As a massive fan of both shows, I started watchingSiloandFalloutas soon as they premiered, but I’m only just now realizing they share a very similar premise. They both boast many of the same facets of a specific type of sci-fi show, but there have also been just about enough differences for it to take me until now to make the connection between the two projects. With Rebecca Ferguson leading theSilocastand Ella Purnell playing the lead role in theFalloutcast, the strength of both leading ladies is just one of the many parallels.
Sci-fi is my favorite genre by far, so I’m elated the category has experienced a huge resurgence in recent years. It never completely vanished, but other genres have definitely received more attention than sci-fi until fairly recently. Thankfully, these kinds of shows don’t seem to be going anywhere for the time being. For instance,Apple TV+’s impressive library of sci-fi showsjust keeps continuing to grow, withSilobeing just one of the many brilliant examples. However, other platforms, such as Prime Video, are also following the same trend.
Silo & Fallout Are Both Dystopian Sci-Fi Shows That Involve Underground Bunkers
Apple TV+ & Prime Video have an unintended rivalry going on
Apple TV+‘sSilobegan in 2023, telling a post-apocalyptic tale of Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette Nichols being thrust into the role of Sheriff in the underground bunker she calls her home. Her ongoing interest in what’s happening on the planet’s devastated surface permeatesSiloseason 1, eventually leading to her heading up top to find out firsthand why her community is confined to Silo 18. Take away the title of Sheriff, and Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean has a startingly similar arc in Prime Video’sFalloutTV.
Every Cameo In Amazon’s Fallout Show Explained
Fallout’s celebrity cameos come in all shapes and sizes, with certain actors stepping in for single shots while others stay for longer.
I’ve never watched them side by side, asFalloutseason 1 premiered just under a year afterSiloseason 1. However, when they’re directly compared, I think the similarities betweenSiloandFalloutare impossible to miss. Not only are both main characters discouraged from leaving their respective homes behind, but their curiosity is also rewarded with a macabre reality when they reach the surface. Of course, there are differences between the shows, but that won’t let me forget about the numerous parallels now I’ve spotted them.
Silo & Fallout’s Origins Explained
Both shows started off as different forms of media
NeitherSilonorFalloutare original concepts, as they both have been adapted from pre-existing source material. The Apple TV+ show began as a series of books, andSilohas made several changes to the Hugh Howey novels. These alterations aren’t unusual when a story is making a jump from one medium to another, so it’s a pretty traditional reworking. On the other hand,Amazon took a very different approach when adaptingFallout.
Whereas Hugh Howey wrote his novels as a series of serialized stories, all theFalloutgames are standalone narratives.
TheFalloutvideo gameswere used as the basis for the show. WhileSilois a direct adaptation of Howey’s book series,Falloutmade the unconventional decision to set the show within the same continuity as the games. In other words, whatever happened in the source material, is also relevant to the show’s original plot. The creative choice resulted in certainFalloutmoments from the show only making sense because of the games’ rules. I still think it’s a weird move, but I’m also positive such a brilliant decision is what has helped the show stand out.
Why Silo & Fallout Are Both Worth Watching (For Different Reasons)
Silo is much darker than Fallout (but Fallout does its own thing brilliantly)
For anyone wondering if they should simply pick eitherSiloorFalloutto watch, I would strongly advise not choosing, and just enjoying both instead. Sure, they’re not entirely dissimilar, but they’re not identical either. Both shows have vastly different tones, allowing for separate takes on what is, at its core, a pretty depressing premise. WhereasSiloleans into the misery and danger of living in such a world,Falloutsomehow finds the humor in almost every situation and offers a far more hopeful future for Lucy than Juliette would appear to have inSilo.
Fallout
Cast
Set 200 years after an apocalypse, Fallout follows residents of luxury shelters as they re-enter a post-nuclear world. Confronted with a bizarre and violent landscape, the series explores the stark contrasts between their sheltered existence and the harsh realities of the outside universe.
One of the biggest differences is that, ifSilocontinues to adhere to its source material, the story will have a natural endpoint.Falloutdoesn’t necessarily have that limitation, as it simply uses theworld of Falloutas a kind of narrative sandbox, allowing it to continue crafting original plots that don’t rely too heavily on the games. From a purely aesthetic point of view,Falloutalso maintains the glossy, vibrant aesthetic of the source material, whereasSiloturns to the dark, brooding feel one would usually associate with a story of this nature.
Silo
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.
