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 Juliette Nichols, 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, Chinaza Uche, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Alexandria Riley, Clare Perkins, Billy Postlethwaite, Steve Zahn, Ashley Zukerman, Jessica Henwick, Reed Birney, Laura Innes, Jessica Brown Findlay, Morven Christie, and Matt Craven 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+ in May 2021. Principal photography began in August 2021 and the ten-episode first season premiered on May 5, 2023. The second season premiered on November 15, 2024. The third season premiered on July 3, 2026. All three 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 a fourth and final season, which is set to premiere on July 9, 2027.
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 Remmie Milner as Shirley Campbell (season 2–present; 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–present; guest season 1), Robert's wife, the mother of their son, and a former raider Clare Perkins as Carla McLain (season 2–present; guest season 1), Walker's ex-wife and the head of the supply department Billy Postlethwaite as Hank Murphy (season 2–present; recurring season 1), a deputy who works in the lower levels Steve Zahn as Jimmy Conroy / "Solo" (season 2; guest season 3), the only living survivor of the rebellion in Silo 17 Cameron Bell portrays a young Jimmy Ashley Zukerman as Daniel Keene / Troy (season 3–present; guest season 2), a United States congressman during the time before the Silos were created Jessica Henwick as Helen Drew (season 3–present; guest season 2), an inquisitive journalist based in Washington, D.C. Reed Birney as Henry (season 3–present), a mysterious operative encountered by Daniel and Helen Laura Innes as Rosalind Thurman (season 3–present), a United States senator overseeing the congressional response to conflict with Iran Jessica Brown Findlay as Charlotte "Charles" Keene (season 3–present), Daniel's sister and a United States military pilot Morven Christie as Anna (season 3–present), Rosalind's daughter and a congressional aide Matt Craven as Victor Crnkovich (season 3), a doctor pioneering the use of a memory-altering drug
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 Will Merrick as Danny (season 3; guest season 1), a criminal hacker who disrupts the IT Department's security network George Robinson as Mark Chambers (season 3; guest season 2), the overseer of a manufacturing workshop Ned Dennehy as Ed Harwood (season 3), the head of the mining level Colin Hanks as Per Stensen (season 3), the world's wealthiest person who funds construction of the Silos
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 Lolita Chakrabarti as Lukas' mother (season 2) Quelin Sepulveda as Orla Kent (season 3), the acting head of the supply department Chris Fulton as Mike (season 3), a worker in the supply department and Orla's boyfriend Gemma Acosta as Glenda Harwood (season 3), Ed's daughter and McLain's former shadow William Hope as Gus (season 3), Knox's father Peter Gabriel as himself (season 3) Shane Taylor as Joel (season 3)
Episodes
Season 1 (2023)
Season 2 (2024–25)
Season 3 (2026)
Season 4
The remaining episodes were written by:
Production Development
The project's development was originally announced as a feature film at 20thCentury Fox, which entered negotiations to acquire the self-published e-book Wool by Hugh Howey on May11, 2012. Five days later, 20thCentury Fox acquired the rights, with Ridley Scott and Steven Zaillian among those attached to produce. On November28, it was announced that JBlakeson was in negotiations to write and direct. It was then announced on June5, 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 July30, 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 AppleTV+ on May20, 2021, receiving an order for ten episodes. Graham Yost replaced Morgan as creator and writer, marking his third series at AppleTV+ 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 June2023. In April 2024, Rebecca Ferguson stated in an interview that they are looking to shoot seasons3 and 4 back-to-back, which would end the series. On December16, 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 June2023 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 December2023, and wrapped on March 8, 2024. Filming for season three began in October2024, also at Hoddesdon Studios, as well as at OMAOne and OMAX Film Studios in Enfield, London, and wrapped in May 2025. The fourth and final season began filming in August2025, 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 April14, 2023. The first season premiered on Apple TV+ on May5, 2023, with the first two episodes available immediately and the rest airing weekly through June30.
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