The Apple TV+ series “Severance” has captivated audiences not just with its mind-bending premise and compelling performances, but also with its unforgettable setting. The physical and psychological environments of the show play a crucial role in building its unsettling atmosphere, blurring the line between work and personal identity. But where does “Severance” take place—and how do its locations contribute to the unsettling tone at the heart of the series?
Lumon Industries: The Core Location
At the center of “Severance” is Lumon Industries, the mysterious corporation whose employees undergo the “severance” procedure, separating their work memories from their outside lives. The majority of the series unfolds within Lumon’s sprawling, labyrinth-like office complex. With endless white corridors, minimalistic cubicle pods, and windowless break rooms, the setting quickly became an iconic symbol of modern, corporate alienation.
Filming Locations Behind the Scenes
While the fictional Lumon campus is never given a specific real-world address within the show, it is visually rooted in actual places. Much of the series was filmed in New Jersey and New York, with select locations in the Hudson Valley. The Bell Labs Holmdel Complex—an architectural landmark in Holmdel, New Jersey—serves as one of the primary exteriors for the imposing Lumon headquarters.
Inside, other sets and locations were carefully chosen or constructed to evoke mid-century design with a twist of dystopian surrealism. Production designer Jeremy Hindle has cited influences ranging from brutalist architecture to classic office layouts of the 1960s and ’70s, creating a timeless, placeless quality that’s both familiar and unsettling.
Real-World Inspirations
Beyond its physical design, the world of “Severance” deliberately avoids tying itself to a recognizable era or location. The show’s creators, including director and executive producer Ben Stiller, have discussed their goal to make Lumon feel universal:
“We wanted Lumon to exist almost out of time and space—a place that could be anywhere, yet nowhere you’d ever want to be,” said Ben Stiller in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
This strategy enhances the show’s broader themes about the dehumanizing nature of modern work and the existential questions surrounding identity and memory.
The Outie World: Contrasting Environments Beyond Lumon
The series doesn’t restrict itself entirely to Lumon’s stark corridors. Scenes following the employees in their outside (“outie”) lives are deliberately shot in muted, gloomy colors and set in nondescript suburban neighborhoods. These settings lack distinguishing features—there are no city skylines or iconic landmarks—reinforcing the show’s unnerving ambiguity.
Key Locations Outside of Work
- Mark’s House: The protagonist’s modest home is emblematic of American suburbia, designed for anonymity and comfort, yet simmering with hidden grief. Mark’s journey between work and home—the literal and figurative commute—emphasizes the chasm between his severed selves.
- Devon and Ricken’s Residence: Depicted as a slightly more upscale, warm environment, it offers a rare sense of emotional intimacy compared to Lumon’s sterility.
- Parks and Streets: Even exterior shots, such as parks or residential streets, consciously avoid familiar cityscapes, amplifying a sense of placelessness.
In practice, local New Jersey and New York communities served as filming backdrops for these outie-world sequences, helping to ground the story in a recognizably American (if vague) setting.
The Power of Place: Setting as Character
In “Severance,” setting is more than background—it operates almost as its own character, enforcing the rules, rituals, and hierarchies that define the narrative. The office layout, for example, is intentionally disorienting, designed with endless corridors and bizarre structural quirks. Critics and viewers have compared Lumon’s floorplan to psychological experiments testing human behavior under surveillance and constraint.
Set Design and Psychological Impact
Production designer Jeremy Hindle and series creator Dan Erickson worked meticulously to make the setting reflect the show’s larger questions about individuality, routine, and control. Subtle details—such as the unusual office furniture, omnipresent fluorescent lighting, and cryptic workplace signage—invite viewers to imagine themselves trapped within the same system.
As architecture critic Kate Wagner observes:
“The space of Lumon is not just an office, but a machine for producing alienation—a distorted version of the cubicle farms of decades past, pushed to their existential limit.”
A Tale of Two Worlds: Blending Fiction and Reality
“Severance” intentionally blurs the distinction between its real-world and fictional settings. From the casting of actual office parks and mid-century buildings to its ambiguous geographical cues, every element serves the psychological themes of the series. Viewers are left questioning not just where the story takes place, but how their own workplaces shape their sense of self.
Industry Trends: The Office as Storytelling Device
There has been growing interest in using workspace as a narrative device in contemporary television. Series like “The Office,” “Mr. Robot,” and “Mad Men” deploy setting to reinforce themes—ranging from bureaucracy’s absurdities to the cold logic of capitalism. “Severance” stands out among these with its insistence on placelessness and time-agnostic visuals, making it a new benchmark in workplace storytelling.
Conclusion: The Unsettling Ubiquity of Lumon
The specific “where” of “Severance” is deliberately ambiguous. Both physical shooting locations and in-universe geography serve to create a setting that feels at once universal and distinctly odd. The show’s setting amplifies its exploration of identity, agency, and the boundaries between work and life—making Lumon Industries not just a backdrop, but the ultimate symbol of its story. For audiences, the world of “Severance” lingers in the mind because, in a sense, it could be anywhere—a commentary on the modern experience of work.
FAQs
Where is Lumon Industries actually located in “Severance”?
Within the show’s universe, Lumon’s precise city or state is never revealed. Filming primarily took place in New Jersey, especially at the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex.
Did the creators base Lumon on a real company or specific city?
No, Lumon is an entirely fictional company. The creators designed it to feel universal, avoiding direct ties to any known metropolis or real-life corporation.
What real-life buildings were used for the series?
Key shots of Lumon’s exterior use the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in New Jersey. Various locations in New York state and additional sets were used for interior scenes and suburban exteriors.
Why does the setting feel both familiar and strange?
The production team purposely mixed design elements from multiple eras and avoided specific landmarks, achieving a timeless, placeless quality that supports the show’s themes.
How does the setting contribute to the show’s atmosphere?
Every detail of Lumon’s office and the suburban outside world reinforces the central themes of alienation, routine, and the blurred line between work and private life.
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