The first season of Silo, the grim adaptation of Hugh Howey’s dystopian novels, left viewers with myriads of questions. Thankfully, the fog of mystery dissipated somewhat in the second instalment of the series. We learned what lies behind the thick doors of the mysterious vault and how terrible the consequences of rebellion can be. Not to mention that we met the true (and surprising) ruler of the silo and got a glimpse into the distant past of Juliette Nichols’ world.
It doesn’t mean, of course, that there are no puzzles left to solve – Juliette and her friends still have a lot of work to do to uncover the truth about the silo. We will follow their further adventures in the series’ third season, as Apple TV+ green-lit Silo’s next instalment without hesitation. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
Note that this article contains spoilers for seasons 1-3 of the show.
When will Silo season 3 be released?
Apple isn’t slowing down production anytime soon. Silo was renewed for a third season on 16 December 2024, after releasing the five episodes of season 2. According to showrunner and executive producer Graham Yost, filming for season 3 is already underway.
However, the premiere date of the show’s next instalment hasn’t yet been announced. Since season 1 premiered in May 2023 and season 2 in November 2024, season 3 may debut in the spring of 2026 if it follows a similar pattern to the gap between the first two seasons.
This date is only a prediction – let’s hope Apple surprises us all and brings the third season at the end of 2025.
Spoilers for seasons 1-3 below.
What book will Silo season 3 be based on?
The show’s first and second seasons adapted storylines from Hugh Howey’s first novel, Wool. Season 3 will move to the events of the second volume, titled Shift. However, there’s a catch.
The second novel in the Silo series mainly covers events that took place over 300 years before Juliette Nichols’ birth, exploring the beginning of silos and the people who created them. The plot features a Georgia congressman, Donald Keene, who appeared in the season 2 finale, renamed Daniel. According to the showrunner, the name change was to prevent associations with the current political situation in the US.
In Shift, the main character Juliette appears only at the very end. However, having a similar plot for the series simply wasn’t possible. As showrunner stated:
We’ve got Rebecca Ferguson, we can’t do a season of television when she’s [only] in the last scene. We’ve got to come up with something different.
To continue Juliette’s storyline in season 3, the creators will likely have to include some of the threads from the third volume of the book series, Dust. It’s also possible that the creators will introduce new plots which Hugh Howey’s novels don’t cover.
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What will the plot of Silo season 3 be?
In the season 2 finale, Juliette finally arrived at Silo 18, now overreached by a rebellion. While the team led by Knox and Shirley intended to seize control over the government, the mob, encouraged by Patrick Kennedy, rushed to kill the chief of IT and go to the surface.
Juliette appeared at the last moment, showing a handwritten banner warning not to go outside. While she was trying to re-enter the silo, she encountered Bernard Holland, dressed up in a containment suit and holding a gun. Knowing that due to the successful rebellion, the whole silo would be exterminated, the IT chief decided to die on the surface.
Thanks to the discovery in Silo 17, Juliette was trying to convince Bernard that there’s a potential way of stopping the poisonous gas and saving the community. She entered the airlock, dragging Bernard with her, only to get caught by a flame sterilization procedure – we last see Juliette and Bernard trapped in a fire, though we know that Juliette’s suit is made of fire-resistant material.
At the same time, Robert Sims, with his wife and kid, reached the safe vault. As a newly named IT shadow, he interacted with The Algorithm in charge of the silos. However, the AI chose Camille Sims as the next ruler of the community.
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Season 2 ended with flashbacks from over 300 years. In the United States, a young congressman and engineer, Daniel, met in the restaurant with a reporter, Helen. Their conversation considered the detonation of a so-called dirty bomb by terrorists and the possibility of the United States storming Iran.
At the end of the meeting, Daniel gave the journalist a shocking souvenir – when Helen opened the bag, a duck-shaped Pez dispenser came into the light. The showrunner has confirmed that this is the same one Juliette has years into the future.
Where does all this lead? In the third season, presumably, the plot line of Silo 18 will be intertwined with flashbacks from over 300 years ago.
After the shocking season 2 finale, viewers are sure to wonder what happened with Juliette and Bernard. As for Juliette, she’s the main character in Hugh Howey’s novels and will definitely appear in the new episodes. She will be on a mission to disable the so-called Safeguard Procedure and stop the poisonous gas from exterminating everyone in Silo 18.
It’s difficult to say now what role Camille Sims and The Algorithm will play in saving the community and what the ambitious Robert Sims will do, pushed away from power by the AI and his wife.
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The fate of Bernard is less clear. The IT chief was a brilliant villain of the series, always clever and strong-willed. However, in the season 2 finale, we saw him resigned and ready to die, giving the impression that that’s the end of his story. Graham Yost appears to confirm this theory to The Wrap:
I will say that in that final confrontation between them, every word is important. There are certain keywords that you’ll see come back big in season 3. I will also say to those who have read the books, Bernard dies at the end of the book, he’s gone. So I would just say that. No one is safe in this show, as we showed in season 1.
The protagonists will likely unravel more mysteries of the silos. Viewers may learn some solutions earlier than the characters, thanks to the plot line related to Daniel and Helen – the flashbacks are meant to reveal the beginnings of the apocalypse.
Many viewers are probably hoping to revisit Silo 17 in season 3, so it’s possible that Juliette may go back to meet Jimmy, aka Solo. The protagonists could also make contact with the inhabitants of the other silos. According to Jimmy, there are 50 in total – as many as there are states in the US.
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Who will be in the cast of Silo season 3?
We expect the following cast members to reprise their roles in the third season of Silo:
- Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette Nichols
- Chinaza Uche as Paul Billings
- Common as Robert Sims
- Alexandria Riley as Camille Sims
- Avi Nash as Lukas Kyle
- Harriet Walter as Martha Walker
- Shane McRae as Knox
- Remmie Milner as Shirley
- Clare Perkins as Carla McLain
- Billy Postlethwaite as Hank
- Rick Gomez as Patrick Kennedy
- Steve Zahn as Jimmy Conroy / Solo
Apple also confirmed that Jessica Henwick and Ashley Zukerman will become series regulars. The duo appeared in the surprising flashback in the season 2 finale, starring as the ambitious reporter Helen and young congressman Daniel respectively.
Apple TV
Iain Glen, who starred as Juliette’s father, may not return in season 3. Pete Nichols was most likely killed by the bomb that he detonated on Silos 18 main stairs. There’s, however, a chance that he will appear in flashbacks from Juliette’s childhood.
Tim Robbins is unlikely to return to the role of Bernard Holland – all indications are that the IT chief died in the airlock.
Will there be season 4 of Silo?
Yes! Apple renewed the series for seasons 3 and 4 at the same time. Both instalments of the show are filmed back-to-back. The fourth season will be the series’ last.
How to watch Silo
Silo is exclusive to Apple TV+. The subscription typically costs $9.99/£8.99 per month, but there are ways to get it for free.