Apple TV's 30-Episode Dystopian Series Is Peak Sci-Fi

Published Oct 7, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Memory Ngulube joined Screen Rant in April 2024 as part of the Movies and TV team. Since then, she has written for the Perennials and Streaming team, covering a wide range of topics from new releases to old movies and TV shows. Memory is currently a Classic TV writer. Before joining Screen Rant, Memory was a freelance copywriter who specialized in email marketing and social media management. While she enjoyed her job, her true passion was always movies and TV. When she isn’t writing for Screen Rant, Memory can be found reading, baking (which is one of her passions), or watching her favorite K-drama. For the past five years, Apple TV has been cementing its position as the home of prestige science fiction. TV shows like Severance, Pluribus, Foundation, and Dark Matter are currently the best sci-fi shows on TV. While all these aforementioned sci-fi titles are worthy of praise, it's Apple TV’s 30-episode dystopian series that has continuously proven that the streaming platform really is the place to find remarkable science fiction shows. Based on the trilogy of novels, Wool, Shift, and Dust, by Hugh C. Howey, Apple TV’s Silo is undeniably science fiction at its best. Though the series has taken some creative liberties with its source material, Silo remains an exemplary piece of entertainment, both for fans of the books and its small screen adaptation. The Apple TV show’s premise of 10,000 people living in an underground Silo is fairly simple, but it packs a lot into its storyline, from conspiracies to themes of control vs truth. Silo hasn’t had a perfect run through all three seasons, as opinions about the show remain divided. Critics seem to love the originality of the Apple TV sci-fi series, but audiences take issue with its slow pacing. Nevertheless, there is no denying that Silo is peak science fiction. It has everything that a fan of the subgenre would enjoy: a strange world, great characters, and a mystery with no easy answers. Silo Is The Peak Of Sci-Fi TV In 2026 Image via Everett Collection Apple TV’s sci-fi offerings generally tend to perform well with audiences and critics alike. This year, however, Silo has proved to be a cut above the rest. The science fiction show debuted three years ago in 2023 and has only gotten better since then. In fact, Silo is one of Apple TV’s highest-rated sci-fi shows with a 92% Tomatometer rating and a 70% Popcornometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. The mark of any great science fiction show often lies in how it presents a mystery and then sets out to resolve it. Silo, thankfully, does that masterfully. The sci-fi’s first season presented the idea of the Silo and the toxic outside world, and subsequently answered it as the show went on. Of course, the major criticism of Silo’s debut installment was that it barely scratched the surface of its mysteries by the time its first season came to a close. This ultimately made it even more satisfying when Silo season 3 arrived because it had a dual timeline, with one focusing on the past and the other on the future, thereby uncovering some of the show’s best kept secrets. There are, of course, several reasons that the Apple TV original series has been a resounding success, from its dystopian setting to its themes. However, it is the sci-fi show's originality that has made it stand out in 2026’s lineup. Silo Faces Major Competition From Upcoming Sci-Fi Shows The science fiction genre is becoming even more ambitious when it comes to upcoming TV shows. Silo is without a doubt in the top 10 best sci-fi series on TV right now, but that position is likely to change pretty soon. Apple TV made its biggest gamble with the adaptation of William Gibson’s seminal novel Neuromancer. The 10-episode cyberpunk sci-fi series is one of the most highly anticipated shows set to premiere on the streaming platform in 2027. While Neuromancer’s arrival on the small screen has been waited for with bated breath by fans of the distinguished author, RoboCop, as well as Blade Runner 2099, a prequel to Blade Runner 2049, are two other TV shows that will give Silo a run for its money. Both of these sci-fi juggernauts hail from beloved movies, so it will be interesting to see how they will be brought to life in episode form. Vought Rising, a spinoff of the Prime Video superhero series The Boys, is also part of the exciting upcoming sci-fi lineup. Other than brand-new TV shows, there are exciting returning sci-fi series such as the second season of 3 Body Problem that will undoubtedly diversify the genre’s portfolio. Only time will tell if these upcoming series have what it takes to rival one of the best science fiction shows of the 2020s so far. Though they all have something unique to offer, Silo is still a series that it isn’t easy to compare with overall. This Apple TV masterpiece feels more than ready to stave off the competition, however many other great sci-fi shows are coming through. Release Date May 5, 2023 Network Apple TV Showrunner Graham Yost Cast Rebecca Ferguson Juliette Nichols In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.