Apple TV is lacking. Severance, Slow Horses and Ted Lasso prove to be the shining jewels in a sparse catalogue. The problem is that Apple TV doesn’t have a hook like some of its competitors. Netflix has a vast array of movies and a number of original series. Disney Plus has all of the beloved properties from your childhood that it has absorbed over the years. Paramount has MAGA adjacent shows for your grandparents. In contrast to its rivals, Apple TV doesn’t have much. But that may be changing with Pluribus. Paired with Severance, Apple’s streaming platform has some of the best Sci-Fi available on the small screen. One could see the streaming service become the home of fewer, but more prestigious television; “all killer no filler,” title Netflix once held before it decided to dumb down its content to “second screen” viewing.
Helmed by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator, Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus tells the tale of Carol Sturka; a Brian Sanderson-Esque fantasy writer who is among thirteen individuals immune to an alien virus that has swept the globe. Every other person on Earth has been united into one super-consciousness, existing in a state of seemingly perpetual bliss and happiness. Their personalities and memories have been absorbed into one super being, simultaneously inhabiting all humans, except for the thirteen. Carol attempts to return the world to its former state, as the hive tries to discover what makes the survivors immune, so it can assimilate them too.
If you are expecting an edge of your seat Sci-Fi thriller; not so much. Pluribus is instead a meditation on the human condition: what makes us who we are; the importance of individuality; and how we deals with grief? Many online have complained about the show’s slow pacing, with some even going as far as to say that it is poorly written due to the plot’s lack of forward drive. Where are the clues, twists and revelations? One thing must be made clear. Pluribus is not Lost. This is not a “mystery box” show. It is instead more interested in how its central character copes with a world gone mad. A lot of time is given to her relationship with the hive, which slavishly devotes itself to making the unassimilated happy. This also applies to Carol, even though she works overtime to destroy it.
The first series is undoubtedly carried by Seehorn (Carol), who turns in a stellar performance. She shines in her every scene, with Carol’s dry and sardonic personality providing much needed relief from the hive’s unending state of perkiness and positivity, reminiscent of Ned Flanders. The direction and cinematography are also stunning and some of the best TV had to offer in 2025. If you want a slow burn, Sci-Fi drama with some philosophical elements, it’s hard to go wrong with Pluribus. As the hive would say: ‘See you soon, Carol!’
“Rhea Seehorn” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
