7 Shows Like ‘Silo’ to Watch While You Wait for Season 3

“Westworld” (2016)

HBO’s “Westworld” may have gone out with more of a whimper than a bang when it was canceled after its fourth season, but the series’ best episodes offer plenty to enjoy. Based on the Michael Crichton film of the same name, the Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy-created sci-fi show follows the android “hosts” of an immersive theme park and depicts the indignities they suffer at the hands of the venue’s high-paying human visitors. From its second season on, “Westworld” expands its scope to encompass the other, differently themed parks of its futuristic reality, as well as the real world where mankind’s elite concoct and carry out their plans. 

The quality of the HBO drama’s later seasons is up for debate, but its earlier episodes touch on many of the same themes of revolution, dignity, and truth that “Silo” has spent its first 20 installments thoroughly excavating. If you missed it when it was on the air, then now may be as good a time as any to finally give “Westworld” a shot.

“Westworld” Seasons 1-4 are available for purchase now on Amazon’s Prime Video and Apple TV.

“Fallout” (2024)

If you’re looking for a show that shares a lot of plot similarities with “Silo,” then look no further than “Fallout.” Prime Video’s hyper-violent adaptation of the popular video game series of the same name takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been divided between surface dwellers and those fortunate enough to live in a number of specially designed, underground “vaults.” The connections to “Silo” speak for themselves, and the mysteries “Fallout” introduces about the origins of its subterranean bunkers only make it an even more fitting pick to couple with the Rebecca Ferguson-led Apple hit. Outside of their narrative parallels, though, “Fallout” is wildly different tonally and aesthetically from “Silo.” 

The former opts for a vibrant, surreal look that matches its blackly comic tone, one that stands in stark contrast to the more grounded feel of “Silo.” While “Silo” is anchored by Rebecca Ferguson’s commanding, straight-faced lead turn, “Fallout” conversely benefits from the more heightened (but no-less star-reaffirming) dual performances given by Ella Purnell (“Yellowjackets”) and Walton Goggins (“Justified”). The two actors find the right line between knowing humor and moving vulnerability — bringing some much-needed gravitas to “Fallout” without upsetting its delicate tonal balance.

“Severance” (2022)

“Silo” fans don’t have to go far for a worthy alternative to the series. Fellow Apple TV+ drama “Severance” not only stands on its own, but also has everything it could need to serve as a satisfactory companion to “Silo.” Created by Dan Erickson, the popular sci-fi drama follows a team of office workers — led by Adam Scott’s Mark S. — who have undergone a “severance” procedure that separates their work and home memories. Like “Silo,” large portions of “Severance” take place entirely in one location. In this case, said location is the fluorescent, maze-like “severed floor” of the shady Lumon Industries. 

The series makes the most of its central, labyrinthine office, and each episode brims with a sense of paranoia and all-encompassing mystery that should feel very familiar to “Silo” fans. The series is currently in the midst of airing its second season. That fact, along with its high-concept, conspiracy-driven story, make it the perfect show to dive into while “Silo” is on hiatus.

“Severance” is streaming now on Apple TV+.

“Devs” (2020)

Speaking of shows that run on menace and paranoia, “Civil War” director Alex Garland’s oft-forgotten FX series “Devs” is a must-see for any sci-fi TV fan. Written and directed solely by Garland, the limited series follows software engineer Lily (“House of the Dragon” star Sonoya Mizuno) as she begins to investigate the mysterious development division of her powerful, cutting-edge tech company employer following the strange and sudden death of her co-worker boyfriend (Karl Glusman). Along the way, Lily puts herself in conflict with Forest (Nick Offerman), the company’s outwardly friendly, secretly dangerous CEO. 

Across its eight episodes, “Devs” finds new ways to subvert viewers’ expectations and pack unexpected, often shocking bursts of violence into its tale of corporate espionage. In typical Garland fashion, the series’ thematic landscape is also sprawling and ambitious — encompassing everything from free will vs. determinism to the dangers of unregulated Silicon Valley tech companies. It may not explore all of its ideas as extensively one might hope, but “Devs” is never anything but gripping and fascinating.

“Devs” is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.

“3 Body Problem” (2024)

Based on the novel of the same name by author Liu Cixin, “3 Body Problem” has little in common on paper with “Silo.” The Netflix series, which serves as creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ follow-up to “Game of Thrones,” focuses on a group of scientists who finds themselves facing the prospect of an alien invasion that was put into motion decades before any of them were born. Unlike “Silo,” “3 Body Problem” doesn’t take place in a dystopian future, nor is its setting contained to one or two locations. It’s a massive, decades-spanning sci-fi epic brimming with surreal, reality-bending visuals the likes of which wouldn’t make any sense in a more matter-of-fact drama like “Silo.”

But there is an alluring air of intrigue in every episode of “3 Body Problem,” as well as an impressive Prestige TV sheen, both of which make it feel akin to “Silo.” The Netflix show isn’t afraid to upset its own status quo and take big, bold swings, either. It’s an unpredictable and immediately arresting thriller, one that frequently manages to make you scratch your head and lean in at the same time.

“3 Body Problem” is streaming now on Netflix.

“Snowpiercer” (2020)

TNT’s “Snowpiercer” may not be as striking as the Bong Joon-ho film that inspired it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t successful on its own terms. The Daveed Diggs-led drama takes the premise of its parent film and expands it, offering viewers a more fleshed-out look at its dystopian world and the class system that defines it. Set after a climate apocalypse, the series centers on humanity’s few survivors, all of whom have been packed into a perpetually moving train that is divided by class in such a way that makes it impossible to ever ignore the distance between the front-of-the-locomotive haves and the back-of-the-train have-nots.

“Snowpiercer” begins when Diggs’ Andre Layton, a former homicide detective, is reluctantly recruited to investigate a murder. The job gives Andre the chance he needs to start enacting his plan for a train-wide revolt against the rich elite who live at the front of it and who are responsible for keeping the lives of those behind them meager and inhospitable. The show’s story makes it a strong candidate for any “Silo” viewers who are hungry for a sci-fi series roiling with many of the same anti-capitalist themes and cross-class conflicts.

“Snowpiercer” is streaming now on AMC+.

“Station Eleven” (2021)

An adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s award-winning 2014 novel, “Station Eleven” came and went without making much of a impact when it premiered on Max in late 2021. Its quiet initial reception was probably unavoidable. The dystopian series takes place in an alternate reality ravaged by a deadly worldwide pandemic. Coming not long after the COVID-19 pandemic, the show’s subject matter likely made it an unappealing viewing choice for many. That’s understandable but also disappointing, given that “Station Eleven” is a marvel. Created by Patrick Somerville (“The Leftovers,” “Maniac”), the series is the rare dystopian drama that is able to highlight the cost of profound trauma and loss without lingering too long in negativity and nihilism.

The series partly focuses on the adventures of a traveling theater troupe who traverse its post-apocalyptic wasteland putting on plays for every small, makeshift community they come across. The open-hearted desire for connection implied by this act beats at the center of “Station Eleven,” a series that also features more than a few spell-binding, revelatory lead performers (particularly those given by stars Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Lori Petty, and Danielle Deadwyler). It may not have much in common with “Silo,” but “Station Eleven” possesses the same earnest belief that change is capable even in the most hopeless of circumstances. It is also simply one of the best shows of the past 5 years, which just makes it even more of a necessary addition to every “Silo” viewer’s watchlist.

“Station Eleven” is streaming now on Max.