How a 'Severance' pop-up surprised rush hour New Yorkers
In a first of its kind promotion for Apple TV+, the cast of "Severance" appeared in character, working in a pop-up glass office at Grand Central Terminal.
L-R: Zach Cherry, Adam Scott, Britt Lower in the "Severance" popup in New York's Grand Central
"Severance" has been a critical and popular hit since it started, and is already talked about so much that it probably doesn't need promotion. But that's what it got with an all-star stunt at New York's Grand Central on January 14, 2025.
Apple has now released footage of the stunt, showing stars including Adam Scott, Britt Lower, and Zach Cherry, working in a replica of their "Severance" office set. Placed in a glass cube, the pop-up was big enough for four cubicles and some room to walk around the edges.
The performers were being watched by director and executive producer Ben Stiller. But, like the best actors, they entirely ignored him and the crowds.
In total, the pop-up office was present for two days, but most of the time it had stand-in extras. Adam Scott said afterwards that the main cast was there for three hours.
"It was super fun," he said. "Didn't leave a glass cube for three hours, and it was fun. People gathered around and just watched us do boring, monotonous office work."
Advertising magazine AdWeek described the event as "dystopian performance art," and "an eerie stunt." Creative Brief said it was "a marketing move that demonstrates the sheer creative capacity of advertising."
Unique promotion for Apple TV+
Apple's footage shows many vignettes of the cast performing whatever it is their mysterious work entails, but commuters saw much more. That included Mark Scout (Adam Scott) being ordered to stand in a corner as a punishment.
They also saw a moment when Scott's computer froze up -- unintentionally. Reportedly, he worked to fix it, while staying in character.
Throughout the performance, there are also suitably ominous private discussions going on between certain key cast members. And key props from the series were included, such as what appeared to be the Lumon company's Compliance Handbook.
This is the first time Apple TV+ has staged a live pop-up promotion like this. It was a superbly clever idea that doubtlessly raised the show's profile -- but it also fitted in with the drama's themes about privacy.
"Severance" is set in the fictional town of Kier in the fictional state abbreviated PE, but it's filmed primarily around New York State.
The second season has begun streaming on Apple TV+. Its first season has already had a rare Blu-ray release.
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Edit: I have generally been very opposed to these federal monopoly cases against companies like Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, etc. For example: No one is forcing you to use Google Search against your will. You can use any search engine you prefer. But if Google is making it so that embedded YouTube videos only work in Chrome and not in Safari, then that really does sound like monopolistic behavior.