📺 We knew that Pluribus would be a hit the moment it debuted, but we couldn’t have predicted that the Apple original series, produced by Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn, would end up becoming the streaming service’s most-watched series ever, surpassing even Severance and Ted Lasso. Carol, you did that.

The series got people talking in a way that no other show has done in quite a while, and the conversation didn’t wane between weekly drops. But the weekly drops were also a bane to an extent, with a couple of mid-season episodes criticized as fillers except by the most patient of film bros.

Unfortunately, the finale — despite tying up a few loose ends and answering a few questions on the entire internet’s (collective) mind — left us wanting more. The final scene dropped a bomb, the consequences of which we’ll just have to wait until December 2027 to understand. Yes, we’re mad about it. Yes, we’ll be counting the days.

Until the very last moment, Seehorn’s Carol Sturka proves hard to read. It’s worth mentioning again that the actress has, across the entire season, delivered a performance that will likely remain referential for years to come. The same could be said for the supporting cast, particularly Karolina Wydra’s Zosia, who adeptly portrays a character eerily mechanic and utterly charming. Episode by episode, we shared Carol’s perplexity and doubt, an emotional journey that is as engaging as it gets. Pluribus has set a high bar, and we’ll be waiting to see if its second season manages to match pace (and quell our anger).

In retrospect, Pluribus was a recipe for success from the get-go — If you haven’t read our review of the Pluribus premiere, you can find it here. The season saw Seehorn deliver one of her best performances yet — arguably one of the best performances of the year — oscillating seamlessly between grief, confusion, and fear. So it was no shocker when the show snagged the American Film Institute’s Television Program of the Year award, and countless more nominations across awards.

It wasn’t just that Pluribus got people talking, it’s what it got them talking about. The show proposes ethical and existential dilemmas scantily explored in sci-fi media, sparking continuous heated debates online. If you were promised happiness, actual world peace, and the end of institutions that have longed reigned us in, wouldn’t you at least be curious to know what that feels like? The wrench (and also the case in point) in the opposition’s argument is that it’s hard to antagonize the hivemind — they’re friendly, honest, and here to serve. And yet there’s something inherently inhuman about them. That polarization is exactly what makes the show so brilliant… and terrifying.

WHERE TO WATCH- Pluribus is streaming on Apple TV, and you can watch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:03).

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