Apple TV+'s dystopian sci-fi series Silo, starring Rebecca Ferguson, has become the latest victim of review bombing on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite earning a perfect 100% critics' score for its third season—a rare feat even for acclaimed shows like Severance—the audience rating has plummeted to 57%, driven by a coordinated campaign from disgruntled fans.
The show, based on Hugh Howey's bestselling novels, returned for its third season to widespread critical praise. Collider's Tania Hussain called it "essential viewing," and the Rotten Tomatoes consensus hails it as "a masterful dystopian tale with expertly driven character arcs." Yet, a vocal subset of viewers has taken issue with the season's narrative choices, particularly its use of a memory loss trope and deviations from the source material.
Review bombing is nothing new in entertainment. Recent targets include Netflix's Little House on the Prairie remake, which also saw its audience score drop below 60% despite a "Certified Fresh" critics' rating. As noted in our coverage of that controversy, nostalgia-bait often invites backlash when adaptations stray from beloved originals.
But Silo's case carries an ugly undercurrent. One reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes wrote that "feminists got a hold of it," echoing a pattern seen in past review-bombing campaigns against projects like Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, Captain Marvel, The Acolyte, and The Last of Us—all of which feature women or minority characters in prominent roles. This suggests the backlash may be less about fidelity to the books and more about targeting inclusive storytelling.
Ferguson, who also executive produces, anchors the series as engineer Juliette Nichols. The show premiered in 2023 and has already been renewed for a fourth and final season, set for 2027. For fans seeking more sci-fi excellence, our list of 10 flawless sci-fi movie masterpieces offers plenty of recommendations.
While review bombing can distort audience scores, it rarely reflects the true quality of a show. Silo Season 3 is streaming now on Apple TV+, and critics remain unanimous: this is dystopian storytelling at its finest.
