''Silo'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

dystopian drama television series created by

Graham Yost Graham John Yost (born September 5, 1959) is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. His best-known works are the films ''Speed'', '' Broken Arrow'', and '' Hard Rain'' and the TV series '' Justified'' and ''Silo''. Early life, family and ...

, based on the ''

Silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

'' trilogy of novels (''Wool'', ''Shift'', and ''Dust'') by author Hugh Howey. Set in a dystopian future where a community exists in a giant underground

silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

comprising 144 levels, it stars

Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. Ferguson began her television acting career in 1999 with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' and made her motion picture acting debut in 2004 with the Swedish slash ...

as an engineer who becomes embroiled in the mysteries of its past and present.

Rashida Jones Rashida Leah Jones ( ; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for her roles as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Offic ...

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awar ...

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British E ...

, Avi Nash,

Rick Gomez Rick Gomez is an American actor. He is known for portraying Radio Technician Fourth Grade George Luz in the HBO television programming, television miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'', and "Endless Mike" Hellstrom in t ...

Chinaza Uche Chinaza Uche is a Scottish-born actor based in the United States. He is known for his series regular role in the Apple TV series '' Dickinson and Silo''. He was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for Best Actor in a Film for his performance in the f ...

, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Alexandria Riley, Clare Perkins, Billy Postlethwaite, and

Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn ( ; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor. In film, Zahn is best known for his lead roles in '' That Thing You Do!'' (1996), '' Happy, Texas'' (1999), '' Joy Ride'' (2001), ''National Security'' (2003), '' A Perfect Geta ...

also star. Development of a film adaptation of ''Wool'' began in 2012. By the end of the decade, the project was shelved, and was picked up as a series by

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

in May 2021. Principal photography began in August 2021 and the ten-episode first season began streaming on May 5, 2023. The second season premiered on November 15, 2024. Both seasons received positive reviews from critics, particularly for the world-building, production design and Ferguson's performance. In December 2024, the series was renewed for both a third season and a concluding fourth season.

Premise

In a

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

future where a community exists in a giant

that extends 144 levels underground, 10,000 people live in a society bound by regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Cast and characters

Main

as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who works on the generators in the lowest levels of the Silo ** Amelie Child-Villiers portrays a young Juliette *

as Allison Becker (season 1), a woman who works in the IT Department in the Silo and is married to Holston. During their attempts to conceive a child, she becomes suspicious of the Silo's true history and how it is governed *

as Holston Becker (season 1), the devoted husband of Allison and the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of the Silo *

as Robert Sims, the head of security for Judicial, who maintains order within the Silo *

as Bernard Holland, the strict head of the IT Department in the Silo *

as Martha Walker, an electrical engineer who runs a workshop in the lower levels of the Silo and acts as a parental figure to Juliette * Avi Nash as Lukas Kyle, a systems analyst in the IT Department who is curious about the world outside the Silo *

as Patrick Kennedy, a maintenance worker and former smuggler of "relics", objects from the world before the Silo *

as Paul Billings, the newly assigned chief deputy and a former Judicial administrator who is afflicted with the "Syndrome", a medical condition that causes

tremor A tremor is an involuntary, somewhat rhythmic muscle contraction and relaxation involving neural oscillations, oscillations or twitching movements of one or more body parts. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the h ...

s * Shane McRae as Knox (season 2; recurring season 1), the head of the Mechanical level in the Silo and Juliette's boss ** Charlie Coombes portrays a young Knox * Remmie Milner as Shirley Campbell (season 2; recurring season 1), an engineer in Mechanical who is Juliette's closest friend and colleague ** Ida Brooke portrays a young Shirley * Alexandria Riley as Camille Sims (season 2; guest season 1), Robert's wife, the mother of their son, and a former raider * Clare Perkins as Carla McLain (season 2; guest season 1), Walker's ex-wife and the head of the supply department * Billy Postlethwaite as Hank (season 2; recurring season 1), a deputy who works in the lower levels *

as Jimmy Conroy / "Solo" (season 2), the only living survivor of the rebellion in Silo 17 ** Cameron Bell portrays a young Jimmy * Ashley Zukerman as Daniel (season 3; guest season 2), a United States congressman during the time before the Silos were created * Jessica Henwick as Helen (season 3; guest season 2), an inquisitive journalist based in Washington, D.C.

Recurring

Will Patton William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies''.Ferdinand Kingsley as George Wilkins (season 1), a computer geek who runs a repair shop. He seeks out Allison for her help to uncover the secrets of the Silo * Chipo Chung as Sandy, a

clerical Clerical may refer to: * Pertaining to the clergy * Pertaining to a clerical worker * Clerical script, a style of Chinese calligraphy * Clerical People's Party See also

* Cleric (disambiguation) * Clerk (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

worker in the sheriff's department * Matt Gomez Hidaka as Terry Cooper (season 1; guest season 2), a rookie engineer in the lower levels and Juliette's

shadow A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensio ...

* Olatunji Ayofe as Teddy, a worker in Mechanical and one of Juliette's colleagues *

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil (film series), ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont, Jorah Morm ...

as Dr. Pete Nichols (seasons 1–2), an

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

and the father of Juliette, from whom he has been estranged since she was a teenager * Angela Yeoh as Molly Karins, a deputy who works in the mid-levels *

Tanya Moodie Tanya Moodie (born 16 April 1972) is a British-Canadian actor and producer, best known for her work on ''Motherland'', ''Silo'', and her many stage credits, which include productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatr ...

as Judge Mary Meadows (seasons 1–2), the head of Judicial who enforces the Pact, a list of rules that all Silo residents must follow * Caitlin Zoz as Kathleen Billings, Paul's wife and the mother of their daughter * Akie Kotabe as Diego, a Watcher monitoring the Silo * Christian Ochoa as Rick Amundsen (season 2; guest season 1), a high-ranking raider, a group of armed enforcers working for Sims

Guest

Geraldine James Geraldine James (born 6 July 1950) is an English actress. She has worked extensively on television, on stage and in film. She is known for her role as Marilla Cuthbert in the Netflix series ''Anne with an E'' (2017–2019) and as Queen Mary in ...

as Ruth Jahns (season 1), the elected mayor of the Silo *

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress. She has worked in film, television and theatre and she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods''. She has been nominated for ...

as Gloria Hildebrandt (season 1), a paranoid woman who became the Silo's fertility counselor after failing to conceive a child herself * Sienna Guillory as Hanna Nichols (season 1), a surgeon and the deceased mother of Juliette * Henry Garrett as Douglas Trumbull (season 1), an enforcer for Judicial who is loyal to Sims * Sonita Henry as Regina Jackson (season 1), a former relic dealer and lover of George * Will Merrick as Danny (season 1), a criminal hacker who disrupts the IT Department's security network * Ross McCall as the Silo 17 Sheriff (season 2), the leader of the rebellion in Silo 17 * Nick Haverson as Russell Conroy (season 2), the head of the IT Department in Silo 17 and Solo's father * Imogen Butler-Cole as Gwen Conroy (season 2), Solo's mother * Pippa Winslow as Gladys (season 2), a worker in Mechanical during Juliette's childhood * George Robinson as Mark Chambers (season 2), the overseer of a manufacturing workshop * Sacharissa Claxton as Frances Boyer (season 2), Patrick's niece * Georgina Sadler as Audrey (season 2), the leader of a group of young orphaned survivors in Silo 17 * Orlando Norman as Rick (season 2), Audrey's boyfriend and the father of their two children * Sara Hazemi as Hope / "Eater" (season 2), the outcast of Audrey's group * Stuart Milligan as Terrance Penbrook (season 2), a descendant of Salvador Quinn, the former head of IT over 140 years prior *

Lolita Chakrabarti Lolita Chakrabarti (born 1969) is a British actress and writer. Early life and education Lolita Chakrabarti was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, to Bengali Hindu parents from India in 1969. She grew up in Birmingham, where her father wo ...

as Lukas' mother (season 2)

Episodes

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024–25)

Production

Development

The project's development was announced as a feature film at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, which entered negotiations to acquire the self-published e-book ''

Wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

'' by Hugh Howey on May 11, 2012. Five days later, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights, with

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

and

Steven Zaillian Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born January 30, 1953) is an Armenian-American screenwriter, film director and producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for his screenplay '' Schindler's List'' (1993) and has earn ...

among those attached to produce. On November 28, it was announced that J Blakeson was in negotiations to write and direct. It was then announced on June 5, 2015, that Nicole Perlman would rewrite the screenplay, with Blakeson no longer involved in the project. The film was ultimately shelved as a result of the

acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. by The Walt Disney Company was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition included the 20th Century Fox film and television studi ...

. By July 30, 2018, a new iteration of the project was in development for television at

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

, with LaToya Morgan attached to write under her overall deal at AMC Studios. The series eventually moved to

on May 20, 2021, receiving an order for ten episodes.

replaced Morgan as creator and writer, marking his third series at Apple TV+ under his overall deal with the network.

Morten Tyldum Morten Tyldum (; born 19 May 1967) is a Norwegian film director. He is best known in his native Norway for directing the thriller film '' Headhunters'' (2011), based on the novel by Jo Nesbø, and internationally for directing the historical dram ...

was also attached to direct and executive produce, with Yost as

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

. The show was renewed for a second season in June 2023. In April 2024,

stated in an interview that they are looking to shoot seasons 3 and 4 back-to-back, which would end the series. On December 16, 2024, the series was renewed for a third and a fourth season, with it set to conclude with the latter.

Writing

Alongside Yost, Jessica Blaire, Cassie Pappas, Ingrid Escajeda,

Remi Aubuchon Remi Aubuchon is an American television writer and producer. He is well known for his work on the Fox thriller '' 24'' and the TNT alien-drama '' Falling Skies''. He is the son of the late American actor Jacques Aubuchon. He was married to ...

, Aric Avelino, Jeffery Wang, Lekethia Dalcoe, and Fred Golan served as writers.

Casting

With the series order announcement, it was also announced that

had been cast in a lead role.

joined the cast in August 2021, and

, Avi Nash and

joined in the following months. On July 27, 2024, it was announced at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

that

had joined the cast for the second season. On January 17, 2025, it was announced that Ashley Zukerman and Jessica Henwick had joined the cast as series regulars for the third season.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in late August 2021 in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, and was scheduled to last until the second quarter of 2022. Mark Patten, David Luther, and Laurie Rose were cinematographers. Gavin Bocquet was the production designer, credited with the design of the silo. The main set consists of three levels of stairs decorated to represent particular locations. The second season began filming in late June 2023 at Hoddesdon Studios, using the same set as season one. Filming was officially suspended in July due to the

2023 SAG-AFTRA strike From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Pro ...

. Filming restarted in early December 2023, and wrapped on March 8, 2024. Filming of season three began in October 2024, also at Hoddesdon Studios, as well as at OMA One and OMA X Film Studios in Enfield, London, and wrapped in May 2025.

Music

In March 2023,

Atli Örvarsson Atli Örvarsson (; born 7 July 1970) is an American-Icelandic BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated film score composer. Atli's credits include composing and orchestrating music for some of Hollywood's biggest projects, including the ''Pirates of th ...

was announced as the series's composer. He collaborated with Tyldum on the Apple TV+ series '' Defending Jacob''.

Release

''Silo'' had its special screening during the 2023 Canneseries on April14, 2023. The television series premiered on

on May5, 2023, with the first two episodes available immediately and the rest airing weekly through June30.

Reception

Critical response

For the first season, the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 68 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "With deft writing, awe-inspiring production design and the inestimable star power of Rebecca Ferguson, ''Silo'' is a mystery box well worth opening."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...

of ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' wrote that the series "holds our interest with intriguing characters and effective twists and turns", and took note of how ''Silo'' "shifts gears through a number of genres, from conspiracy thriller to big-picture social commentary to police procedural to end-times romance".

Lucy Mangan Lucy Mangan (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for ''The Guardian'' and an opinion writer for '' i'' news. Early life and education Mangan was born in 1974 and grew up in Catford, ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' opined that the "world-building is meticulous" and "the story is equally thrilling". '' Vanity Fair''s Richard Lawson found the show to be a "feat of production design", adding that "Ferguson—in all her stern command—lends the series a necessary heft". Barry Hertz of ''

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...

'' also picked up Ferguson's performance as a "standout". Conversely, Brian Lowry of

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

believed that the "inherent mystery ..feels stretched to the point of strained, exacerbated by characters that don't consistently pop". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''s Daniel Fienberg also praised the world-building and Ferguson's performance, but was critical of the performance of Common, whom he termed "the weak link in the cast". For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 7.85/10, based on 44 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Rebecca Ferguson's intrepid hero seeks answers while the rest of ''Silo''s ensemble capably holds down the fort in this superb sophomore season." Metacritic assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Apple TV+ 2020s American drama television series 2020s American mystery television series 2020s American science fiction television series 2023 American television series debuts Apple TV+ original programming Dystopian television series American English-language television shows Nonlinear narrative television series Psychological thriller television series Serial drama television series Television series about conspiracy theories Television series set in the future Television shows based on American novels Television shows set in Washington, D.C. Television shows affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike Television shows filmed in England