Apple TV+'s thriller returns with more sci-fi creepiness, nuanced social commentary and black humor. And perks like fruit leather.

Taking the idea of work-life balance to extremes, the sardonic and surrealist thriller “Severance” on Apple TV+ envisions a dystopian corporate world in which employees of a company called Lumon Industries have a chip implanted in their brains that severs their memory in two.

The second season of Severance debuts Jan. 17 on Apple TV+. Season 2 of Severance will contain 10 episodes. This is one more than Season 1’s count of nine.

Fortunately, “Severance” returns to Apple TV+ on Friday, and its makers seem to have used every second of the absence productively. The season takes new turns while remaining the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV, an M.C. Escher maze whose plot convolutions never get in the way of its voice, heart and sense of humor.

Adam Scott heads up the cast of ‘Severance’ season 2 as Mark Scout, the Lumon employee who has the severance procedure following the loss of his wife. He’s seen here at the premiere of “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” on February 18, 2015 in Westwood, California. He previously starred in ‘Krampus,’ ‘The Overnight,’ and ‘Parks & Recreation,’ among others.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 2 will be released on January 17, 2025. The episode is titled "Caravan." Judging from the preview, it seems that the episode will delve into the mystery of a burned caravan. Naturally, Maomao will be heavily involved in the investigation as she has solved a ton of mysteries.

The acclaimed Apple TV+ series is making its long-awaited return. A second season was filmed over three years.

True to its surreal inclinations, Season 2 often sprints off into what-the-hell-just-happened places — always keeping us off-balance and wondering where it will wind up. Rest assured, we’re good in hands.