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| Apple TV+’s Pluribus Proves That Slow, Smart Storytelling Still Wins in 2025 (Photo: Apple TV) |
Apple TV+ quietly delivered one of its strongest originals of the year with Pluribus, a nine-episode sci-fi drama created by Vince Gilligan that premiered in November and has steadily built serious buzz. Led by Rhea Seehorn in a raw, controlled performance, the series has already earned strong critical praise, solid audience approval, and an official renewal for Season 2. No release date yet, but the confidence from Apple TV+ says plenty.
At its core, Pluribus asks an uncomfortable question: what happens when the world becomes perfectly happy, but no longer free?
Instead of leaning into spectacle, the series digs into emotion, autonomy, and grief, using a stripped-back approach that trusts the audience to sit with silence, discomfort, and moral tension.
A World Where Happiness Isn’t a Choice
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The story follows Carol, played with quiet intensity by Rhea Seehorn, a writer described as “the saddest woman in the world” in a reality where sadness has practically vanished.
After a global infection spreads, humanity becomes linked through a single collective mind. Everyone is kind, calm, and endlessly pleasant. The cost? Individual thought, choice, and privacy no longer exist.
Carol is one of only 13 people worldwide who are immune. That makes her both isolated and dangerous to the new order.
everything is romantic #PLURIBUS pic.twitter.com/wqcvba0TIa
— em 🍉 (@vanderrwaals) December 25, 2025
Over nine episodes, Pluribus tracks her journey as an unlikely anti-hero, attempting to reverse the collective consciousness and restore humanity’s emotional balance. It’s not flashy, and it’s definitely not rushed, but that’s exactly the point.
Some viewers have labelled Carol as cold or difficult, while others feel the series moves too slowly. But that criticism misses the intent. Anyone placed in Carol’s position, watching their life collapse while everyone else smiles through it, would unravel too. The show doesn’t soften her edges, and that honesty is one of its biggest strengths.
Less Dialogue, More Meaning
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In a time where content is often consumed at double speed, Pluribus refuses to shout for attention. It relies on performance, framing, and atmosphere rather than constant explanation.
Emotions are shown, not announced. The direction and acting do the heavy lifting, allowing viewers to fully understand Carol’s internal struggle without being spoon-fed.
The series also introduces other survivors scattered across the world, each responding differently to the same reality. Brief appearances from characters like Mr Diabaté, Laxmi, and Manousos hint at lives shaped by fear, hope, or isolation.
Even with limited screen time, their stories feel lived-in, leaving viewers wanting to know more about how each has adapted to this altered world.
Vince Gilligan’s Signature Is All Over It
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Fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul will instantly recognise Gilligan’s visual language. Shot in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Pluribus shares the same cinematic DNA.
The cinematography is bold without being loud, using wide desert landscapes and empty interiors to mirror emotional emptiness and quiet tension.
In appreciation of the cinematography in Pluribus (2025) pic.twitter.com/2REUZa9i1M
— s. (@toutestt) December 27, 2025
The pacing is deliberate and contemplative. Scenes linger. Processes matter. Silence speaks. This isn’t background viewing; it’s a series that asks for patience and rewards it with depth.
A Relationship Built on Loneliness and Choice
Carol’s personal story adds another layer. She is a bestselling fantasy author who feels disconnected from her own success. Early on, viewers learn that her most famous character was originally imagined differently, reflecting parts of herself she kept hidden.
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Her marriage to her agent Helen, who dies early in the series, leaves Carol grieving and alone in a world that no longer understands grief.
Enter Zosia, sent by the collective mind to monitor Carol. What follows is a slow, complex dynamic shaped by loneliness, attraction, and resistance.
Carol does not want to join the collective, yet she finds herself drawn to the one person assigned to keep her in check. Their relationship builds quietly, culminating in an emotional crossroads that forces Carol to choose between saving one person or saving everyone.
This storyline never feels forced or over-explained. It exists naturally within the narrative, adding emotional stakes rather than defining the entire series. In a TV landscape where many character-driven stories struggle to survive long-term, Pluribus standing firm and earning renewal feels genuinely significant.
Why Pluribus Feels Different
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Pluribus isn’t chasing trends or algorithms. It doesn’t rely on constant twists or viral moments. Instead, it trusts its creator, its cast, and its audience. The result is a series that feels thoughtful, unsettling, and strangely human, even in a world where humanity has lost its edge.
This is easily one of Apple TV+’s most confident releases of 2025, proving that bold ideas and patient storytelling still have a place in modern television.
And now, over to you. Did Pluribus pull you in, or did its slow burn test your patience? Would you fight the collective, or accept a world without pain?