Apple TV’s Pluribus Loses Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score With First Negative Review

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Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, has had another success with his new show, Pluribus, which is quickly gaining recognition as one of today’s top television dramas. Despite a single negative review, the show’s Rotten Tomatoes score has remained largely unchanged. Pluribus debuted on Apple TV on November 7th, and new episodes are being released each week until December 26th.

Pluribus centers around Carol (played by Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul), one of the few people unaffected by a strange virus that arrived from space. The virus has linked almost everyone on Earth into a single, unified consciousness, resulting in universal happiness and a strong desire to fulfill Carol’s every need – a situation she actively fights against.

The new show Pluribus started with a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and held that score for two weeks, including after the release of its third episode. Now, a single negative review has lowered the approval rating slightly to 99%. Hannah Brown, writing for The Jerusalem Post, is the only critic who doesn’t recommend the show, stating it’s “not worth watching.”

Brown notes that the show has received exceptionally positive reviews, likely because it was created by Vince Gilligan. However, while the premise is intriguing, the execution falls short. The show is very slow and features repetitive, unnatural dialogue.

According to Pluribus, our anxieties, doubts, frustrations, and self-interest are fundamental parts of being human – removing them would actually be detrimental. Brown suggests that if you already grasp this idea, you might not need to watch the series. However, some other critics feel the series offers a more complex perspective.

Pluribus explores ideas of fitting in, independence, and loss. Scenes like Carol understanding that powerful forces would offer her anything – even a weapon – to keep her content, or recognizing people’s inability to help themselves, contribute to a complicated story about why she opposes what seems like global peace.

I recently read Greg MacArthur’s review on ScreenRant for Pluribus, and he mentioned needing a bit of patience with the show – something I’ve seen echoed elsewhere, with many describing it as slow-paced. What really struck me, though, was how the somewhat awkward dialogue isn’t a flaw, but actually serves a purpose. It’s how the show portrays the hive mind – they constantly repeat empty phrases to Carol, yet consistently miss what she’s actually saying. It’s a really interesting stylistic choice.

It’s rare for any show to maintain a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes indefinitely. Popular and highly-regarded shows, like Breaking Bad which currently has 96%, naturally attract more viewers, which can lead to more varied opinions. However, the positive reviews for Pluribus aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon.

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2025-11-19 18:50