When a show launches from the creative mind behind Breaking Bad (2008) and Better Call Saul (2015), you expect big things. Enter Pluribus (stylized as PLUR1BUS), the new sci-fi thriller on Apple TV that asks one unsettling question. What if the thing you're trying to fix is actually something people are choosing to embrace?
Created by Vince Gilligan, Pluribus drops us in a world where most of humanity has been swept up by an otherworldly wave of blissful conformity, and one unhappy romance novelist might be the only person left who sees the cracks. It's sleek, weird, and eerily familiar all at once. The title alone is a head-turner, hinting at themes of unity, assimilation, and the loss of self. It's a show built for exploratory discussions and maybe even a little bit of existential dread.
What Does 'Pluribus' Mean? (And What Is The TV Show About?)
The word "Pluribus" is taken from Latin. In classical usage, plūribus translates to "many," "of many," or "from many." It appears most famously in the phrase E Pluribus Unum, which means "Out of many, one." Until 1956, this phrase served as an unofficial motto of the United States of America. In the context of the show, that phrase takes on a much darker, sci-fi twist, referring to a collective consciousness forming from distinct individuals.
So, what is the show with a complicated name about? Pluribus focuses on Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn), a historical romance novelist living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who suddenly finds herself among the very few people who are immune to a mysterious event that has turned nearly everyone else into unwaveringly happy, hive-mind-like beings. And as the most miserable person on Earth must, she has to save the world from happiness.
Gilligan has described the show as his version of a zombie-apocalypse tale. But in his story, the infected aren't mindless gore-monsters, they're blissful and cooperative. In other words, as a viewer, you're being asked to question whether forced harmony is more terrifying than outright chaos. From a theme perspective, the title Pluribus works double time. It evokes both the literal "many" (people) and the transformation into "one" (the collective).
Gilligan told the press that while he liked the American patriotic connotation of "E Pluribus Unum," he intended the series to be global in scope, not just an American allegory. So whether you interpret it as "many becoming one," "out of many we are one," or simply "from the many" growing into something singular and unstoppable, the title is your key to unpacking the show's central issue of individuality vs assimilation.
'Pluribus' Was Secretly Inspired By This Sci-Fi Classic
If you're planning to watch Pluribus, you might want to skip this part, or at least tread carefully. One of the sharper comparisons floating around is to the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and for good reason. That classic depicts an insidious takeover of human society via pods and duplicates. Essentially, people losing their autonomy and becoming part of a homogenized collective. Pluribus takes this concept and reroutes it.
Instead of alien pods replacing humans, a virus or signal infects humans, making them all infallibly happy and aligned. Gilligan has openly acknowledged the "zombie apocalypse drama" framing. But he also said his interest lay in exploring a world in which "everyone was nice" and what that actually implies because a world with no negativity might sound like heaven, but on- screen, it feels like something much darker. What makes Pluribus different from Invasion of the Body Snatchers is that Carol and a handful of others remain immune.
They're the anomaly witnessing change, and serve as the viewpoint for audiences who get to follow their confusion, resistance, and the moral grey zones they uncover. That feeling of existential dread, coupled with Gilligan's trademark storytelling, gives Pluribus its uneasy undercurrent. It's less about alien terror and more about the cost of enforced unity. That's a twist you didn't see in the pods.
Should You Watch 'Pluribus'?
If you're scanning your streaming grid and wondering whether Pluribus is worth the time, here's the breakdown. If you love cerebral sci-fi that blends high concept with low stakes (in the sense of personal, rather than global), this is right up your alley. Fans of television shows like Severance (2022) or even older offerings like The X-Files (1993) will enjoy this show. It's stylish and thoughtful in the way it sets its tone and builds its weird world.
If you prefer your sci-fi fast-paced, heavy on spectacle and light on philosophical unease, you might be in for a slower ride. Some early commentary suggests that the very thing making the show unique (its mood, its ambiguity) could also frustrate viewers who want everything spelled out. But you should absolutely watch Pluribus if you're up for something bold, different, and slightly off-beat.
It may not be popcorn fun viewing, but if you're willing to surrender some comfort in return for big ideas and haunting questions about autonomy, happiness, and human connection, Pluribus is that rare new show you'll want to talk about for hours after you're done watching. The series currently holds the number one spot on the JustWatch streaming charts.
