Severance is a show that looks simple at first, but slowly pulls you into a strange and emotional world. The story follows Mark Scout and the other workers at Lumon who have chosen to split their memories between work and home. This idea makes the show very personal. Everyone has felt the pressure of balancing these two sides of life.Severance builds this feeling through its characters, who deal with loss, confusion, hope, and the constant search for meaning inside a maze-like office. The tone is warm and sad at the same time. And that is what makes the show connect with so many viewers.The show also plays with themes that feel very real today. It looks at work culture, grief, loyalty, and the exhaustion of daily life. The characters try to understand who they are when half of their life is hidden from them. They build friendships in a place that controls every step they take. They struggle to stay human inside a company that treats them like parts of a machine.This sets the stage for the real-world influences behind Lumon and why these inspirations make the show feel almost believable.Severance: The real world inspirations behind Lumon Industries View this post on Instagram Instagram PostYou might be surprised to know that Severance did not grow out of science alone. Creator Dan Erickson came up with the idea while working ordinary jobs that made him feel trapped in windowless offices. He shared in the Soundtracking with Edith Bowman podcast:“I just found myself walking in one day and thought, I don't want to do this anymore. And if I have to go in today, I would prefer to just skip ahead to the eight hours and disassociate. And then the whole thing just kind of came from that.”He added:“And what we realised is that the show is very much about the sort of identity and who we are at our core, and if we would be the same people without our memories if we had existed in a grown-up or lived in a totally different scenario."Further, he said:“Also just the way that in a corporate setting, we can have our humanity sort of diminished and in some cases kind of willingly diminish our own humanity so that we can fit into that setting and what the dangers are of that.”He also went through a painful breakup at the same time. These two experiences shaped the heart of the story because he used real feelings of boredom and sadness to build the emotional tone of Lumon in Severance.This is why the workplace in the show feels familiar, even though it is a fictional corporation. The episodes feel honest because they come from a place of real-life frustration.The building used for Lumon is also inspired by a real place. Severance filmed many exterior and lobby shots at the Bell Labs building in New Jersey, which was designed by famous mid-century architects. Its long hallways and glass walls already look cold and powerful. So the team used that design to create the identity of Lumon.The rest of the interiors were built on sets. The production team used classic industrial design ideas to make everything feel simple but unsettling. The rounded desks, the soft green carpets, and the tiny office trinkets all come from real design traditions that were once used to create calm but efficient workplaces.The rituals inside Lumon also come from real workplace culture. Severance takes normal office habits like team rewards, office celebrations, and corporate language. It then turns them into something slightly strange. This is why Severance feels funny but also uncomfortable.The series holds up a mirror to modern companies that expect loyalty at all times. It shows how real offices can slowly start to feel like small cults with their own rules. By using real architecture, real design, and real emotional experiences, the creators make Lumon feel like a place that could exist around the corner, which is what makes the story so effective.Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage.