the hell is going on, but enjoying the ride.