Every Thursday, starting on January 17th of this year, my 9 p.m. was blocked off. For the next hour, my attention was engrossed in the latest Severance episode. For seemingly the next 167 hours, I was either reading about Severance theories, talking about Severance, or thinking about what the next episode could be about.

This was one of my most anticipated TV seasons ever. I first watched season one in 2023, foolishly binging it thinking the next season was just around the corner. Instead, the season was delayed multiple times, which helped build up the anticipation, but was also maddening considering how the first season ended (IYKYK).

This season did not disappoint, I was a Severance evangelist, trying to convert everyone I knew to watch the greatest show on TV. Every episode was prime TV for me. Some episodes had me saying aloud, “Oh, let’s go!” while others left me speechless, especially the finale.

For ten weeks, this was my life. But on March 21, it was over. What happens when a show you’ve thrown yourself into headfirst wraps up its season?

Step 1: See if you can find a replacement for the theory-scrolling

Throughout the second season of Severance I was constantly on the Reddit, going through theories and reading memes. Even after the season finale, I lingered. All my algorithms continued to show theory videos, and I’ll still watch any edits that come my way.

I tried looking into the White Lotus Reddit during the three weeks the show aired after Severance was done, but frankly it didn’t hit the same.

Now, the most time I spend recreationally on Reddit—I’m probably one of the few people in the world who needs the site for work—is spent on GeoGuessr.

Step 2: Fill the time slot

It’s not like I’m aimlessly meandering around like Michael Scott. I don’t turn on the TV every Thursday at 9 p.m. just to look at a blank screen, but so much of my brain power that was dedicated to thinking about the show has now been freed up without an assignment. 

Baseball started the very next week, and while it’s nice to have my favorite sport back, it doesn’t have the same energy when it comes to discourse.

I suppose I’ve filled the time slot in other ways, but for now, it’s still TBD every week.

Step 3: Replace the show with another one

In the month since the show’s season two finale aired, I’ve looked to replace the level of obsession I had for the show with another, but struggled. Apple TV’s newest show, The Studio is fun, but doesn’t carry the desire for the same post-show deep dive. The final few weeks of White Lotus failed to capture my attention in the same. And while I’ve heard great things about The Last of Us, I haven’t pulled the trigger.

Step 4: Maybe realize you don’t actually need to replace anything at all

Having grown up during the advent of streaming, appointment TV isn’t something I’m accustomed to. With Severance, I had that experience probably for the first time. The rush of sitting down, watching a new episode for the first time with hundreds of thousands of others, and then instantly gathering in a town square (Reddit, in this case) was exhilarating.

But I suppose that there’s not a need to fill it, especially if that next thing comes with the lofty expectations of filling the void.

When your favorite show ends for the season or the series, maybe it’s better to just leave that hole unfilled. After all, there wasn’t a void that Severance overtook. Should every special thing we end instantly need a replacement the second it’s over?

Mitchell Barbee

Mitchell Barbee graduated from Calvin University with a B.A. in writing in 2021. Originally from Boone, North Carolina, he is currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He enjoys hanging out with the few friends who stayed, wearing grey hoodies, and hoping that he doesn’t get sucked into the nightly wormhole of watching a baseball game.