If you're looking for a new obsession now that season 2 of Yellowjackets is coming to a close, Apple TV+ has just the thing – and it's already a huge hit. Silo, the TV adaptation of the Wool trilogy of dystopian SF, is currently the most-streamed show on US TV. It's a big hit in my flat too: I love it, and so does my eldest.
The streaming chart comes courtesy of Reelgood, which puts Silo at number one ahead of Jury Duty, Ted Lasso, Citadel and even Succession. And Silo's a well deserved chart topper: it's got an interesting premise, great characters and some superb performances. If you haven't already streamed it, it's a must-watch.
What are people saying about Silo?
The Rotten Tomatoes rating for Silo has dropped a little since I first wrote about it – it's down from 95% to 87% – but that's inevitable with so many more people watching and rating it, especially when many of them are coming as fans of the books it's based on. For example, one unhappy Silo viewer gave it 1.5 stars because "the show is only loosely based on the books". If you're looking for an adaptation that copies the books down to the last comma, this clearly isn't the series for you.
It's very much the show for me, though. Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the central character Juliette, is magnetic throughout and she's accompanied by a stellar cast including Rashida Jones (heartbreaking), David Oyelowo (devastating) and Tim Robbins (intimidating). The near-future setting is familiar but the characterisation and plotting paper over the familiarity, and the first episode in particular could make a rock cry.
If you haven't already joined Apple TV+ this is a great show to start with, and I'd strongly recommend that when you're done you check out Severance: it's a very different kind of dystopia and it's one of my very favourite shows on any service. A second season is coming once the writer's strike has been resolved.
