If You Loved 'Greenland: Migration,' This Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Series Is for You

Once again, Gerard Butler returns to the big screen to save the world from some cataclysmic event. A follow-up to his 2020 smash hit, Greenland, Greenland 2: Migration takes place five years after the events of the first film as the last vestiges of humanity attempt to survive. At the start of the film, John Garrity (Butler) and his family are still living in the bunker they took refuge in the first film, but things are going sideways. Much of the drama of the first act revolves around the realities of living underground, ensuring that the audience is as claustrophobic as possible before another tragedy strikes. Dystopian stories like this feel quite timely, which would make one Apple TV+ show an obvious choice for further viewing.

The sci-fi series, Silo, premiered on the streaming platform in 2023, adapted from the book, Wool. Starring Rebecca Ferguson, the series doesn’t take place in a bunker per se, but a titular silo that houses a community of people surviving after a nuclear strike. As in Greenland 2, Silo portends the hardships of living in an enclosed area for an extended period of time and all the trials that come along with it. As opposed to the feature film, Silo shows a much more harrowing experience. Instead of just five years, the inhabitants of the silo have been living this way for generations, afraid of the world outside still being irradiated. With two seasons currently available on Apple TV+, viewers can immerse themselves in a mystery series that takes place at the end of the world.

‘Silo’ Uses Its Surroundings to Tell a Captivating Mystery

Dystopian television shows such as Fallout and The Last of Us may be a popular choice for audiences, but Silo is the underrated gem everyone should be watching. Generations after nuclear fallout, humanity has continued to live on top of each other in a subtly insidious society that values a caste system. People in this society are ranked based on their occupation, with higher-ranking people, such as authority figures, living at the top of the silo while lower-ranking mechanics live at the bottom.

The terrible irony of this is that the silo cannot function without the mechanics who keep the generator running. It is viewed as grunt work, but everyone would die if it weren’t for the hard-working people at the bottom of the silo. One of these mechanics is Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), who gave up her life as a doctor’s daughter because of the fissures in their relationship. This entire system of Silo is based on a practice called “cleaning.” Some cameras show the desolate landscape of the outside world, and these cameras need to be cleaned. However, anyone who goes out there will die from the toxic wasteland. Those who clean are viewed as honorable, people willing to sacrifice their lives for the good of the silo.

If it sounds strange, it’s because it’s supposed to. After the death of her boyfriend, Juliette gets selected to be the sheriff of the silo, where she gets pulled into a conspiracy that literally goes all the way to the top. Silo isn’t just about showing where humanity could end up, but is a grounded series about the very nature of people. Even at the end of the world, people will always grasp for power. There is no such thing as an equal society, and those who hunger for control will continue to be ruthless.

The first season of Silo is not just a dystopian series, but one wrapped in a mystery. Juliette investigates the mysterious circumstances around her boyfriend’s death and discovers the real way that the silo functions. The story is captivating and is elevated even further by Ferguson’s role as Juliette. Even when she only shows up in the last scene of the first episode, she has a commanding presence that carries the momentum of the series. Season 3 of Silo is slated to hit Apple TV+ in 2026, and until then, viewers can catch up on the first two seasons currently streaming.

Release Date May 5, 2023

Showrunner Graham Yost