The new science fiction series Pluribus from Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, has made a powerful debut on Apple TV+. The show achieved a perfect 100% score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and viewers alike praising it as one of the best new shows of the year.
What Is Pluribus About?
Pluribus is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The story follows Carol Sturka, a cynical and discontented romance novelist played by Rhea Seehorn. A mysterious global event, triggered by an RNA sequence from a deep space signal, transforms nearly all of humanity into a blissfully content hive mind.
Carol discovers she is one of only eleven people immune to this change. She finds herself completely alone in a world where everyone else is permanently happy and connected, forcing her to navigate this new reality while grappling with the loss of everything she knew. The series explores deep questions about individuality, community, and what it means to be human.
“Nobody sane is that happy,” Carol insists in the show, her droll skepticism becoming a refreshing quality in a world of smiley-faced people.
A Critical Triumph from Its First Episode
The show’s debut has been met with universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, Pluribus holds a 100% approval rating based on numerous critic reviews. Viewers and critics have described the first episode as “one of the best pilots in recent memory” and “one of the greatest first episodes of television I’ve ever seen.”
Many reviews highlight that the show is unlike anything else currently on television. It combines the high-concept ambition of classic sci-fi like The Twilight Zone and Invasion of the Body Snatchers with the patient, character-driven storytelling that defined Gilligan’s previous work. The result is a story that is both a large-scale sci-fi mystery and an intimate character study.
Rhea Seehorn’s Award-Worthy Performance
A significant portion of the praise is directed at Rhea Seehorn’s lead performance. After stealing scenes as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, Seehorn now owns the entire screen as Carol. Critics note that she delivers a “searingly soulful” performance, expertly balancing tragedy, wit, and sheer screen presence.
Gilligan wrote the role of Carol specifically for Seehorn, and the series rests heavily on her shoulders. She portrays a flawed but relatable hero, a woman whose cynicism and anger might be the very things that save humanity. The role demands a wide range, from isolated despair to sharp, sarcastic humor, and Seehorn meets every challenge.
“Rhea Seehorn creates a totally unique antiheroine: a mix of righteous, messy humanity and ugliness. It’s brilliant,” said one viewer online.
Vince Gilligan’s Return to Sci-Fi
With Pluribus, Vince Gilligan returns to his science fiction roots, having been a key writer on The X-Files before creating his acclaimed crime dramas. However, this project is his most ambitious to date. The show features a globetrotting, world-spanning scope that is larger than anything he has attempted before, with a reported budget of $15 million per episode.
The series is also noted for its technical excellence. It features meticulously crafted scenes, clever camera angles, and impressively choreographed sequences where dozens of extras move in unison to represent the hive mind. The show uses silence as a powerful storytelling tool, putting faith in the audience to watch carefully without unnecessary exposition.
A Show That Makes You Think
Beyond its thrilling plot, Pluribus is being celebrated for its smart social commentary. The story serves as an exploration of themes like individuality versus conformity, and it subtly processes collective traumas, such as the experience of pandemic-era isolation. The title itself, drawn from the U.S. motto E pluribus unum (“Out of many, one”), emphasizes its focus on the collective “many.”
The show does not provide easy answers. Instead, it presents a fascinating conflict: while Carol fights to restore individual freedom, the unified world has also solved many social issues, creating a peaceful and efficient global society. This friction forces the audience to question their own values and the nature of a perfect world.
The first two episodes of Pluribus are now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes are released every Friday.
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