15 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Silo

With the return of “Silo” Season 3 this summer, sci-fi fans have been rewarded with the continuation of a fascinating story from showrunner Graham Yost and novelist Hugh Howey. Though the show’s titular structure is cramped, the storytelling and lore of “Silo” is vast. In this dystopian future, the surviving members of society — or so we’re told — live in a 144-story underground silo with no access to the world outside. The phenomenal Rebecca Ferguson plays Juliette Nichols, an engineer who finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy involving the silo’s history and what its leaders are keeping from the residents.

Though thrilling, “Silo” also takes its time to tell the story, bringing viewers along for the ride as Juliette slowly pieces together the overarching mystery. If “Silo” is totally your jam and you’re looking for something similar, we’ve got you covered. What follows is a list of series that should appeal to “Silo” fans who enjoy the show’s focus on class conflict, conspiracies, dystopian worlds, and the storytelling possibilities of confined settings. Happy viewing.

If watching survivors of an apocalypse explore the world beyond an underground bunker is your thing, then “Fallout” should be your next watch. Based on the “Fallout” video game series, the Prime Video adaptation takes place 200 years after a nuclear holocaust. Our protagonist, Lucy (Ella Purnell), was born in Vault 33, a self-sufficient bunker defined by order and a happy-go-lucky mentality. When her father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), the vault’s leader, disappears, Lucy leaves the safety of her home to venture into the world outside.

Lucy’s cheerful, naive demeanor hilariously contrasts with the violent, brutal wasteland of post-apocalyptic California. Along the way, Lucy encounters plenty of strange characters, including The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a bounty hunter with a mysterious connection to the prewar world. She also meets Maximus (Aaron Moten), a lone member of an Army-esque group called the Brotherhood of Steel. Though their personalities differ greatly, Lucy and Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) are both vault dwellers forced to question everything they know about the worlds they’ve grown up in, making “Fallout” an easy recommendation for fans of “Silo.”

There are some pretty significant similarities between “Paradise” and “Silo,” but we can’t say exactly what they are without spoiling the show’s first big twist. Created by “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman, “Paradise” stars Sterling K. Brown as Secret Service agent Xavier Collins. He lives in an immaculate neighborhood, where his job is to protect former President Cal Bradford (James Marsden). Xavier’s seemingly perfect life is shattered when Cal is murdered and Xavier becomes the prime suspect.

As in “Silo,” the murder in “Paradise” leads to the unraveling of a conspiracy that has wide-ranging consequences for the entirety of civilization. As Xavier investigates Cal’s death and tries to clear his name, he uncovers the powerful forces shaping his world, while the audience gradually discovers the shocking truth behind its pristine facade. “Paradise” takes plenty of big swings, but its many twists and turns are anchored by character-driven storytelling that grounds the improbable in emotional truth. The series only grows more thrilling as it unfolds, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

“Silo” and “Under the Dome” both follow communities that find themselves trapped with no apparent means of escape. Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, “Under the Dome” takes place in the small town of Chester’s Mill, Maine. One day, an enormous transparent dome suddenly appears over the town, trapping residents inside while preventing anyone outside from getting in.

As panic sets in, a group of townspeople comes together to manage tensions and investigate the cause of the dome and how they might escape it. With resources in short supply, the residents and visitors of Chester’s Mill are forced to work together to survive. While some, including Iraq War veteran Barbie (Mike Vogel) and journalist Julia (Rachelle Lefevre), are committed to the common good, others use the crisis for personal gain. Chief among them is local politician Big Jim (Dean Norris), who gradually goes mad with power.

While it may not rank among the very best Stephen King TV show, especially after it starts going off the rails in Season 2, it’s still a wild ride that’s worth checking out.

The world of “Silo” is literally stratified by class, with those in power living in comfortable quarters near the top while working-class residents occupy the deepest levels of the structure. The TNT series “Snowpiercer,” based on the 2013 film by Bong Joon-ho, takes a similarly class-focused approach to the apocalypse. In this story, climate change has turned the world into a frozen wasteland, and the last remnants of civilization live on board a perpetually moving high-speed train that keeps them from freezing to death.

The train was built by a billionaire, and each section is occupied by a different social class, with the wealthy living in the front cars and the poorest passengers confined to the tail end. Those divisions create constant tension, embodied by the series’ two central characters. Daveed Diggs plays Layton, a former homicide detective from the back of the train, while Jennifer Connelly plays Melanie, the head of hospitality who works to preserve order. Melanie hires Layton to solve a murder aboard the Snowpiercer, unaware that he’s been plotting a revolution.

Like “Silo,” the FX series “Devs” starts with a murder mystery that becomes a jumping-off point for larger questions about humankind and the nature of free will. Created by filmmaker Alex Garland, the series is every bit as philosophical as his films, exploring humanity’s relationship with technology and the unknown. Garland’s frequent collaborator Sonoya Mizuno stars as Lily, a software engineer at a shadowy tech company called Amaya. When her boyfriend goes missing after his first day on the job, Lily’s investigation raises more questions than answers.

Lily’s investigation lead her to Forest (Nick Offerman), Amaya’s secretive CEO. “Devs” weaves shocking revelations and violent outbursts into this story of corporate conspiracies and technological determinism. Like all of Garland’s work, the show is visually stunning and thematically rich, though it’s unlikely you’ll be able to piece together every thread by the end. Though a thriller, “Devs” is also a slow-burn that gives its characters ample time to muse about the state of technology and humanity’s future.

Thematically and stylistically, “Scavengers Reign” and “Silo” are pretty different. But they both feature heartfelt, inventive storytelling and gorgeous world-building that should appeal to curious sci-fi fans. One of our favorite shows set in the future, “Scavengers Reign” is a stunning animated series that follows the crew of a cargo ship after they crash-land on a distant planet populated by alien life forms.

The crew is scattered after the crash. Ship commander Sam (Bob Stephenson) is stranded with horticulturist Ursula (Sunita Mani), while Azi (Wunmi Mosaku) teams up with a malfunctioning robot named Levi (Alia Shawkat). Elsewhere, Kamen (Ted Travelstead) slowly begins to lose his grip on reality.

“Scavengers Reign” is a quiet, patient show that is nonetheless richly rewarding. This alien planet is filled with spellbinding flora and fauna, and the show’s more philosophical elements, particularly its exploration of the relationship between humans and the natural world, recall the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It feels wonderful to step into this carefully crafted universe, and we’re still disappointed that HBO Max never commissioned a second season of the show.

“The Expanse” is one of the most underrated sci-fi shows of all time, and fans of “Silo” will appreciate its deeply thought-out lore, intense class politics, and conspiratorial bent. While “Silo” depicts the difficulties of law enforcement in an underground bunker, “The Expanse” follows a detective in space, among other characters. A brilliant piece of speculative fiction, the series takes place in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system. Rather than uniting civilization, that expansion has deepened existing divisions, pitting three major factions against one another: the militaristic society of Mars, the United Nations on Earth, and the asteroid belt, home to the working-class Belters.

Joe Miller (Thomas Jane) is our resident detective, on the case of a missing woman. Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is a politician representing the UN, while James Holden (Steven Strait) leads a ragtag crew on a commandeered Martian gunship. Their stories begin separately but gradually converge as each becomes entangled in a conspiracy with galaxy-altering consequences. Across six excellent seasons, “The Expanse” delivers one of television’s most ambitious sci-fi epics.

“12 Monkeys” takes the concept of a wide-ranging conspiracy within a post-apocalyptic society to explosive extremes, and it’s a perfect watch for “Silo” fans looking for a real mind-bender. Based on the 1995 film of the same name starring Bruce Willis, “12 Monkeys” begins in 2043, decades after a deadly virus has wiped out most of the world’s population. James Cole (Aaron Stanford) travels back to 2015 in an attempt to stop the Army of the 12 Monkeys from releasing the virus, teaming up with virologist Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull). James and Cassie join forces with a team of oddballs, including a psychiatric patient played by Emily Hampshire, who gives an unforgettable performance.

Though “12 Monkeys” is confusing at first, it avoids the traps of many time travel stories by actually presenting time travel rules and sticking to them. There are potentially catastrophic consequences of James and Cassie’s actions, including the possibility of James being wiped out of existence, and the show grapples with them. In addition to tying together its many story threads in a satisfying conclusion, “12 Monkeys” delivers genuinely emotional stakes that keep even its most ambitious ideas grounded.

The residents of the silo in “Silo” are essentially trapped underground, with no firsthand knowledge of whatever horrors might reside outside their cylindrical home. In “From,” an underrated horror TV show from MGM+, the concept of being trapped somewhere has even more violent, sinister implications. Claustrophobia isn’t a problem here, but monsters sure are.

Harold Perrineau (“Lost”) plays Boyd Stevens, sheriff of the Township. When the road-tripping Matthews family accidentally drives through the town, they learn its dark secret: no one who enters the Township can leave. As the Matthews attempt to drive away, they return to the same road over and over again. Even worse than that, terrifying creatures, who look like humans until they rip your guts out, come out at night and haunt the town’s residents.

“From” received a stamp of approval from Stephen King, and it’s easy to see why. It’s gory and shocking, but also immensely creative and filled with well-developed characters. Like “Lost,” it offers plenty of mysteries to keep viewers guessing, though hopefully with a more satisfying conclusion.

While “Andor” technically serves as a prequel to “Rogue One,” it’s such a remarkable entry in the “Star Wars” franchise that its place in the canon is almost beside the point. Much like “Silo,” the series follows a dictatorial regime that maintains control through propaganda, fear, and brutal punishment. Diego Luna plays Cassian Andor, a cynical thief who becomes a key player in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Andor’s foil is Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), an inspector intent on bringing Andor to heel.

Though “Andor” was initially planned to be a five-season series, creator Tony Gilroy condensed it into two seasons, telling only the most essential parts of the story. Rather than trying to connect every storyline to the broader “Star Wars” universe, the series stays focused on its characters and their motivations. Politically trenchant and shockingly timely, the series highlights the oppressive nature of the Empire in a way few “Star Wars” stories have managed. With stunning dialogue and mesmerizing monologues delivered by Stellan Skarsgård and Fiona Shaw, “Andor” stands as one of the franchise’s finest achievements.

Like “Silo,” the HBO Max series “Station Eleven” looks at what aspects of society fall away, and which remain, following a world-ending catastrophe. Based on the Emily St. John Mandel novel of the same name, “Station Eleven” takes place 20 years after a devastating flu kills off most of humanity. Mackenzie Davis plays Kirsten, an actress who performs with a traveling Shakespeare troupe. The series also follows young Kirsten (Matilda Lawler) during the early days of the pandemic, when she survives with the help of a kind stranger (Himesh Patel).

“Station Eleven” is one of the best post-apocalyptic shows of all time, and its tragic premise serves as a jumping-off point for a profoundly hopeful story. Kirsten uses art to give her life meaning, while a prophetic graphic novel created by a woman (played by Danielle Deadwyler) before the outbreak becomes a source of hope and meaning for others. A relatively slow-moving series that doesn’t rely on shocking plot twists to propel the story forward, “Station Eleven” highlights the necessity of human connection in the face of fear.

The protagonists of the Danish series “The Rain” and “Silo” have a few things in common. They’ve both spent years in a bunker, unsure of what horrors await them in the wasteland outside, but compelled to find out. In “The Rain,” however, the protagonists have been even more isolated. They are siblings Simone (Alba August) and Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen), who spend six years in a bunker after their father hides them there. They’re forced into isolation by a deadly rainfall carrying a virus that kills anyone it touches. According to their father, Rasmus may hold the key to saving humanity.

When they finally leave the bunker, they’re not prepared for what awaits them. Unsurprisingly, there are some bad people out there, willing to kill to survive. Still, Simone maintains some of her innocence, and her hope that all of these problems can be solved. “The Rain” is fast-paced and filled with interesting clues about how the world has progressed. Some of the internal logic surrounding the deadly rain doesn’t always hold up, but the series is entertaining enough that it’s easy to overlook those inconsistencies.

“Ascension” reminds us of Hulu’s “Paradise,” and the self-contained (literally) nature of the plot recalls the impenetrable walls of the titular “Silo.” The Syfy series begins with a murder aboard a self-sufficient spaceship, much like the mystery that sets “Silo” in motion. The Ascension is a spacecraft inhabited by 600 people, 50 years into a 100-year mission to colonize a faraway planet. The Ascension left Earth in 1963, in the middle of the Cold War, and life aboard the ship still reflects mid-century America in both style and politics.

The main conflict is sparked by the murder of a young woman. Captain William Denninger (Brian Van Holt) is hesitant to open that can of worms, but nonetheless tasks Officer Aaron Gault (Brandon P. Bell) with investigating the crime, which may be connected to an uprising amongst the working class. Meanwhile, the captain’s ambitious wife, Viondra (Tricia Helfer), has plans of her own to maintain her influence. The show’s shocking twists leave viewers wishing there were more than six episodes, but unfortunately, that’s all Syfy ever ordered.

Dreamed up by the creators of Netflix’s sci-fi show “Dark,” “1899” tells a similarly haunting and mysterious story. While “Silo” follows a diverse group of individuals living in a bunker and stratified by social class, “1899” confines its protagonists to a steamship in the titular year. The Kerberos is on a voyage from England to New York, with its international passengers hoping to start a new life in the Americas. Unfortunately, they’re in for a very bumpy ride.

First, the Kerberos encounters the Prometheus, a similar ship that’s been mysteriously abandoned in the middle of the ocean. Things only become more harrowing from there. The passengers’ attempts to unravel the mystery only deepen it, and violence and chaos soon erupt aboard the ship. The show has a claustrophobic feeling similar to “Silo,” as all these passengers from around the world are trapped on a ship that appears more deadly by every passing moment. It’s difficult to say more without spoiling the whole thing, so you’ll have to see for yourself. A fair warning — Netflix canceled the show after only one season, so its creators were only able to uncover the proverbial tip of the iceberg, as far as the series’ many mysteries are concerned.

If you enjoy the character-driven storytelling of “Silo” but are looking for something that moves at a much calmer pace, tune in to “Tales from the Loop,” an underrated series from Prime Video. Based on an art book by Simon Stålenhag, the series takes place in the small Midwestern town of Mercer, home to the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics, also known as the Loop. The facility employs scientists who push the boundaries of reality through technology, and their strange creations dot the countryside like relics from another time.

Though the episodes feature overlapping characters, “Tales from the Loop” functions as an anthology series, with each episode exploring how the town’s residents interact with a different piece of technology from the Loop. In Mercer, the abnormal has become normal. Two children discover a way to swap bodies. Lovey-dovey teenagers find they can stop time. A young girl gets trapped in the past. The show uses these technological experiments to meditate on distinctly human themes like growing up, loneliness, and loss. “Tales from the Loop” features stunning production design that will please fans of the beautifully constructed “Silo,” and its quiet profundity is worth sitting with.