Apple TV+'s thriller returns with more sci-fi creepiness, nuanced social commentary and black humor. And perks like fruit leather.

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.

It's not often that overwhelming success leads to delays, but that was at least partially the case when it came to "Severance" Season 2. Delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes certainly contributed to the Apple TV+ award-winning drama's almost three year gap between seasons.