Pluribus, Vince Gilligan’s long-awaited return to television following Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has debuted to extraordinary acclaim on Apple TV+, earning a near-perfect 99% Rotten Tomatoes critics score and setting the record for Apple TV+’s biggest drama series launch ever—surpassing even Severance Season 2. The sci-fi thriller stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, “the most miserable person on Earth,” who must save humanity from an extraterrestrial virus called “the Joining” that has transformed nearly everyone into a blissfully content hive mind. With 6.4 million viewing hours logged in its first week (per Luminate/Nielsen) and reports of the Apple TV app crashing due to overwhelming demand, the series has resonated deeply with audiences seeking Gilligan’s signature blend of dark humor, psychological tension, and genre-defying storytelling. Critics have hailed it as “one of the best shows of the year,” “wildly inventive,” and proof that Gilligan “is only getting better at delivering great television.”
Cast, Creator, and Directors
Creator, Writer & Executive Producer: Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The X-Files)
Directors: Adam Bernstein, Zetna Fuentes, Melissa Bernstein
Writers: Ariel Levine, Vince Gilligan
Network: Apple TV+
Production: Sony Pictures Television
Main Cast:
– Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka (protagonist, author, “the most miserable person on Earth”)
– Karolina Wydra as Zosia (8 episodes)
– Carlos-Manuel Vesga as Manousos (7 episodes)
– Miriam Shor (guest star, American Fiction)
– Samba Schutte (guest star, Our Flag Means Death)
– Max Reeves (supporting)
Episodes: 9 episodes, Season 1 (Apple already committed to 2 seasons)
Release Schedule: Fridays through December 26, 2025
Premiere Date: November 7, 2025 (two-episode premiere)
Genuine Reviews & Audience Reception
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 99% (102 reviews) – Near-Perfect
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 79%
Critical Acclaim:
– Empire (5/5 stars): “Vince Gilligan’s long-awaited return is a compellingly strange, Black Mirror-style sci-fi satire. And there are plenty of thrills and laughs along the way.”
– AwardsWatch: “Pluribus is one of the best shows of the year… One you won’t forget.”
– BBC.com: “It’s one of the smartest, most entertaining shows of the year.”
– GamesRadar+: “This is easily one of the year’s best and most enjoyable U.S. dramas.”
– Collider: “Pluribus could very well be one of 2025’s greatest, but it’s also proof that Gilligan is only getting better at delivering great television.”
– The New York Times: “A wildly fanciful series that feels unsettlingly real at its core.”
– The Guardian (4/5 stars): “Pluribus has great lines and blackly funny moments but escapist fluff it is not. It’s almost as bleak as real life.”
Mixed Critical Takes:
– The Independent (3/5 stars): “Seehorn is excellent, the premise is interesting, and Apple TV’s production work is as polished as ever. But it just isn’t gripping, feeling instead like a satire that’s unsure what, or who, it’s satirising.”
– The Telegraph (3/5 stars): “Breaking Bad creator’s new sci-fi drama proves the slowest of slow-burns.”
Audience Reviews (IMDb/Reddit):
– “Rhea Seehorn has been amazing so far, and the show itself is impressive. I’d rate it a solid 5 out of 7… the aesthetic and use of analog effects in this show are truly remarkable.”
– “The show is very good but it’s getting a little over hyped. It isn’t must watch, I was never on the edge of my seat… It’s a good show so far but let’s pump the brakes on making it a top 5 all time show.”
– “I stumbled upon this series on Friday while exploring AppleTV, and I was genuinely enjoying it, thrilled to have found a new show to binge-watch.”
– “It’s an interesting idea, but ultimately an overhyped poorly executed show, with annoying characters.” (Dissenting view)
Vince Gilligan’s Approach & Vision
On Creating the Show for Rhea Seehorn: “Something about Rhea stood out to me, and I thought, I want to collaborate with her again. Just like many years ago when I was working on The X-Files, I knew I wanted to team up with Bryan Cranston again. I essentially crafted the role for Rhea. I wanted her to shine, and I felt it was high time for her to take the lead, and I aimed to be the one to elevate her.”
On Proving Himself: “I wanted to prove I wasn’t a one-trick pony. After writing Walter White and Saul Goodman, I felt it was time to write a heroic character, and I wanted to tailor it for Rhea.”
On Changing His Male Lead Assumption: “Rhea changed my perspective. I can be quite unimaginative, particularly when it comes to writing another male protagonist. When I first began to weave together the initial threads of this story, I thought, ‘This will be another guy, as that’s what I know. I’m a guy, so I’ll write about guys.’ At the same time, I was getting acquainted with Rhea Seehorn… She can evoke laughter and tears. She possesses an array of skills and is a delight to collaborate with. So, I decided, ‘Let’s make this new show about a woman instead of a man.'”
On the Show’s Tone: “The drama of the show is that the world’s most miserable person is desperately trying to save the planet from happiness. There’s a surprising amount of drama that we’re mining from that… However, there’s a lot of humor to the premise, too.”
On Trusting Audiences: “My confidence has grown… not in my skills but in the audience’s intelligence.”
On His X-Files Roots: Critics note the series represents “a return to [Gilligan’s] genre-driven roots not seen since his days on The X-Files.”
Rhea Seehorn’s Insights
On the Work Environment: “It’s not possible to express what an incredible work environment it is. Everybody around you is operating at their highest level. You’re being challenged with really difficult work. You feel scared but excited to push yourself. And everyone on set is saying, ‘You’re not going to fall. And even if you do, we’ll be right here to catch you.'”
On the Secretive Marketing: “Vince’s favorite moments of discovering a show or movie he loved were when he knew almost nothing about it. We have an advantage because Vince has already cultivated a loyal following, and I hope we attract new fans, especially with him returning to his sci-fi roots. You almost enter with the understanding that he will challenge genre conventions. He will navigate tonal shifts and take bold risks, so you need to pay close attention and enjoy the ride.”
On Returning to Work with Gilligan: When Better Call Saul ended, Seehorn contacted all the writers, directors, and producers she’d worked with to express her desire to work with them again. “You don’t do something like that if you’re not content—dare we say, fulfilled—with what you’re doing.”
Viewership & Industry Impact
Record-Breaking Launch:
– Biggest drama series launch in Apple TV+ history (surpassing Severance Season 2)
– 6.4 million viewing hours in first week (Luminate/Nielsen)
– #4 on Nielsen Streaming charts (first week, with only 2 episodes)
– Global #1 across 100+ regions including US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, India, France
– Apple TV app reportedly crashed due to overwhelming premiere demand
Apple TV+ Executive Matt Cherniss Statement: “Rarely has keeping the secret of a show we love so much been as fun or as rewarding an experience as it has been with Pluribus. Vince’s strikingly inventive premise blew us away from the second we read it, and witnessing the brilliance with which he has brought this series to life is truly remarkable. It’s a thrill to watch audiences worldwide get hooked on this thought-provoking, insightful and darkly funny show rooted in humanity by an exceptional cast led by the talented Rhea Seehorn.”
Development History: Apple TV+ secured Pluribus in a competitive bidding process in 2022, immediately committing to two seasons. The project had been in Gilligan’s mind for approximately 10 years, developed during his work on Better Call Saul.
Plot & Premise
Pluribus follows Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), one of only thirteen people on Earth immune to “the Joining”—an extraterrestrial virus that has transformed humanity into a blissfully content, euphoric hive mind. Everyone infected is perpetually happy, cooperative, and determined to share their joy with the remaining holdouts. Carol, described as “the most miserable person on Earth,” becomes a reluctant hero tasked with saving humanity from this wave of forced happiness. The series explores what happens when individual consciousness, misery, and autonomy collide with collective contentment. As critics note, the drama mines “a surprising amount” from the ironic premise of someone desperately fighting against happiness itself—while maintaining Gilligan’s trademark dark humor and psychological complexity.
