Before Severance, Adam Scott Starred In A Steamy Short-Lived HBO Series

Adam Scott is currently being celebrated for his amazing dual performance on the hit sci-fi series "Severance." He essentially plays two roles, starring as Mark Scout, a depressed sad sack mourning the death of his wife, as well as Mark S., an office wonk who has deliberately had his memories of the outside world blanked out — via an eerie brain implant — whenever he enters the workplace. Scott has been nominated for two Emmys for playing Mark (and Mark), the most accolades the actor has ever received. Meanwhile, "Severance" has become a runaway success, and its second season was nominated for 27 Emmys.

Scott has certainly paid his dues, having built his career ever since getting bitten by the acting bug back in high school. He started off by working his way through low-rent TV shows (he popped up in the early MTV series "Dead at 21"), sitcoms ("Boy Meets World"), zero-budget indies ("Off the Lip," which I do not recommend), and guest spots on hit cable shows. (He was in "Six Feet Under.") He also made appearances in franchises of both the sci-fi ("Star Trek: First Contact") and horror variety ("Hellraiser: Bloodline"), on top of starring in the 2004 film "Torque," which is a modern American classic. Eventually, however, his efforts finally paid off when he secured a recurring role on "Parks and Recreation" as Ben Wyatt, who would go on to become one of the series' lead characters.a

Just prior to his explosion, though, Scott scored a potentially big break when he was cast in "Tell Me You Love Me," a high-profile HBO series created by Cynthia Mort in 2007. There, Scott played Palek, a character whose marriage hits a rough patch due to difficulties with getting his wife, Carolyn (Sonya Walger), pregnant. "Tell Me You Love Me" isn't terribly well-remembered today (it only lasted 10 episodes), but it was mildly scandalous upon its release, boasting the most realistic sex scenes of any TV series made up to that point.

"Tell Me You Love Me" was told in a three-pronged format. The show focused on three different couples, each with their own dramas. The common factor between them was that they were all seeing the same marriage counselor, Dr. May Foster (as played by Jane Alexander). Katie and Dave (Ally Walker and Tim DeKay) were a 40-something couple trying to recapture their passion, while Carloyn and Palek were a 30-something couple that, as mentioned earlier, were struggling to conceive a child. Lastly, Jamie and Hugo (Michelle Borth and Luke Kirby) were in their 20s and gearing up to get married, but were still nervous about the commitment.

The show was filmed in a super-naturalistic style with no non-diegetic music, opening theme song, or tripods for the cameras. The sex in the show was indeed simulated, although it was simulated in such a way as to look as realistic as possible. The frank sexuality of "Tell Me You Love Me" was one of the show's central selling points, and reviews were always quick to mention it; USA Today equated it with softcore smut, although that was more for its limp dramatization than its sexiness. The series was only warmly reviewed. Some critics compared it to Ingmar Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage," but others, like Slate, called it "Pottery Barn sex." Scott, always incredibly game, did indeed strip for the role. The man had long been dedicated to his craft, and a much-hyped, sexed-up HBO drama seemed like it might be a feather in his cap.

"Tell Me You Love Me," however, only lasted a single season. It had actually been renewed for a second season, but that was before Morton released a statement, explaining that she had backed out of the series when she realized that there just weren't that many more stories to be told. As a result, "Tell Me You Love Me" was dropped from the HBO lineup, and Scott would move on to bigger and better things.

Now, he's starring in "Severance," one of the most celebrated shows on TV. Everything worked out in the end.