‘Severance’ is one of the most striking, unique shows of 2022 (stream its terrific score)

New Apple TV+ series Severance debuted this week, and is one of the most striking, unique shows of the year so far. It stars Adam Scott (Parks & Recreation, Party Down) as a sad sack office drone who works for a mysterious megalithic corporation, Lumon Industries, deep within the bowels of its headquarters on the "Severed" floor of the building. What that means is best left as a surprise, if you can stand going into a series blind, but I will say Severance is darkly comic, with a sad atmosphere, elements of sci-fi, and owes more than a little to the surreal works of Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich). It keeps on surprising with each episode, too. The series also stars Britt Lower, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken, and most of the episodes are directed with a lot of style by Ben Stiller. The first two episodes are available to stream now on Apple TV+ with additional episodes premiering Thursdays. If you can't stand going into a show blind, you can watch the trailer below.

Adding to the show's melancholic, whimsical, dystopian atmosphere is the terrific score by Theodore Shapiro (Yellowjackets, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) that blends traditional score elements, humming electronics and the occasional flight of fancy, like the loungy piece "Labor of Love" which accompanies a very long walk through office hallways. There are also moments that recall Bernard Hermann's work with Hitchcock, and others that dip into post-rock and Radiohead territory.

“Although ‘Severance’ can be classified as science-fiction, at its heart it's a mystery," Shapiro says of his approach to score. "The music of the score, built around four repeating chords, is a gigantic question mark. As the mystery unfolds, so do variations on our theme.”

You can listen to the whole Severance score below.

Track List:
01. Main Titles
02. Labor Of Love
03. Kimono Hallway
04. Hall Of Eagans
05. Note To Self
06. Tokens
07. Expiration Date
08. Still Vibrating
09. Tree Of Life
10. Done For The Night
11. Secret Places
12. Interdepartmental
13. After Hours
14. Batter Up
15. Safely Situated
16. The Four Tempers
17. That Innie
18. Cobel At Lumon
19. Alive

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