2025 TV-MA
Starring: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos Manuel Vesga
Anyone who likes television has heard of, and probably seen, “Breaking Bad.” One of the biggest shows of the 2010s, with a viewership of over 10 million, a number that still climbs today despite the show ending nearly 13 years ago. “Breaking Bad” streams on
Netflix, one of the largest streaming networks worldwide. The director, Vince Gilligan, has since produced multiple works relating to the same “Breaking Bad” storyline. Vince Gilligan’s newest production, “Pluribus,” however, is an Apple TV exclusive, and despite the show quickly becoming Apple TV’s most-streamed original, the awareness and viewership of this show still reflect this shift in platforms.
Pluribus is a dystopian sci-fi drama starring actress Rhea Seehorn, who plays a woman named Carol Sturka. Carol is one of the few in the world who has not been infected by a robotic infection they call the “Hivemind.” The Hivemind connects the minds and bodies of every person on Earth except for Carol and the other few humans, leaving Carol to try and figure out how to break this infection and get the world back to normal; something she must accomplish on her own since the rest of the non-infected people don’t see why the world should go back to normal when the entire world now caters to their every demand. The entire premise of the show is creative and captivating, and if you know Vince Gilligan, you know the cinematography is wonderful too.
But, again, the show is nerfed by its exclusivity on Apple TV. Netflix has roughly 7 times more subscriptions worldwide than Apple TV, with Netflix holding an astounding 345 million worldwide and Apple TV standing around 45 million. If we take into account what this means for its shows, they automatically are at a disadvantage popularity-wise. Despite this, Pluribus still managed to become the most popular television show on Apple TV, which is especially impressive considering that this is Vince Gilligan’s first show outside of the “Breaking Bad” universe and his first show with a female (not to mention, queer) lead. But the conversation about how Apple TV sabotages its shows because of its extreme exclusivity (which comes from Apple’s inherent greed as a company) is an important one to have. Therefore, I feel like it goes without saying that I’m not recommending you buy a $13/month Apple TV subscription when I say you should watch this show. If you’re into psychological horror or like any of Gilligan’s other shows, I highly recommend you watch “Plurbius” by any means possible. Of course, I’d never advocate for piracy, but I’m not going to advocate for AppleTV’s pricey subscription either. Do with that what you will.
– Edie Farrell
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