Directed mostly by Ben Stiller, the provocative sci-fi series about a mysterious biotech company returns on Apple TV+, starring Adam Scott, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette.

Fortunately, “Severance” returns to Apple TV+ on Friday, and its makers seem to have used every second of the absence productively. The season takes new turns while remaining the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV, an M.C. Escher maze whose plot convolutions never get in the way of its voice, heart and sense of humor.

Ben Stiller, who directs the series, shared photo and video from the scene on Twitter/X. Series stars Adam Scott, Britt Lower and Zach Cherry appeared in character inside a glass-walled office at Lumon Industries. The scene, which was like a living museum exhibit or art installation, definitely hyped the coming season more than any subway ad could.

The sci-fi series was hailed as a dark, timely satire of office life—but its return is bogged down by abstract ethical conundrums and rote emotional ones.