Silo (TV series)

Silo is an American science fiction dystopian drama television series created by Graham Yost, based on the Silo 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 comprising 144 levels, it stars Rebecca Ferguson as an engineer who becomes embroiled in the mysteries of its past and present. Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter, Avi Nash, Rick Gomez, and Chinaza Uche also star.

Development on 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+ in May 2021. Principal photography began in August 2021 and the ten-episode first season began streaming from May 5, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics, particularly for the world-building, production design and Ferguson's performance. In June 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise
In a dystopian future where a community exists in a giant silo that extends hundreds of stories underground, 10,000 people live in a society bound by regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Main

 * Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who works on the generators in the lowest levels of the Silo
 * Rashida Jones as Allison Becker, who works in the IT department in the Silo and is the wife of 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, 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, the strict head of the IT Department in the Silo
 * Harriet Walter 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
 * 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

Recurring

 * Will Patton as Samuel "Sam" Marnes, a deputy who works under Sheriff Holston and closely with Mayor Jahns
 * Ferdinand Kingsley as George Wilkins, a computer geek who runs a repair shop. He seeks out Allison for her help to uncover the secrets of the Silo
 * Shane McRae as Knox, the head of the mechanical level in the Silo and Juliette's boss
 * Billy Postlethwaite as Hank, a deputy who works in the lower levels
 * Chipo Chung as Sandy, a clerical worker in the sheriff's department
 * Remmie Milner as Shirley Campbell, an engineer and one of Juliette's colleagues
 * Angela Yeoh as Karins, a deputy who works in the mid levels
 * Matt Gomez Hidaka as Cooper, a rookie engineer in the lower levels and Juliette's shadow
 * Iain Glen as Dr. Pete Nichols, an obstetrician and the father of Juliette, who has been estranged from him since she was a teenager
 * Caitlin Zoz as Kathleen Billings, Paul's wife and the mother of their daughter

Guest

 * Geraldine James as Ruth Jahns, the elected mayor of the Silo
 * Sophie Thompson as Gloria Hildebrandt, a paranoid woman who became the Silo's fertility counselor after failing to conceive a child herself
 * Sienna Guillory as Hanna Nichols, a surgeon and the deceased mother of Juliette
 * Henry Garrett as Douglas Trumbull, an enforcer for Judicial who is loyal to Sims
 * Amelie Child-Villiers as young Juliette
 * Ida Brooke as young Shirley
 * Charlie Coombes as young Knox
 * Tanya Moodie as Judge Meadows, the head of Judicial who enforces the Pact, a list of rules that all Silo residents must follow
 * Sonita Henry as Regina Jackson, a former relic dealer and lover of George
 * Christian Ochoa as Amundsen, a high-ranking raider, a group of armed enforcers working for Sims
 * Akie Kotabe as Diego, a Watcher monitoring the Silo
 * Alexandria Riley as Camille Sims, Robert's wife, the mother of their son and a former raider
 * Will Merrick as Danny, a criminal hacker who disrupts the IT department's security network
 * Clare Perkins as Carla, Martha's ex-wife who works in the supply department

Season 2
The ten episodes in the season are written by Graham Yost, Fred Golan, Cassie Pappas, Sal Calleros, Jenny DeArmitt-Stran, Jeffery Wang, Katherine DiSavino, Remi Aubuchon, Jessica Blaire, and Aric Avelino, respectively. Michael Dinner and Amber Templemore will direct episodes of the second season. Templemore will direct four episodes, including the last episode.

Development
The project's development was 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 to replace 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. The show 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.

Writing
Alongside Yost, Jessica Blaire, Cassie Pappas, Ingrid Escajeda, Remi Aubuchon, Aric Avelino, Jeffery Wang, Lekethia Dalcoe, and Fred Golan served as writers.

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.

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 officially suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming restarted in early December 2023, and wrapped on March 8, 2024.

Music
In March 2023, Atli Örvarsson 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 Apple TV+ on May5, 2023, with the first two episodes available immediately and the rest airing on a weekly basis through June30.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 65 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".