In the excellent new Apple TV+ series Severance, a group of office workers are experiencing work-life balance on a whole other level. Adam Scott, John Turturro, and others play employees that have undergone brain surgery that completely separates their memories of work from their memories of their regular lives. Severance is a workplace satire, a futuristic thought experiment about identity, and a drama about the dimensions of grief.

This week Ryan and Hayley discuss Apple TV's Severance. They explore the ethics and morality of the procedure, some "psychological plot holes", and work-life balance. Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe. And follow us @poppsych101 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/poppsych101/message

Scott is known for TV comedies like Parks and Recreation and Party Down, the drama series Big Little Lies, and the film Step Brothers. Now Scott stars in the Apple TV+ series Severance, which gives a sci-fi take on work-life balance. He plays a man who's chosen to have a chip implanted in his brain to separate his work life from his home life. "I now have no real separation, nor have I ever," he says of his own work as an actor.Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a reissue of Ornette Coleman's first two albums. And John Powers reviews the new HBO Max crime thriller Tokyo Vice.

We discuss Atlanta and the Severance season 1 finale, two displays of some of the best television playing right now. 04:03 Atlanta, streaming on FX on Hulu, is an extraordinary, self-assured chameleon of a show, and we’re so glad it’s back for its third season. 20:47 We’re doing something a little different this week and going deep on one single episode: the perfect Severance season 1 finale, streaming on Apple TV+. 40:09 Plus, culture notes about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez getting engaged (again!). ... Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com. Music: REEKAH Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu