‘Silo’ Review: Another Engrossing Sci-Fi Success For Apple TV+

From the depths of an office building in Severance to the back of a local grocery store in The Big Door Prize, Apple TV+ has sucked subscribers into some seriously compelling sci-fi stories in recent years. That streak continues with its latest series: Silo.

Based on books by Hugh Howey and adapted for TV by Graham Yost (Justified, Sneaky Pete), Silo follows a post-apocalyptic, dystopian society living underground 140 years after a rebellion. Presumed to be the last 10,000 or so people on Earth, the silo’s inhabitants believe the world above them is toxic; that if they dare seek life outside their confines they’ll be poisoned to death by the air. “We do not know why we are here. We do not know who built the silo. We do not know why everything outside the silo is as it is. We do not know when it will be safe to go outside. We only know that day is not this day,” characters recite like an oath throughout the first season. These are the mysteries that will gnaw at your brain over the course of 10 episodes, and you soon learn they’re just some of the series’ overwhelming unknowns.

With next to no knowledge about “the before times” or the world outside their concrete walls, the silo’s residents are diligently kept in the dark by higher-ups. They know nothing about stars in the sky, the state of Georgia, or “relics” like video cameras and PEZ dispensers. And their wildest fears about life outside the silo are reinforced on the daily by a single window that offers a dreary view of the desolate, uninhabitable wasteland above them. Or does it?

When IT worker Allison (Rashida Jones), her husband Sheriff Holston (David Oyelowo), engineer Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), and other brave silo souls start seeking answers to questions no one is allowed to ask, the truth starts feeling closer, yet somehow more elusive, than ever.

Silo’s first two episodes, premiering on Apple TV+ on May 5, brilliantly lay the foundation for a thrilling, addictive enigma. Though pacing lags a bit as hour-long episodes utilize flashbacks, flesh out characters, and establish complex context, each installment contains pivotal revelations that will pique your interest and remind you the central mysteries perpetually looming in the background of Silo are riveting enough to stay the course.

When an opportunity arises, Juliette — keeper of the silo’s generator in “the down deep” — climbs the social hierarchy to investigate the suspicious death of someone close to her. She finds crucial allies throughout the series but is met with heavy skepticism and resistance from powerful forces including Deputy Marnes (Will Patton) and Sims (Common), an intimidating head of judiciary hellbent on stifling her search for truth. Her quest to uncover the silo’s secrets is captivating, in large part, because Ferguson brilliantly brings to screen a wounded, intricate soul — one who bravely fights her fatigue from losing loved ones and wields that grief to fuel a productive rage.

Among many standout performances, Common nails the role of a feared leather jacket-clad boss with unexpected weaknesses as effortlessly as he stepped into the shoes of handsome dermatologist Dr. Jackson on Never Have I Ever. (Skills!) And performances from Chinaza Uche, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter, Geraldine James, Ferdinand Kingsley, Iain Glen, and the rest of the ensemble cast sharpen the show.

Silo‘s dark, grimy aesthetics and Atli Örvarsson’s score help set the mood, as do the ominous opening credits sequence and skilled use of sound throughout. Each scene is amplified by monumental production design — complete with heavy-duty machinery, vast spaces, and the silo’s central spiral staircase. Together, these components converge to create a suspenseful series that has the vibes of Desmond’s Hatch on LOST and other genre greats like Snowpiercer, plus elements of surveillance, claustrophobia, and bodily control similar to those explored in Severance.

Silo doesn’t surpass Dan Erickson’s acclaimed workplace thriller in my book, but as it nears its Season 1 finale and the stakes, body count, and desperation rise, its final moments will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew.

The first two episodes of Silo premiere on Apple TV+ on May 5 with new episodes dropping weekly on Fridays.