Apple TV’s sci-fi shows appeal to different audiences. They include crowd-pleasers like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Silo, as well as underrated thrillers like See and Dark Matter. Then there’s another category: the cult favorite. These shows inspire dedicated fandoms that extend beyond the viewing experience, with fans dissecting every detail and developing theories about what it all means. Apple TV landed one of its biggest sci-fi cult hits in 2022.
This show has developed such a dedicated fandom because it makes you work for it. Some things are never explained, leaving fans to construct theories about what minor details could mean in the larger picture. Meanwhile, it takes something people experience in the real world and builds dread around it. Add some romance, and you have the perfect fodder for fan engagement. That’s the appeal of Severance, which explores corporate culture in a way that feels both familiar and unsettling. Severance is based on a simple premise: Workers undergo a procedure that splits their work memories from their outside lives. The innie exists at work, while the outie lives in the outside world, and neither shares memories with the other. However, things begin to unravel when workers realize that not everything is as it seems. Their attempts to uncover the truth put them in increasingly dangerous situations.
Severance is one of those rewatchable Apple TV shows that also benefits from strong word of mouth, especially on social media. Its ongoing mysteries keep viewers talking between seasons, and the show has recently surged on the streamer’s global chart. It peaked at number seven globally over the last week, according to FlixPatrol.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Is ‘Severance’ Worth Watching?
If you love mystery shows, Severance is a great choice. And even if you don’t, its central concept raises fascinating philosophical and moral questions. Critics were impressed with the first season, which earned a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. “Audacious, mysterious, and bringing fresh insight into the perils of corporate drudgery, Severance is the complete package,” the site’s critics’ consensus reads. They also responded positively to Season 2, which earned a 94% score. Audience scores were lower, however, dropping from 86% for Season 1 to 74% for Season 2. The nearly three-year gap between seasons may have raised expectations, although the scores alone don’t explain the difference in audience reception. Season 3 is now in production, with a fall 2027 release window projected. Whether fans will have to wait as long for the next installment remains to be seen.
Stream the first two seasons of Severance on Apple TV, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
