One of the hottest TV shows on right now is Severance. The Apple TV+ drama has become a critical darling and fan favorite thanks to its unique setup. It revolves around the employees of a mysterious corporation who endure the daily grind of a soulless office job. The twist is that whenever they leave the office, they completely forget who they were and what they were doing. As their two personas blur, they have to figure out the truth about their double lives.
It's fascinating to watch actors change their "innie" to "outie" characters. Severance is mainly a drama, but it also sneaks in a lot of humor as it satirizes the bleakness of modern corporate life.
There are a lot of shows and movies like Severance out there. If you love Severance, you have to try these 10 shows and five movies with the same style and feel.
Dollhouse
This cult Fox series has a cool hook that should definitely appeal to Severance fans. The "Dollhouse" is a secret facility that employs agents called “Dolls.” Most of the time, they walk around as blank slate innocents, but they can be programmed with personalities for just about any job the clients want, from being a nanny to an assassin to a lover. Eliza Dushku plays Echo, a Doll who manages to retain her memories between jobs and searches for the truth.
The show has some great action and Dushku shows excellent range as Echo takes up various roles. The second season feels a bit rushed since the show was canceled before the full story could be told, but it's still a fascinating watch. The season 1 finale, “Epitaph One,” shows how the Dollhouse technology causes the downfall of society, and is astounding viewing. For anyone who wants to tune into a Severance-like show about memory, this is a must-watch.
Streaming on CWTV.
Homecoming
Homecoming got a lot of press for bringing Oscar-winning movie star Julia Roberts to TV. Season 1 starred Roberts as a therapist for soldiers who’s testing a drug that can take away painful memories. It’s not long before she discovers her bosses have more sinister intentions to use the drug in dark ways. Roberts’s star power adds to the thrills.
Season 2 changes things up as a woman (Janelle Monae) wakes up on a rowboat with no memory of her identity. Her search for answers uncovers connections to this company and its use of the memory drug. From the shifting perspectives and twists to the themes of memory and corporate greed, this is right up the alley of any Severance fan.
Streaming on Prime Video.
Westworld
This HBO series may have had a rough ending, but the first two seasons remain outstanding sci-fi drama. Based on the cult movie, Westworld takes place in a futuristic theme park where humans can interact with life-like robots, called hosts, in an Old West setting. From the start, it’s clear the hosts are slowly gaining their own independence, and before long they're revolting against their creators.
The cast makes the show work, from Evan Rachel Wood to Thandiwe Newton in an Emmy-winning turn. The later seasons take things into the real world, looking at the corporation behind the park and the dangers of AI. While the end isn’t as good as the beginning — and the show was canceled before a planned final season — the show’s explorations of who is truly human made it great TV.
Streaming on Max.
Surface
If you already have Apple TV+ for Severance, then you might as well check out Surface. Again, memory plays a key role in this thriller series. Sophie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is recovered from the water after a suicide attempt. She has partial amnesia. As she returns home with her husband, Sophie slowly pieces together her broken past to discover she’s not who anyone thinks she is.
The series does an excellent job keeping you guessing. Sophie’s broken memories flood back to her in interesting ways. Season 2 just started airing and it looks even better, so it’s an excellent time to dive into this underrated series.
Streaming on Apple TV+.
Mr. Robot
Before his Oscar win and fame, Mr. Robot was the role that made Rami Malek a star. From the beginning of this USA Network series, Malek captivates you as Eliott, a troubled hacker working to bring down the powerful E Corp. Malek is magnificent in showing us Eli’s fractured mind. The story includes shocking twists that play on the idea that his memory can’t be trusted.
The series weaves in takes on modern culture and business, told through the lens of a skewed reality. Just when you think you know where it’s going, Mr. Robot takes a wild turn that changes all you thought you knew. Malek’s Emmy-winning performance is the best part, and the reason this show is a cyberpunk classic.
Available to buy on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Upload
A fun Prime Video series, Upload takes place in 2033, when people can put their minds into a virtual reality afterlife. After dying in a freak accident, programmer Nathan (Robbie Amell) finds himself in this world, only to find that he's still being controlled by his domineering girlfriend. He bonds with Nora (Andy Allo) and they both come to suspect that Nathan was actually murdered.
The series does a fine job detailing the corporate skullduggery behind this “heaven.” There’s also the great human drama of Nora and Nathan trying to navigate a post-life romance. Season 2 adds more thrills while maintaining the show's human heart.
Streaming on Prime Video.
Corporate
If you want a more comedic take on a Severance-like corporation, then Corporate is the show for you. It’s a wild satire of two downtrodden employees at a soulless corporation putting up with the daily grind. The show doesn’t have the sci-fi elements of Severance but makes up for it with an indulgence of laughs. They come from many of the situations on the show being drawn straight out of a regular office job, just a bit bleaker.
The way everyone resigns themselves to being treated so poorly and unable to quit is something many viewers can relate to. Corporate skewers office politics, gossip, HR departments and more in wicked detail. You can see a lot Severance reflected in this show, so it’s worth watching.
Streaming on Paramount+ and Fubo TV.
Better Off Ted
Better Off Ted, another comedy, aired on ABC, but it feels like a cable show. Jay Harrington plays the Ted of the title. He works for a corporation that makes no secret of how evil it is, from experimenting on employees to influencing elections. “Only three countries on Earth are more powerful than them.” Thus, the employees are usually trying to survive rather than change the system.
The show is hilarious; Ted often talks right to the audience and we get to watch fake ads for the company. Portia de Rossi is a delight as Ted’s work rival. It’s a shame Better Off Ted only lasted two seasons, but at this underrated, ahead-of-its-time gem can still be streamed and enjoyed.
Streaming on Hulu.
Devs
This Hulu series slipped under the radar in 2020, but it is a captivating watch. Created by acclaimed director Alex Garland, Devs focuses on a young programmer investigating the death of her boyfriend, who worked for a powerful tech company. On top of a fascinating mystery involving a program so complete it can predict the future with pinpoint precision, the show has some of the most gorgeous cinematography ever in a TV series. It can boast a stellar soundtrack as well.
The actors underplay things (including Nick Offerman in a fine turn as the CEO) which matches the material. Devs doesn’t get overly dramatic while tackling the problems women face in the corporate world, and Garland’s influence is obvious. As a limited series, it wraps up the story nicely while leaving you with questions about how we take technology too much for granted.
Streaming on Hulu.
Maniac
A head trip in every way, Maniac stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as two people taking part in a pharmaceutical trial. That’s the bare-bones description, as the rest of the series defies belief. Each actor takes on multiple roles representing the different personas they take on when they receive the drug and are sent on bizarre hallucinatory rides.
The show unfolds like a fever dream, so you honestly can’t tell how much of it is real or not. It still works in shots at corporate greed. Stone is, as always, stunning in her performance and the way it ends leaves it more up in the air just what you watched yet still comes together well.
Streaming on Netflix.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Let's switch from TV to movies! This unusual romance remains a favorite of both critics and audiences alike. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet play a couple who suffer a breakup so terrible that they undergo a procedure to make themselves forget each other. However, bad memories shape us as much as good, and without the memories they built together, the characters are different people. Which makes it more fascinating when they meet as strangers and feel the same connection.
Carrey and Winslet are stellar together. They're backed by a supporting cast including Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, and Elijah Wood. Memory is key to this 2004 film, which reminds us of how it’s truly better to have loved and lost than never remember loving at all.
Streaming on MGM+.
Dark City
Unfairly ignored in its 1998 release, Dark City is now recognized as a sci-fi classic ahead of its time. In a city that is always in perpetual night, a man (Rufus Sewell) is the one who realizes something is wrong. People’s lives keep changing, with them forgetting their pasts, all tied to strange men in black coats floating around. With William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland and Jennifer Connely in the cast, the movie is a visual marvel.
The Director’s Cut redeems the film, adding in more scenes and layers with a gripping mystery. The special effects and music are breathtaking and the performances are also good. All the way to its shocking finish, the movie is a unique ride that’s now recognized as a major sci-fi influence.
Available to buy on Prime Video.
Momento
The movie that put Christopher Nolan on the map remains a masterpiece today. Memento is about a man (Guy Pearce) who loses his memory every time he wakes up. His body is marked with tattoos as he uses notes and photographs to unravel a complex mystery. Carrie-Anne Moss stars as the lady who may know more about him than he knows about himself.
The movie’s structure is fascinating; the movie is told in reverse chronological order, with plenty of flashbacks also included. It bounces between black-and-white segments and color. That makes it hard to figure out what’s happening, and piecing together the clues with Pearce is a challenge. It’s no wonder Nolan became a movie legend, starting with a film that will always be remembered.
Streaming on Peacock and Prime Video.
Mulholland Drive
The late, great David Lynch conceived Mulholland Drive as an ABC series. When the network passed, Lynch reworked it into a movie that only he could create. The basic plot is about an aspiring actress (Naomi Watts in her breakout role) wandering Los Angeles and running into an amnesiac (Laura Harring). The pair go on a quest to find out who the latter is.
As with any Lynch movie, it’s next to impossible to describe what happens next. The film is a bizarre trip that transforms the plot and characters halfway through. The two leads are scorching together. Mulholland Drive has to be seen to be experienced. Its themes of identity and memory lead to one of the best movies from a cinematic master.
Office Space
For anyone who wants to rebel against their mundane office job, Office Space is the film for them. The 1999 flop has attained a second life as a comedy classic that set the tone for scores of office comedies to follow. It perfectly nails the ins and outs of corporate life and putting up with a smarmy boss (a delicious Gary Cole), and it produced many scenes that have since become memes.
Watching these workers break free from their oppressive jobs to smash a computer is exhilarating. It’s also fun seeing Jennifer Aniston downplaying her Friends fame by playing a fed-up waitress. For those wishing the Severance employees could cut loose from their bosses, Office Space is a great escape.
Streaming on Hulu.
Severance streaming on Apple TV+.
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