The storyline of one of Apple TV‘s best sci-fi shows sounds absolutely ridiculous on paper. However, the brilliance with which the series executes its ideas ends up making its story look genius. This is the biggest dichotomy in Apple TV’s Pluribus, which premiered in 2025 and rose in the ranks to become the most-watched series in the history of the streaming service.
After its premiere, Pluribus earned almost unanimous acclaim from critics and still boasts a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. Since Pluribus has been created by Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saulʼs fame, there was already quite some hype surrounding the series before its premiere. However, soon after it landed on Apple TV, it proved to be one of the most inventive and offbeat post-apocalyptic shows.
In Pluribus, the entire world is infected by a virus that makes almost every person unreasonably happy. The main character, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), is one of the handful of immune individuals, forcing her to find a way to save the world from its forced optimism. It is hard not to see how Pluribus‘ storyline is incredibly bizarre, and its central sci-fi concept makes little sense on paper. The show still thrives because of its near-perfect execution of its ideas.
Pluribus Sounds Bizarre On Paper, But Its Execution Is Brilliant
Most post-apocalyptic shows feature bleak worlds where almost the entire human population has been wiped clean by pandemics or calamities. Pluribus seems to mock this with its portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world that is objectively better than the one humanity once knew. Instead of turning into hostile zombies or ruthless monsters, the infected people turn all nice and peaceful.
Meanwhile, it is survivors like Carol who seem miserable and foolish for not accepting the new normal. Pluribus‘ unrealistic setup and the non-serious nature of its world-ending pandemic also makes it seem like a comedy sketch. Something one would expect to see in an SNL sketch that is meant for nothing but gags.
However, as bizarre and ridiculous as Pluribus‘ premise may seem, the show brilliantly executes its story to deliver clever and hard-hitting commentary on conformity and manufactured happiness. Through the infected, it draws a clear picture of how unreasonable happiness and the lack of individuality can also be the perfect representation of one’s lost humanity.
The Apple TV sci-fi show makes it incredibly challenging for viewers to initially root for the protagonist. Unlike the rest of the world, she seems far too stubborn and self-centered. However, as it progresses, it becomes evident that it is these traits that make her far more human.
Pluribus also does not shy away from portraying how Carol’s loneliness makes her a victim of the artificial comforts and false sense of belonging created by the system surrounding her. Owing to this, she, too, stumbles and falls prey to the infected people’s manipulations.
In Carol’s moments of loneliness, Pluribus also dares to become agonizingly slow as it tries to immerse viewers into her tragedy. However, despite all these creative risks, the show turns out to be incredible in its nine-episode runtime if one manages to stick around till its final moments.
Pluribus’ Success Is A Reflection Of Vince Gilligan’s Genius
While Pluribus earned wide acclaim from viewers and critics, some could not help but criticize its slow pace and slow story developments. Considering how Pluribus breaks many storytelling conventions, its criticism and defiance towards traditional television structure could have easily backfired. Despite this, Pluribus became a viral hit on Apple TV, and it is set to return for another season.
Many factors have contributed to Pluribus‘ success on Apple TV. However, it primarily works so well because of Vince Gilligan’s ability to balance absurdism with a bizarre exploration of human morality. Similar to his previous shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Pluribus does not draw a clear line between good and evil characters.
Morality is portrayed more as a spectrum where almost all characters end up finding themselves at either ends of the scale in different arcs of the overarching story. The ones who seem good eventually end up doing some of the worst things possible. Meanwhile, the ones, like Carol, who initially seem miserable become humanity’s last hope.
Considering Vince Gilligan’s previous shows and Pluribus season 1’s ending, the Apple TV show will likely become even more bizarre and “ridiculous” on paper. Yet, Gilligan will somehow make it work and potentially turn it into one of the best modern sci-fi shows.
