Apple TV+ just dropped the first two episodes of Pluribus, the highly anticipated new series from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. The sci-fi mystery stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol, one of the few humans unaffected by a global event that turns nearly everyone into perpetually happy, peaceful beings. Early reviews praise the show's deliberate pacing and Seehorn's compelling performance as someone who must save a world that might not want saving.
Apple TV+ is betting big on prestige sci-fi again. Today's debut of Pluribus marks another major content investment from the streaming service, bringing Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan back to television with a premise that's equal parts intriguing and unsettling. The show stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol, a miserable fantasy novelist who becomes humanity's unlikely savior after a global event transforms nearly everyone into perpetually blissful beings. What makes Pluribus particularly compelling isn't just its high-concept premise, but how Gilligan and his team approach the logistics of their strange new world. According to The Verge's review, the series takes time to explore practical questions like how food production works when most humans can't harm any living creature. These details provide some of the show's most impactful revelations. Seehorn's performance anchors the entire production, with critics noting her ability to make audiences simultaneously laugh, cry, and feel frustrated with Carol's character. "She's a miserable and often frustrating character, and yet it's hard to keep your eyes off of Seehorn," writes reviewer Andrew Webster. The series represents Apple's continued push into premium sci-fi content, competing directly with Netflix's Stranger Things and HBO's Westworld for audiences hungry for cerebral genre television. Gilligan told The Verge that he's increasingly confident in viewers' intelligence: "The older I get, the more confident I get, not in terms of my abilities but in the wisdom of the audience. The kind of shows that we create attract really smart viewers." This confidence shows in Pluribus's structure. The series includes long, dialogue-free sequences and takes its time revealing key plot points - a risky approach in today's binge-watching culture. But early reactions suggest the patience pays off, with the show rewarding viewers who stay engaged with its measured reveals. The show's premise raises fascinating philosophical questions about whether a world of enforced happiness actually needs saving. As one character notes, the day of the global change was the "greatest day in the history of humanity" - a perspective that complicates Carol's mission and gives the series moral complexity beyond typical post-apocalyptic fare. For , Pluribus represents another attempt to establish TV+ as a destination for sophisticated original content. The service has had mixed success with sci-fi offerings, with shows like Foundation and Invasion receiving lukewarm reception despite significant budgets. Industry analysts will be watching Pluribus closely to see if Gilligan's pedigree can deliver the breakout hit needs to justify its massive content investments. The series also benefits from perfect timing, arriving as audiences show renewed appetite for cerebral science fiction following the success of shows like Severance and The Last of Us. Viewers can watch the first two episodes immediately, with additional episodes rolling out weekly - a release strategy has adopted to maintain engagement and cultural conversation around its premium content.
