Imagine a TV show so captivating that it becomes the most talked-about phenomenon of the year, yet manages to keep its core plot a complete secret right up until its premiere. That's exactly what happened with "Pluribus," the Apple TV+ sensation that took 2025 by storm. How did they pull it off?
Before October 2025, all anyone knew about "Pluribus" was that it starred the incredible Rhea Seehorn (of "Better Call Saul" fame), was the brainchild of television genius Vince Gilligan (the mastermind behind both "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul"), and involved some unsettling, yet oddly cheerful, smiling petri dishes. But the actual storyline? A complete mystery.
In today's crowded television landscape, where new shows practically have to shout from the rooftops to get noticed, "Pluribus" took the opposite approach: silence. It was a bold gamble, placing almost all its chips on Gilligan's reputation – the hope that the man behind two of the 21st century’s most critically acclaimed dramas could deliver a third home run.
Gilligan, who began his career 30 years ago as a writer on the iconic sci-fi series "The X-Files," was clearly excited to return to the genre. "There was a certain level of expectation, I think, people had for me to do something else in the 'Breaking Bad' universe," Gilligan told ABC News. "I haven't written a flat-out hero since Scully and Mulder."
And it seems the gamble paid off handsomely. As its first season neared its end, "Pluribus" garnered numerous award nominations. And shortly after its seventh episode aired, Apple TV+ proudly announced that "Pluribus" had become its most-watched show ever (https://x.com/AppleTV/status/1999600267944427859). It was a resounding confirmation: Gilligan had done it again.
So, what's "Pluribus" actually about?
The show initially presents itself as hard sci-fi, depicting a future where a beamed RNA sequence transforms humanity into a single, perpetually happy hive mind. In this unified consciousness, famine, war, and disease are relics of the past, as nearly every human on Earth becomes one.
But here's where it gets controversial... Beneath the high-concept premise, "Pluribus" delves into the grounded, human stories of characters living in its vividly saturated Albuquerque, New Mexico setting. The central figure is Carol Sturka (played by Seehorn), a frustrated, dissatisfied romantasy author secretly yearning to write about more than just muscular heroes. Carol is one of the few individuals immune to the hive mind's influence, and she's determined to uncover the truth behind the phenomenon.
Seehorn's performance has received widespread acclaim, which comes as no surprise to Gilligan. In fact, she was the primary reason he wanted to create the show in the first place. "I realised I want to work with Rhea Seehorn again. So the character went from male to female," Gilligan said. "I had this idea about someone who wasn't even that happy a person, but everybody loved them, and everybody would do anything for them. When you have an idea like that, you kind of have to explain it in science fiction terms. It doesn't avail itself of a real world explanation."
Carol isn't alone in her resistance to the collective. However, the other survivors aren't as eager to fight back against their serene conquerors. Some are even awaiting the hive mind to accept them, tempted by the promise of perfect contentment and familial harmony.
And this is the part most people miss... While Gilligan insists that "Pluribus" isn't simply a platform for virtue signaling, he acknowledges that the core of the show lies in Carol's struggle to make the other non-hive-minded characters recognize what they're willingly giving up.
"I'm kind of intrigued about the difference between individuality and conformity," he says. "That stuff interests me, the idea of being happy, and how important is that to us?"
Gilligan was also inspired by the current state of political division in the United States, aiming to illustrate that a world where everyone agrees might not be as utopian as it seems.
"I think everybody hates that we live in a country that feels like there's two sides, two armed camps. It feels like we're on the edge of civil war some days, and I hate that," he says. "I don't think anybody wants to live like this. They want to figure out a way to get back to a culture, a civilisation where people can disagree… the world of 'Pluribus' where everybody agrees, that doesn't sound so good either. But can we find a place where people disagree but they're cool about it?"
Watching Carol's growing frustration with her fellow resisters' acceptance of the hive mind, as it caters to their every desire, evokes a similar feeling to trying to convince a friend that asking ChatGPT what kind of sandwich to eat isn't the best use of their time.
Gilligan, who has openly shared his views on AI in film and television, says that the parallel was purely accidental.
"I really wasn't thinking about AI when I came up with 'Pluribus,' partly because I came up with it almost 10 years ago, but if people have that takeaway, more power to them," he laughs. "Anything I can do to make people realise that humans telling stories about other humans to humans is our greatest achievement... That's one of our highest achievements, the stories we tell one another, they have literally changed the world. The idea of robots or computers telling stories to human beings, it horrifies me."
"Pluribus" is currently streaming on Apple TV+. Now, here's a thought-provoking question: Is the pursuit of universal happiness worth sacrificing individuality and the freedom to disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Do you think a world where everyone agrees is truly desirable, or is conflict and disagreement essential to progress and personal growth? Let's discuss!
