Pluribus Review

When it comes to Pluribus, to say expectations were high would be an understatement. This is the latest show to come to us from Vince Gilligan, the notorious showrunner responsible for some of the greatest television series of all time, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. While many of us would probably have been fine with Gilligan taking on another rural-America crime story, Pluribus takes Gilligan’s talents in a completely new direction, as he teams up with Rhea Seehorn to bring us a sci-fi black comedy, featuring an absolutely bonkers premise, and one of the most grating commentaries on artificial intelligence I’ve seen put to screen.

So, how did Pluribus play out? Well, it’s time to talk about it all today, as Pluribus aired its season finale this Christmas Eve, just in time for fans to dwell on the rising terror of A.I. during the holidays. Yes, it’s time for our Pluribus review, and while I won’t be diving too deep into spoiler territory, I think it’s worth watching at least the pilot episode of this show before reading ahead, mainly because it’s impossible to talk about the series without spoiling at least its premise. With that being said, let’s get discussing!

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Pluribus Review

Image by Apple TV

Pluribus is completely unlike anything I’ve ever seen Vince Gilligan do before, and the show’s overall freshness contributes greatly to its timely success. In a time where individuality is growing scarcer and scarcer, as more and more people live their lives based on what a chat-bot tells them to do, Pluribus strikes while the iron is hot, pulling out a sci-fi narrative that is alarmingly more similar to reality than many viewers would like to admit. Though Gilligan’s name on the credits may be enough to convince some viewers to tune in, it should be noted that this series is absolutely nothing like Breaking Bad, no matter how many times the shots of Carol’s home in Albuquerque bring back haunting memories of 308 Negra Arroyo Lane.

Unlike Breaking Bad, Pluribus is also a slow-burn turned to the max, as quite honestly, remarkably little happens throughout the series to actually progress the plot. The first episode is explosive, and manages to squeeze every drop of action out of its 56-minute runtime. The quality of the series premiere is likely what got so many people on-board with Pluribus in its early days, but to say the show slams on the brakes would be an understatement. Instead of relying on any significant plot progression, Pluribus entertains viewers with pure character work and worldbuilding. For the most part, it works, mainly thanks to the acting talents of everyone involved with this show. Sometimes though, I remember finding myself thinking that I really wanted Pluribus to get on with it.

The plan is for Pluribus to run for four seasons right now, and while I’m always going to trust in the plans of Vince Gilligan, I can’t help but feel like this premise is going to start getting old by the time we reach Season 3. As of right now, I’m sucked in, captivated by the sci-fi world Pluribus has crafted. However, even this season, some episodes had me disassociating a little, based purely on how slow the plot was moving. Episode 5 was the main culprit here, but if by some chance you find yourself at that point of the show, wondering whether to continue, stick with it! While the pacing of this show is admittedly a little off, there are some great things going on here, and I’m surprised by how much Gilligan has been able to do with this premise already, a premise that would have made for a great movie, but feels difficult to stretch into a four-season television show.

Image by Apple TV

While Pluribus’ hyper-fixation on character work over plot progression does lead to some very slow episodes, it also opens the gate for many interesting conversations to occur relating to character morality. One thing that I really enjoyed about Pluribus is how the show never tells you what to think about any of these characters. In a way, the show itself is shrouded in a deeply human complexity that encourages its viewers to think, think about these people in a way that wards off the kind of uniformity we see in the show itself. Deeply mature conversations are allowed to breathe in the silence that Pluribus creates. There are episodes where dialogue is extremely minimal, as we simply sit and watch Carol go about her day. Pluribus uses its quiet moments to allow you to reflect on what you’ve seen, and in this way, I can actually appreciate its slower pacing.

Let’s be honest – a lot of the discussions that Pluribus is prompting revolve around A.I., a timely issue for this series to tackle. However, what I enjoy about Pluribus is that it doesn’t simply ask the question, ‘is A.I. good?’. Instead, this series dives deep into some of the more complex issues surrounding artificial intelligence. Does the use of A.I. take away from someone’s humanity and independent thinking? Can humans learn to feel for A.I., like they were people themselves? Is it concerning that humans feel the freedom to treat A.I. so poorly, while also relying on it for company? And importantly, can A.I. consent? Pluribus prompts all of these discussions, but also doesn’t answer any of them, leaving them with you, the viewer, to contemplate. For my gamers out there, the show reminds me a little of Detroit: Become Human, but deals with the questions raised by that game much more elegantly, and without a messy, direct mapping of the issue of historic racial injustice onto the A.I. question. In short, Pluribus is a show that challenges you to make your own mind up on an incredibly complicated and modern problem, and while it uses the sci-fi genre to put its commentary into action through an otherworldly plot, it’s remarkable how close to our reality some of this stuff is.

Now, on the more technical side of things, Pluribus is also able to shine as a series through its craftsmanship. The cinematography in this show is wonderful, with some truly unique and inventive shots. There are multiple scenes involving airplanes where someone will be standing on the runway, but won’t be hit, as the plane is being controlled by the hive mind. Other great moments include Mr. Diabaté’s 007 fantasy, which is shot as charmingly well as any James Bond film I’ve ever seen, and Carol’s wish for her local grocery store to be restored. While the plot may fall behind Gilligan’s other works in how slow it is, the cinematography more than makes up for this, and Pluribus finds itself a much more visually-exciting show to watch than its competitors.

Image by Apple TV

Speaking of Carol, let’s talk about her. Not to take away from Karolina Wydra or Carlos-Manuel Vesga, because both of them are incredible here, but put simply, this show doesn’t work at all without Rhea Seehorn. Gilligan himself has stated that he made this show for Seehorn, to highlight her talents in the wake of Better Call Saul, and if that was his goal, then he’s absolutely nailed it. Carol is one of the most complicated protagonists I’ve seen in a show in years, and without Seehorn’s nuanced performance, so much of her character could be lost in translation. By the end of the season, I didn’t know where I stood with Carol, and my opinion of her changed at the drop of a hat as the show progressed. In challenging the uniformity of the hive mind, there’s perhaps no better character than Carol, who’s decision-making highlights the most beautiful thing about Pluribus – the complexity of being a human being.

Finally, oh boy, does Vince Gilligan know how to do a season finale? I enjoyed Pluribus throughout, but I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t wait for this to return for Season 2. I was always going to be tuning in, but by the time Episode 8 was playing out, I was happy to wait a while to catch up with Carol. Episode 9 though, the season finale? Well, that has me completely hooked again, with the season’s very last scene turning me into an impatient mess, desperate to get my eyes on Season 2. Gilligan is always playing the long game, and if the season finale of Pluribus proved anything to me, it’s that he has a plan, and we need to trust in it. I can’t say I adored Pluribus from top to bottom, but ultimately, I had a great time with its thought-provoking questions, and excellent character work. A definite recommend from me.

So overall, Pluribus is a very slow show, a character study in a world consumed by uniformity, where episodes can sometimes feel as mundane as the existence of individuality in this newfound world. However, this first season is bookended by an incredibly strong pilot and season finale, making it a worthwhile watch nonetheless, and one of the most interesting shows of 2025 for me. What did you think of Pluribus? Be sure to let us know, and thanks for reading!

See also: The Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

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Where to Watch Pluribus?

Image by Apple TV

Pluribus is now streaming in its entirety on Apple TV. The series ran for nine episodes, and unfortunately, though Season 2 is on its way, filming is not scheduled until Spring 2026. This means we could be waiting until late 2027 to see another season of Pluribus. Crushing news!

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