When Apple TV+ dropped a glass-walled cubicle into New York’s Grand Central Terminal on Jan. 14, it seemed like a standard promotional stunt, in this case for Season 2 of its hit sci-fi workplace drama Severance.

Then three of the show’s stars appeared—in character. Instead of posing for selfies or signing autographs, they strolled into their glass-walled office at Lumon Industries and performed all the mundane tasks of a typical workday. 

They sat at their computer terminals, sorting cryptic numbers that “feel wrong” into various digital piles. Mark Scout (Adam Scott) tidied their space using a carpet sweeper. Helly Riggs (Britt Lower) stood over his shoulder to solve a tricky problem. Dylan George (Zach Cherry) was both strangely focused and goofing off, as usual. 

Lumon’s managerial staff—Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette) and Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman)—also made cameos at the pop-up.

But what they were actually doing is filming another Severance trailer—and it’s a deeply meta one. 

Think inside the box.#Severance Season 2 — Premieres Friday on Apple TV+ pic.twitter.com/5hdSFMy7hv

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) January 16, 2025

Like the show, this activation was both familiar yet deeply strange—and it ties ingeniously into the premise of the show’s second season.

For those just joining us, Severance posits a world where a company called Lumon offers workers the chance to sever their personal lives from their work lives. The characters’ work-selves spent much of Season 1 plotting how to escape Lumon and discover what their personal lives were like. Spoiler alert: They succeeded, with very mixed results. 

In the first trailer for Season 2, it’s revealed that their escapade has turned their non-work-selves into celebrities. While this comes as a surprise to the characters, it does explain why notoriously blasé New York City commuters would cheer and take photos of them. The phrase “bring a story to life” just became literal.

Find out what happens next when Severance Season 2 premieres Jan. 17.