Why Apple TV's Silo Made Two Major Changes From The First Book

"Silo" is one of the best sci-fi shows on AppleTV. Based on Hugh Howey's book series of the same name, "Silo" is post-apocalyptic fiction, set long after the collapse of civilization in a dystopian future where the remnants of humanity live inside a silo 144 levels underground. 

This is a thrilling, intriguing sci-fi drama with impeccable worldbuilding, exquisite production design that makes the silo feel like a real and tactile place, a fantastic cast (Steve Zahn is in season 2 and he crushes it), and also a well-plotted mystery box. "Silo" starts out in many ways like the anime "Attack on Titan," with a lived-in world with an oppressive secret police, plenty of conspiracies, and a larger mystery about the truth of the world outside the walls the characters inhabit.

This mystery about the truth of the outside world makes for most of the story of the first season of "Silo," but it is one of the major changes from the first book. As show creator Graham Yost told The Motion Picture Association, "We had a question of when we would find out that the world was really dead outside, because in the books, we're in Holston's point of view, and when he takes off his helmet, he sees that the world really is dead." Holston is a character played by David Oyelowo, who ventures out of the silo in the first season and meets his doom. 

"It was Max Aronson at Apple who said, 'Hey, what if we didn't reveal that until the end, so that's a mystery, too?'" Yost added. "And I was like, 'That's a really good idea. Let it be Juliette who takes the audience into that.'" Juliette, played by Rebecca Ferguson, is a character who takes Holston's job as sheriff and uncovers a conspiracy. 

"So, once we had the ending, we knew that we wanted to start with the Sheriff and his wife, which we knew was a risky move," Yost continued. "But we also knew that the first two episodes would be released together, and people would hopefully get hooked into the Juliette story when she shows up."

This is also why another change from the books works so well. In the books, Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) goes from an engineer to a sheriff in rather quick succession. For the TV adaptation, Yost and the writers decided to flesh out Juliette's time as sheriff so we care about her and the mysteries simultaneously. "We built more of a story for her, trying to find out what happened to her boyfriend," Yost explained. "Which also just gave up a nice engine for that character and something personal because I love the idea that Juliette never, ever set out to be the hero of the silo. That was preposterous to her. All she wanted to find out is what happened to her boyfriend."

This approach is what made all the difference in making "Silo" the fantastic watch it is. It's not that we don't know the outside world is messed up, but that there are other silos, and that there is a specific reason why those who go out to clean are shown a fake vision of a green and lush outside world. "Silo" is not as much a question of what, but of why. Not what lies beyond the silos, but why it is hidden. Why there is a safeguard procedure to kill every single person in a silo if they dare revolt. Then, by the time answers start coming, the audience is all in.