The debut of Vince Gilligan’s highly-anticipated new series, Pluribus, on Apple TV has made an immediate and massive impact, shattering the streaming service’s record for a series launch.
The show, which re-teams the acclaimed creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul with star Rhea Seehorn, presents a mind-bending, post-apocalyptic science fiction premise where nearly all of humanity has been assimilated into a peaceful, relentlessly optimistic hive mind known as the “Others.”
Critics have universally praised the show’s originality, stylistic depth, and Seehorn’s powerhouse performance as Carol Sturka, one of only a handful of immune individuals grappling with the existential loneliness and philosophical complexity of this new reality. The overwhelming viewership success confirms Pluribus as the latest must-watch sensation from one of television’s most compelling storytellers.
The Phenomenon of ‘Pluribus’
The show’s instant record-breaking success is a testament to the immense anticipation surrounding Vince Gilligan’s first series following the conclusion of the Breaking Bad universe, as well as the strong critical reception.
The nine-episode first season premiered with two episodes on November 7, 2025, and logged an astounding 6.4 million hours watched in its first week in the U.S., according to Pop Tingz on X. This performance instantly surpassed the previous Apple TV record holder—the second season premiere of Severance—for viewership, highlighting not only Gilligan’s creative cachet but also the magnetic appeal of a truly unique science fiction concept executed with high-level cinematic quality, evidenced by the show’s reported $15 million per-episode budget.
The core concept of Pluribus (styled PLUR1BUS) is drawn from the Latin phrase e pluribus unum, meaning ‘out of many, one.’ The story centers on Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), an American fantasy romance author and one of only thirteen people worldwide who are immune to “the Joining.” This event resulted from an extraterrestrial RNA virus that transformed the rest of humanity into a harmonious collective consciousness, the “Others.”
The Others are non-violent and seek to amicably assimilate the few immune individuals, placing Carol in a terrifying and deeply lonely position as the last vestige of independent thought in a world suddenly filled with content, interconnected people—including her recently deceased partner, whose memories now live within the hive mind.
The show’s stylistic influences, including The Twilight Zone and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, are evident, yet critics agree that Pluribus stands as its own thing, offering a unique and resonant allegory for contemporary concerns, especially the modern lure and potential dangers of artificial intelligence.