March 19, 2025
The Philadelphia Orchestra/Youtube
The Philadelphia Orchestra collaborated with the Philly Goat Project on a commercial parodying the hit Apple TV+ show 'Severance.'
Philadelphia Orchestra employees are proving that their work is just as "mysterious and important" as that of the workers in "Severance" with a new video parodying the hit Apple TV+ series.
"Severance" follows a team of office workers who had their consciousnesses surgically split between their work selves, known as their "innies," and their at-home selves, known as "outties." Ahead of the Season 2 finale, streaming Friday, the Philadelphia Orchestra released a video transforming their home, the Kimmel Center, into a more musical version of the all-powerful "Severance" company, Lumon Industries.
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The clip stars Philadelphia Orchestra's staff accountant, Matt Demetrides, as Matt D., paying homage to "Severance" protagonist Mark S. (Adam Scott). Much like Mark S., Matt D. enjoys a typical severed work day, which begins with riding in an elevator, where his mind switches from his outtie to his innie. Then, he hangs out with some goats, which have become a puzzling symbol in the Apple TV+ show, and he works through a jumble of numbers on his computer screen.
Matt D. is also awarded a "wellness session," during which he learns facts about his outtie, like that he's a big fan of Broadway musical "The Wiz," which is coming to Philly in June. This fact is solidified later, when his outtie is seen decked out in Philadelphia Orchestra merch to attend a show at the Kimmel Center.
"Looking to 'sever' from reality? Escape the stresses of daily life through the arts," the Philadelphia Orchestra wrote on Instagram alongside the video, adding that they have "something for everyone" in their spring lineup of shows.
While many Lumon scenes are filmed at the Bell Works building in Holmdel, N.J., the Philadelphia Orchestra captured the show's eerie vibes by filming in practice rooms, office spaces and basement hallways of the Kimmel Center. Along with Demetrides, other Philadelphia Orchestra employees — many of whom are "Severance" superfans, according to a spokesperson — volunteered to be part of it as actors, and the video itself was made by the orchestra's in-house production team. The real stars of the show, the goats, came from the Philly Goat Project nonprofit.
Although "Severance" became the most-watched series ever on Apple TV+ with the release of Season 2, fans are still waiting on the edge of their seats for a third season to be announced. "Severance" executive producer and director Ben Stiller joined Wednesday's episode of the "New Heights" podcast, hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, and said that if Season 3 is announced, fans won't have to wait as long as they did last time. There was a three-year gap between the release of Season 1 and Season 2, partially due to the writers and actors strikes of 2023.
"No, the plan is not to (wait three years)," Stiller told the Kelce brothers on their podcast. "Hopefully we’ll be announcing what the plan is very soon."
While awaiting the Season 2 finale of "Severance" and the Season 3 announcement, check out the full Philadelphia Orchestra parody below:
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