Silo

Premise

In a dystopian future where a community exists in a giant silo extending 144 levels underground, 10,000 people live in a society bound by regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Cast and characters

Main

Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who works on the generators in the lowest levels of the Silo

Amelie Child-Villiers portrays a young Juliette

Rashida Jones 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

David Oyelowo as Holston Becker (season 1), the devoted husband of Allison and the sheriff of the Silo

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

Tim Robbins as Bernard Holland (seasons 1–3), the strict head of the IT Department in the Silo

Harriet Walter as Martha Walker, an electrical engineer with severe agoraphobia 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

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

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

Shane McRae as Deagan Knox (season 2–present; recurring season 1), the head of the Mechanical level in the Silo and Juliette's boss

Charlie Coombes portrays a young Knox

Recurring

Will Patton as Samuel "Sam" Marnes (season 1), a deputy who works under Sheriff Holston and closely with Mayor Jahns

Ferdinand Kingsley as George Wilkins (season 1; guest season 3), 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 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

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

Iain Glen as Dr. Pete Nichols (seasons 1–2), an obstetrician 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 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

Sonita Henry as Regina Jackson (season 3; guest season 1), a former relic dealer and lover of George

Guest

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

Sophie Thompson as Gloria Hildebrandt (seasons 1 and 3), 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

Ross McCall as the Silo 17 Sheriff (seasons 2–3), 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

Sacharissa Claxton as Frances Boyer (season 2), Patrick's niece

Georgina Sadler as Audrey (seasons 2–3), the leader of a group of young orphaned survivors in Silo 17

Orlando Norman as Rick (seasons 2–3), Audrey's boyfriend and the father of their two children

Sara Hazemi as Hope / "Eater" (seasons 2–3), 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

Episodes

Season 4

The remaining episodes were written by:

Production

Development

The project's development was originally announced as a feature film at 20th Century Fox, which entered negotiations to acquire the self-published e-book Wool by Hugh Howey on May 11, 2012. Five days later, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights, with Ridley Scott and Steven Zaillian 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.

By July 30, 2018, a new iteration of the project was in development for television at AMC, with LaToya Morgan attached to write under her overall deal at AMC Studios. The series eventually moved to Apple TV+ on May 20, 2021, receiving an order for ten episodes. Graham Yost replaced Morgan as creator and writer, marking his third series at Apple TV+ under his overall deal with the network. Morten Tyldum was also attached to direct and executive produce, with Yost as showrunner.

Silo was renewed for a second season in June 2023. In April 2024, Rebecca Ferguson 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 both a third and a fourth, final season.

Writing

Alongside Yost, Jessica Blaire, Cassie Pappas, Ingrid Escajeda, Remi Aubuchon, Aric Avelino, Jeffery Wang, Lekethia Dalcoe, and Fred Golan served as writers for the first season; Sal Calleros, Jenny DeArmitt-Stran, and Katherine DiSavino joined for the second season; and Shelley Birse joined for the third.

According to Yost, the first and second seasons adapt the first book, Wool, the third season adapts the second book, Shift, and the fourth season adapts the third book in the trilogy, Dust.

Casting

With the series order announcement, it was also announced that Rebecca Ferguson had been cast in a lead role. Tim Robbins joined the cast in August 2021, and Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, Harriet Walter, Avi Nash and Chinaza Uche joined in the following months. On July 27, 2024, it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Steve Zahn 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 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 suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Production restarted in early December 2023, and wrapped on March 8, 2024. Filming for 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. The fourth and final season began filming in August 2025, and finished in March 2026.

Music

In March 2023, Atli Örvarsson was announced as the series' composer. He collaborated with Tyldum on the Apple TV+ series Defending Jacob.

Release

Silo had its special screening during the 2023 Canneseries on April 14, 2023. The first season premiered on Apple TV+ on May 5, 2023, with the first two episodes available immediately and the rest airing weekly through June 30.

The second season premiered on November 15, 2024. The third season premiered on July 3, 2026. The fourth and final season is set to premiere on July 9, 2027.

Reception

Critical response

For the first season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 69 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, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times 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 of The Guardian 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 also picked up Ferguson's performance as a "standout". Conversely, Brian Lowry of CNN believed that the "inherent mystery [...] feels stretched to the point of strained, exacerbated by characters that don't consistently pop". The Hollywood Reporter'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 92% approval rating with an average rating of 6.95/10 based on 53 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.

For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.25/10 based on 78 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Silo codifies its third season as a masterful dystopian tale with expertly driven character arcs and tighter narrative strings, fulfilling its promise of science fiction excellence." Metacritic assigned a score of 77 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.