Why Pluribus is the event series that will captivate you this fall (review)
It’s certainly one of the best series of the year that has just debuted on Apple TV. And more: it’s one of the most daring SF works we’ve seen in a long time… So quickly, get on the Pluribus!
The pilot alone is astonishing.
Pluribus, which has just debuted on Apple TV (and therefore can also be seen on MyCanal in France), is undoubtedly one of the most unique science fiction works of the decade, and absolutely one of the best series of the year. Already because the pitch.
A super powerful concept
Vince Gilligan imagines a world contaminated by a strange virus from space, which transforms humans into a species sharing a collective consciousness. No more individuality, just bodies that communicate telepathically and have constant access to what others are doing. A nightmare? Not really: these new beings have the particularity of being really nice. Imagine a sort of Invasion of the Defilers, but where everyone would be happy, absolutely kind and ready to do anything to be of service to you. In the midst of this global upheaval, Carol, unhappy as stones and who, for some mysterious reason, cannot be contaminated. Will the last human from the world before be able to survive this absolute bliss? “I want us to understand Carol and, at the same time, to say to ourselves that those opposite are perhaps not monsters…” confides Vince Gilligan in issue 567 of Première (currently on newsstands). And the screenwriter succeeded. Like Carol, we never really know what to think when faced with Pluribus, a post-apocalyptic drama designed, by its creator’s own admission, as “an antidote to post-apocalyptic series.”
A genius creator
But where does this leave us? We can trust Vince Gilligan, and know that a series cannot stand on its concept alone. From episode to episode, the author distils stunning revelations, densifies the universe and develops his characters, as he knew how to do so well at the time of Breaking Bad. It also offers the brilliant Rhea Seehorn a role that matches her talent and which could offer her a first Emmy Award that she probably should have already had since Better Call Saul.
A gentle questioning of humanity
The series advances as a methodical – sometimes almost meditative – study of humanity, which knows how to go beyond its comforting science fiction tale vibrations. A captivating work that is sure to fuel conversations in the coming months, as it subtly addresses the scathing division of American (or even global) society in the Trump era. The name Pluribus alone spectacularly echoes the Latin motto that appears on the Great Seal of the United States: E pluribus unum, which means “One from many”. With his style inherited from The “Initially, when developing Pluribus, it was the polarization of the United States that inspired me. People are more and more tribal and that saddens me as much as it scares me,” he tells us. “That’s why the idea of a planet where everyone is on the same wavelength, where no one is torn apart, seemed so attractive to me.”
An entertaining reflection
“I like the idea that people watch this series and don’t draw any specific conclusions from it, just that it fuels the debate,” tempers the creator. Because even without looking at the series through its political prism, Pluribus remains a delightful SF fable with a real sense of humor… often grating. Like Walter White or Saul Goodman, we never really know what to think of Vince Gilligan’s heroes. Should we support Carol in her desire to return humanity to its natural state? Or not? Pluribus’ fabulously original vision of the end of the world will not leave anyone indifferent. To the point of asking: is free will more essential than total but controlled felicity? You have 9 episodes to scratch your head…
Season 1 of Pluribus began on Friday November 7, 2025 and the finale is scheduled for December 26. The series has already been renewed for a season 2.
