Read the Original Script for Severance: Discover the Complete Differences

Severance Season 2 is poised to be one of the most eagerly awaited television series in 2025. However, its inception was marked by notable variations from what audiences have come to know. Dan Erickson, the show’s creator, initially drafted a pilot that diverged significantly from the final product.

The series follows the life of Mark (played by Adam Scott), an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a controversial procedure known as “severance.”This procedure splits his consciousness, creating two distinct existences: the ‘innie’ who operates at work with no recollection of his outside life, and the ‘outie’ who remains oblivious to the mundane tasks his other self performs at Lumon.

While part of Mark’s reality is dedicated to navigating the daily grind of corporate life, his ‘outie’ enjoys a version of life free from the tedium of his job. This unique concept stems from Erickson’s own experiences with workplace boredom, and after extensive collaboration with notable figures like Ben Stiller and executive producer Jackie Cohn, the show evolved into its current form.

Insight into the Original Pilot of Severance

Those interested in the original script can access it here. Erickson elaborated on these early drafts during a recent episode of the Severance podcast with Stiller and Scott, discussing several intriguing contrasts.

One of the significant changes was that, in the original version, it is Mark who awakens on the operating table, rather than Helly as depicted in the first episode. Erickson described a surreal introduction where Mark is “birthed out of a giant sphincter in the ceiling,”landing unclothed on the table. This scene sets the stage for a much more whimsical tone reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil,” infused with moments of comedy.

In this early concept, Mark’s narrative differs further; his wife is alive, and his first encounter with Ms. Cobel occurs under bizarre circumstances—he accidentally runs over her cat. The plot fuses dark humor with surrealism, including a scene where Cobel tortures her severed rat, demonstrating the bizarre ramifications of the severance procedure, thus influencing Mark’s decision to participate.

Scott remarked on the podcast that this approach sounded “like a really fun but exhausting version”of the story. Cohn characterized this initial draft as “the cartoon version”of Severance. Despite its strangeness, some thematic elements, such as Helly’s input survey, found their way into the finalized pilot, reflecting a creative journey that required exploring broader ideas to refine the eventual tone. As Scott observed, finding the right balance often necessitates experimentation at the fringes of creativity.

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