T he cat (or should we say, 'goat'?) was well and truly let out of the bag in the finale of Severance season 1, as our favorite innies managed to awaken their consciousnesses outs

Now, the lauded Apple TV+ drama from creator Dan Erickson returns with a briskly paced sophomore season that refines its many themes into a timely, rewarding, and challenging debate about the power and parameters of personhood.

The characters on "Severance" - at least, the "innie" versions of them - don't experience time like the rest of us. Innies exist only on a subterranean floor in the headquarters of Lumon Industries, a company that splits some employees' consciousness into a work self and a not-work self.

Severance season 2 is almost here, and the first reviews say it is ‘worth the wait.‘ An official companion podcast has just launched too.

Praise Kier. For anyone worried that “Severance” could have a sophomore slump — especially since the wait between seasons was three years long — put aside your woes. Season 2 (premiering Jan. 17 on AppleTV+) is just as phenomenal as Season 1.