The latest from creator Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) premieres on Apple TV this week, and the first reviews are unanimously positive. Titled Pluribus, the sci-fi drama stars Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul) as a romance novelist who finds herself among the few people immune to an extra-terrestrial threat. Its perfect Tomatometer score was achieved thanks to praises directed mostly at Seehorn’s performance and the mystery-fueled storytelling.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pluribus:
Is it one of the best shows of the year?
Pluribus is one of the best shows of the year… One you won’t forget.
— Tyler Doster, AwardsWatch
It’s one of the smartest, most entertaining shows of the year.
— Caryn James, BBC.com
This is easily one of the year’s best and most enjoyable U.S. dramas.
— Will Salmon, GamesRadar+
I’ll have to see the season’s last two episodes to know if Pluribus is one of the year’s best shows, but the potential is there.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Pluribus could very well be one of 2025’s greatest, but it’s also proof that Gilligan is only getting better at delivering great television.
— Carly Lane, Collider
It’s one of the fall season’s must-watch series.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
(Photo by Apple TV+)
Will fans of Vince Gilligan’s other shows enjoy it?
The first seven episodes of Pluribus remind me quite a bit of the first seasons of Gilligan’s last two series, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
— Ben Travers, IndieWire
As Carol starts trying to find a solution for humanity’s predicament, it becomes an elaborate “process” show in ways that have a lot in common with Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Pluribus approaches its hero just as Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul approached their antiheroes: honestly.
— Kelly Connolly, TV Guide
The series is a far cry from the meth-cooked chaos of Albuquerque’s criminal underworld, signaling a return to [Gilligan’s] genre-driven roots not seen since his days on The X-Files.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
It’s as funny and thrilling as Vince Gilligan’s previous work… [but] may not be what fans of Gilligan’s other shows are expecting.
— Will Salmon, GamesRadar+
Pluribus does lack one luxury enjoyed by its Gilliganian predecessors: a propulsive narrative engine.
— Nicholas Quah, New York Magazine/Vulture
Breaking Bad fans might find it all a bit silly and underwhelming.
— Ed Power, Irish Times
Are there any other comparable shows or movies?
At times, it brings to mind the comedy The Good Place. At other times, it recalls the eeriness of HBO drama The Leftovers, but throughout it shifts easily from one tone to the other.
— Caryn James, BBC.com
There’s a Severance vibe here, and The Leftovers, too, along with a touch of The Last Man on Earth.
— Verne Gay, Newsday
While there are plenty of comparisons to be made between the two, I don’t think Pluribus is the next Severance. I think it’s something even better.
— Jake Kleinman, Polygon
It’s an Invasion of the Body Snatchers-ish scenario, but without the screaming horrors… [It] feels inspired by familiar titles such as The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, and even Robert Zemeckis’s underrated Contact.
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
It evokes classic sci-fi — Huxley’s Brave New World by way of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with a stop in Gilligan’s old X-Files territory.
— Kelly Connolly, TV Guide
(Photo by Apple TV+)
Is it also completely original?
Pluribus is wildly inventive… Wholly unique, unlike any other show on the air or streaming right now.
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
It’s a genuinely original science fiction show, unlike anything else on TV right now… Truly one-of-a-kind.
— Will Salmon, GamesRadar+
This show is fresh, breathtaking, and exciting.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
Pluribus can have the feel of an acting exercise… That’s not a criticism; it’s a joy for a production this big to have such an experimental, risk-taking slant.
— Alison Herman, Variety
Whatever else can be said about Pluribus, nobody could accuse Gilligan of playing it safe.
— Ed Power, Irish Times
Does it look as good as Gilligan’s other shows?
The direction and visuals are reminiscent of Gilligan’s style on his previous shows, with an emphasis on bold colors and precise camerawork that enhance the disorientation of the story.
— Katie Doll, CBR
There are moments of genuine beauty here, along with the type of comedic camerawork Gilligan does best.
— Jake Kleinman, Polygon
I’m not sure there’s a director currently working in TV who gets as much value out of every corner of the frame as Gilligan does, which is why so many of his episodes improve upon second viewing. That’s true of the Pluribus pilot.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
The show’s visual storytelling is lovely. There are long stretches with few words.
— Kelly Connolly, TV Guide
There are some Vince Gilliganisms here to keep you from wondering whether you’ve stumbled into someone else’s apocalyptic fever dream.
— Verne Gay, Newsday
(Photo by Apple TV+)
How is the writing?
The series carries a coating of Gilligan’s dry, ironic, and morally astute writing—darkly humorous, profoundly ironic, yet never cynical.
— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation
Gilligan’s signature storytelling remains intact: a nonlinear structure, patient character development, and the slow unfolding of secondary storylines that eventually intertwine.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
[It has] sharp writing by Gilligan and an incredibly creative approach to each piece of this sweeping story.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
[It has] a plot that kept me just curious enough to ignore the surplus of genre familiarity.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Pluribus is all percolator, less interested in moving through story than in reacquainting us with the thrill of watching something unfold, the disquiet that comes from sitting too long with a feeling, and the strange clarity that emerges when your brain syncs to its rhythm.
— Nicholas Quah, New York Magazine/Vulture
The show eventually runs into a bit of a storytelling rut…after a few episodes, Carol’s plight threatens to get repetitive, hitting the same story beats again and again.
— Dave Nemetz, TV Line
Will it spark a lot of discussion among viewers?
Pluribus seems poised to become the next big prestige streaming series to dominate cultural conversation.
— Nicole Gallucci, Decider
Pluribus doesn’t have the same mystery box feel as Severance, its closest analog in the current Apple roster, though it invites plenty of questions.
— Alison Herman, Variety
[It has] a straightforward concept that, in execution, proves to be anything but, revealing new layers and ideas to be contemplated as it evolves.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
Some viewers will be frustrated at the pace information is distributed in Pluribus. Others will recognize that the show is driven by Carol’s perspective and that information is distributed based on her interest and logic.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
It’s another addictive piece of television that, like all the best sci-fi-adjacent content, is as much about asking questions and challenging ideas as it is about the expansive world it creates and the characters that exist within it.
— Tim Glanfield, The Times
Pluribus rewards acute attention and an engaged mind.
— Ben Travers, IndieWire
The show’s enigma is its beating heart, and overanalyzing its narrative threads only dulls its effect.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
(Photo by Apple TV+)
Is it funny?
It’s an extremely funny, somewhat unsettling, impressively odd show… It functions best as a comedy, one in which sometimes nightmarishly dark things happen and other times nightmarishly dark things are implied.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Pluribus can be quite a humorous show when embracing its wacky ideas.
— Katie Doll, CBR
It’s often laugh-out-loud funny.
— Jean Henegan, Pop Culture Maniacs
How is Rhea Seehorn’s lead performance?
Phenomenal… Seehorn has a unique gift to really make it seem like her characters are digesting what they’re experiencing.
— Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
Seehorn, whose work in Better Call Saul is among the most exceptional across any series in recent years, knocks it out of the park here, too.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
Seehorn commands the screen, giving a hilarious performance that gives way to a more solemn reflection on life without interaction.
— Tyler Doster, AwardsWatch
Seehorn’s performance [is] one of the year’s best. It is subtle, emotionally layered, and sneaks up on you.
— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation
Seehorn flips through Carol’s multi-layered dimensions using a balance between exemplary comedic timing and dramatic delicacy.
— Katie Doll, CBR
It might have worked to some degree with other actresses of a similar quality, but it delivers its blend of emotional drama, broad comedy, and unsettling horror thanks to Seehorn’s versatility… She’s exactly the kind of actress you want steering a one-woman show. She’s broad and raw one moment, and rays of light burst out the next, and she barely needs dialogue to present a full character arc.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
This concept would basically only work with Seehorn at its forefront…she makes for an excellent host.
— Alison Herman, Variety
It will surely be Seehorn’s first Emmy-winning performance.
— Tim Glanfield, The Times
Does the show have any problems?
The first season has its fair share of flaws, mainly when it comes to momentum.
— Ben Travers, IndieWire
Pluribus is an entertaining ride; however, the issue remains—we don’t know where it’s going.
— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation
Not all secondary characters are granted Carol’s nuance.
— Kelly Connolly, TV Guide
It’s admirable how committed Pluribus is to showing us the tedium of Carol’s isolated existence… but that doesn’t make it any less tedious to watch.
— Dave Nemetz, TV Line
Pluribus: Season 1 premieres on Apple TV+ on November 7, 2025.
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