Stephen Colbert has made it no secret that he’s a big fan of Apple TV+’s Severance, expressing as much in Wednesday’s interview with the show’s director Ben Stiller. It begs the question of what if Colbert were to step through the doors of Lumon Industries and undergo the severance procedure? The Late Show indulged that fantasy on Thursday, showing a parody of the hit Apple TV+ drama starring Colbert as a new hire at Lumon Industries named Steve C.
Billed as “deleted scenes” from the show that originally featured Colbert, the short clips see Colbert’s innie Steve C. try to turn Lumon into Dunder Mifflin, partly because of the belief that his innie’s name means that he must be Steve Carell in the outside world. He particularly gets on the nerves of John Turturro‘s Irving who is not the least bit amused by the fact that Steve C. refers to him as the Dwight Schrute of Lumon. Irving is the main target of his antics as he frequently interrupts his work with jokes and talks about him behind his back in a The Office-style interview segment. He even ruins Irving’s music dance experience, choosing Smash Mouth‘s “All-Star” for him (though at least Adam Scott seemed to enjoy it).
Steve C’s other problem at Lumon stems from him being a kleptomaniac. His penchant for stealing large amounts of office supplies, including but not limited to pens, paperclips, and Irving’s lamp, has Milchick (Tramell Tillman) and the board so annoyed that they decide to make him the first-ever unsevered employee just to get him out of their hair. As Steve C. leaves Lumon after getting canned, we’re treated to a Lumon-themed The Office intro, officially capping Severance‘s transformation into a traditional workplace comedy.
With Season 2 of Severance on the way, it’s entirely possible that Colbert could make it into the show without his scenes being “deleted” this time. The cast and crew of the series were interviewed recently about their dream castings for the show, and they shot for the stars with their answers. Among those they wished clocked into Lumon as guests or recurring cast members were Christopher Guest, Barbra Streisand, and former President Barack Obama. It’s not impossible to think they could try to onboard Colbert for an episode, though Steve C. would really have to clean up his act to last at Lumon.
Aside from Scott, Turturro, and Tillman, Severance also stars Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, and Christopher Walken. The breakout hit is the brainchild of Dan Erickson and is up for 14 Emmy nominations this year, including for Stiller, Erickson, Scott, Arquette, Turturro, and Walken.
Severance is currently streaming on Apple TV+. Check out Steve C’s arrival at Lumon Industries below.