If you have binge-watched Severance season 2 and are on the lookout for more shows like the Apple TV+ series, we’ve got a few top recommendations for you.
With an IMDb rating of 8.7 and a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Severance offers a thrilling sci-fi narrative, exploring themes of self-identity and free will in a dystopian office setting. It has been climbing the popularity ladder ever since its release in 2022. The much-anticipated season 2 ended in 2025 with a nail-biting finale.
The gripping series follows the employees of Lumon who go through a procedure called severance, due to which they possess no recollection of their personal lives during work and vice versa. Mark (played by Adam Scott), a Lumon employee, leads a team of severed workers. However, his life is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious new colleague, Helly (played by Britt Lower), as she questions the nature of the mysterious work they do here.
Created by Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller, Severance tackles not just workplace brutality but also political oppression and the exploration of the self through the cult-like dynamics of Lumon and its employees. As such, the mind-bending TV series, which is heavily inspired by Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), joins the leagues of some extraordinary shows dealing with man vs tech and other poignant themes.
So, here are some of the highest-rated shows like Severance you must watch while waiting for season 3.
Best shows like Severance to add to your watchlist
1 /21
Created by: Charlie Brooker
Cast: Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Asim Chaudhry
Number of episodes: 27 (6 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8.7/10
Synopsis: In a dystopian future where technology has infiltrated every aspect of human life, people are left to deal with its sinister consequences.
Similarities to Severance: Despite it being an anthology series, some episodes of Black Mirror, such as “White Christmas” and “San Junipero”, explore the same concept of memory manipulation as Severance.
About the show: Black Mirror has won a total of nine Emmy Awards, including three consecutive Outstanding Television Movie honours. The show’s seventh season is set to premiere on Netflix on 10 April 2025.
2 /21
Created by: Sam Esmail
Cast: Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater
Number of episodes: 45 (4 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis: Elliot Anderson (Malek) is a cybersecurity engineer who suffers crippling social anxiety and dissociative identity disorder (DID). Due to this, he often acts as a cyber vigilante. One day, he is approached by a mysterious anarchist, Mr. Robot (Slater), who wants to recruit him to his cause. As Anderson joins Mr. Robot’s team, ‘fsociety, ’ his life changes completely.
Similarities to Severance: The show’s themes of anarchism that are explored through fsociety and their mission to cancel consumer debt mirror the themes of capitalistic brutality and its retaliation in Severance.
About the show: Mr. Robot has won multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama.
3 /21
Created by: Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth
Number of episodes: 36 (4 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Synopsis: Humans visit the futuristic park of Westworld to interact with robots and indulge in their deepest desires — from violence to the wildest fantasies — without any consequences. However, the robots, known as ‘Hosts’ that are built to serve them, slowly start gaining consciousness. What will happen once the robots become sentient?
Similarities to Severance: Technology and free will are the two commonalities between Westworld and Severance, as both shows explore these themes through elements of psychological mystery and science fiction.
Created by: Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta
Cast: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston
Number of episodes: 28 (3 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Synopsis: Three years after the global phenomenon that caused 2% of the world’s population to disappear, the people left behind try to overcome that loss while dealing with its sinister aftermath – the rise of a mysterious cult of nihilists.
Similarities to Severance: The existential questions posed by Severance are tackled in The Leftovers, albeit through the supernatural lens.
About the show: Did you know the show is adapted from the 2011 novel The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta?
5 /21
Created by: Graeme Manson, John Fawcett
Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris
Number of episodes: 50 (5 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Synopsis: When Sarah (Maslany), a con woman, witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks just like her, she assumes her identity. But as she begins leading the life of her ‘doppelgänger’, Sarah discovers that she is a clone. In fact, she is not the only one; there are many others like her spread all over the world. As Sarah discovers the illegal human experiment that has led to all this, she gets entangled in a web of conspiracies.
Similarities to Severance: Orphan Black dives into the themes of identity and mortality through Sarah’s many clones — do they have the same identity as that of Sarah, or are they different?
About the show: In 2016, Tatiana Maslany won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Sarah.
6 /21
Created by: Graham Yost
Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter
Number of episodes: 20 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8.1/10
Synopsis: In a dystopian future, society has receded to live inside an underground silo in order to avoid the toxic atmosphere caused by environmental degradation. However, Juliette (Ferguson), an engineer, suspects that a conspiracy may be afoot to subjugate people and thereby keep them from going outside.
Similarities to Severance: The Apple TV+ show is deeply layered with mysteries that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. In fact, in a similar fashion to the employees of Lumon Industries who want to discover the inner workings of the company, Juliette, too, wants to discover the truth behind the silo.
About the show: The show is adapted from the Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey.
7 /21
Created by: Justin Marks
Cast: J.K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd
Number of episodes: 20 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 8/10
Synopsis: Howard Silk (Simmons) works a menial job at a UN agency. His primary focus is delivering supposedly unimportant messages. However, one day, he finds out he has been communicating with a parallel earth, altering his perception of reality.
Similarities to Severance: Set in an office like Severance, Counterpart is also about the relationship between low-level workers and the high powers above, their dynamics, and what happens when they start questioning their status.
8 /21
Created by: Greg Daniels
Cast: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards,
Number of episodes: 25 (3 seasons)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Synopsis: In 2033, humans have created a virtual afterlife where they can ‘upload’ their consciousness once they die. When Nathan (Amell) dies unexpectedly, he gets uploaded to the virtual heaven of Lakeview. In this new reality, he must deal with the possessiveness of his girlfriend Ingrid (Edwards) as he develops feelings for Nora (Allo), his customer service rep.
Similarities to Severance: Blending sci-fi elements similar to Severance with satire and dark comedy, Upload, through its narrative, showcases the themes of mortality, humanity and existence.
9 /21
Created by: Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij
Cast: Brit Marling, Jason Isaacs, Scott Wilson
Number of episodes: 16 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Synopsis: Prairie Johnson (Marling), who went missing seven years ago, returns home, calling herself the ‘OA’ (original angel). Miraculously cured of her blindness, she assembles a group of five people to rescue her fellow captives.
Similarities to Severance: The various dimensions in the show, its unexplored mysteries and the secret missions are reminiscent of Severance’s hidden clues and gripping plotlines.
10 /21
Created by: Joss Whedon
Cast: Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz
Number of episodes: 26 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Synopsis: Dollhouse is a facility run by a company that rents out humans known as ‘dolls’ with their memories erased. These dolls are sent out to wealthy clients who use them as they please. After each mission, the dolls’ minds are wiped, and new personalities are uploaded. Echo (Dushku) is one such doll who, unlike anyone, remembers parts of herself even after her memory is wiped. As she begins to evolve, Echo starts becoming a threat to the people who created her.
Similarities to Severance: Memory erasure and multiple personalities are commonalities between the two shows dealing with human exploitation under different circumstances – one in a corporate setting and the other in a much more dangerous oppressive system.
Image credit: Dollhouse via IMDb
11 /21
Created by: Blake Crouch
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga
Number of episodes: 9
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Synopsis: When an astrophysicist, Jason (Edgerton), gets trapped in an alternate version of his life, he must find a way to escape and stop his other self from taking over his family and life.
Similarities to Severance: The sci-fi show also explores different versions of oneself and how they impact reality.
About the show: Dark Matter is based on a 2016 novel of the same name by Blake Crouch.
12 /21
Created by: Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, Amy Poehler,
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee
Number of episodes: 13 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Synopsis: On the night of her 36th birthday, Nadia (Lyonne) gets stuck in a time loop, experiencing that same night repeatedly. As she tries to break through, she meets a man who is also stuck in a time loop like her.
Similarities to Severance: Both shows mirror each other in terms of the discovery of self and the absurd and violent comedic sequences. Furthermore, tonally, they are also similar — dark and layered with mysteries.
About the show: The first season was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
13 /21
Created by: Fede Álvarez
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Clancy Brown, Nika Futterman, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Number of episodes: 9
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Synopsis: In a series of phone conversations leading up to an apocalyptic event, a group of strangers find out their lives have been thrown off track.
Similarities to Severance: The show’s gripping premise, just like Severance, constantly maintains a puzzle that the audience must solve. However, it has an unconventional execution of plot and storyline through a series of phone calls.
About the show: Calls is based on a French TV series of the same name.
14 /21
Created by: Patrick Somerville
Cast: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sonoya Mizuno, Justin Theroux
Number of episodes: 10
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Synopsis: Annie (Stone) and Owen (Hill) meet at a drug trial conducted by a pharmaceutical company. Under the intense psychological impact of the process, the two connect, go on a journey that is full of hallucinations, and question reality, space and time.
Similarities to Severance: The way the big pharma company is portrayed in a negative light is similar to Severance’s Lumon Industries. Other similarities include the exploration of what we perceive as reality and our sense of self.
About the show: The Netflix series is loosely based on a Norwegian TV series of the same name.
15 /21
Created by: Patrick Somerville
Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler
Number of episodes: 10
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Synopsis: After an apocalyptic flu pandemic causes a major drop in the world’s population, the remaining survivors try to rebuild society. When they stumble upon a member of a violent cult, they find themselves surrounded by mysteries beyond their comprehension.
Similarities to Severance: Station Eleven alternates between two timelines — the present day and the pre-pandemic world. A psychological thriller like Severance, it explores how power corrupts and dismantles society.
About the show: The show is based on Emily St. John Mande’s 2014 novel.
16 /21
Created by: Alex Garland
Cast: Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Jin Ha, Allison Pill
Number of episodes: 8
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Synopsis: Believing that her employer is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend, Lily (Mizuno), a software engineer, sets out to expose her company, Amaya and its CEO’s lies.
Similarities to Severance: Set in the office of a dubious company, Devs explores the relationship of humans with technology, religion and free will.
17 /21
Created by: Scott B. Smith
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Gary Carr, Jack Reynor
Number of episodes: 8
IMDb rating: 7.5/10
Synopsis: With technological developments altering the world, Flynne Fisher (Moretz) discovers an alternate reality while playing an advanced video game. However, this new reality might hold a sinister future for her.
Similarities to Severance: Both shows reflect similar elements in their plots, like technology’s impact on society and a dystopian setting/future.
About the show: It draws inspiration from the 2014 book The Peripheral by William Gibson.
18 /21
Created by: Eli Horowitz, Micah Bloomberg, Sam Esmail
Cast: Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Julia Roberts
Number of episodes: 17 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
Synopsis: Homecoming is a support center that helps soldiers transition to civilian life. Heidi (Roberts) used to be a social worker at Homecoming. But now, four years later, when questioned about her time at the organisation, Heidi fails to remember a thing. As she begins questioning the time she spent there, Heidi realises that the facility holds many sinister secrets.
Similarities to Severance: A facility that hides life-altering secrets from its employees? Sounds like Severance! Homecoming is a psychological thriller that also features memory wipes, in addition to the idea of manipulation and identity
About the show: Homecoming became Julia Roberts’ first television project in a leading role.
19 /21
Created by: Dean Bakopoulos, Christina Lee, Alissa Nutting
Cast: Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen, Ray Romano, Dan Bakkedahl
Number of episodes: 16 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Synopsis: Hazel (Milioti) is married to a tech billionaire, but the relationship has begun to suffocate her. When she tries to run away from her controlling husband, Hazel discovers that he has planted a chip inside her brain that allows him to track her and gather her emotional data.
Similarities to Severance: Made for Love also touches upon the themes of memory manipulation and free will as Hazel tries to break free from the clutches of her husband, much like Helly and the other innies in Severance.
About the show: Made for Love is based on a 2017 novel of the same name by Alissa Nutting.
20 /21
Created by: Jason Segel
Cast: Jason Segel, André 3000, Eve Lindley
Number of episodes: 10
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Synopsis: Four strangers come across a game that lets them explore a new reality beyond their mundane lives. However, the more they get involved with this new world, the more their perception of reality begins to alter.
Similarities to Severance: Dispatches from Elsewhere reflects on the meaning of life and existentialism through the journeys of the four characters.
21 /21
Created by: Veronica West
Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Millie Brady
Number of episodes: 12 (2 seasons)
IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Synopsis: After a supposed suicide attempt, Sophie (Mbatha-Raw) suffers from memory loss. As she tries to recall her past, she stumbles upon the many mysteries that surround her life – her affair, new identity and the people who want to sabotage her.
Similarities to Severance: Sophie’s discovery of her second identity mirrors the two personalities showcased in Severance.