Pluribus: Apple TV's Most-Watched Show Ever Deserves Its Rare 99% RT Score

Published Aug 23, 2026, 6:04 PM EDT Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 2800 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions. Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston. Nearly a year after its release, Apple TV's most-watched original series of all time officially deserves its near-perfect 99% Rotten Tomatoes score. After dethroning both Ted Lasso and Severance as the Apple TV series with the most total viewership and the biggest series debut in the streamer's history, this acclaimed series was widely regarded as one of the greatest of 2025, earning a whopping 18 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and several individual acting categories. Pluribus is Apple TV's most-watched series of all time and deserves its near-perfect 99% Rotten Tomatoes score despite its much lower 68% audience score. Some viewers argue that the series moves at a sluggish pace and even consider it boring, while critics got it right with Pluribus, as the majority of its 186 reviews note its exceptional high-concept storytelling and elite performances, especially by lead actress Rhea Seehorn. With so many elite accolades, it's safe to say that Pluribus deserves nearly achieving perfection amongst critics. How Pluribus Became Apple TV's Biggest Show Ever Pluribus had an enormous advantage before even releasing its first episode on Apple TV back in November 2025. With series creator Vince Gilligan at the helm, the masterful writer/producer of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, two of the most sophisticated and well-crafted crime series of all time, there was already a massive fanbase eager to dive into Gilligan's next project. It also marked the first original series Gilligan created outside of the Breaking Bad universe, which was a historic TV event in the making as soon as Pluribus was officially announced by Apple TV. Pluribus also benefited from a variety of strong attributes that naturally generated hype apart from Gilligan's name alone. Seehorn was a 3-time Emmy nominated sctress (now 4 with her Pluribus nom) and was a standout on Better Call Saul as Kim Wexler, the wife and confidante of Bob Odenkirk's Jimmy McGill. What's more, Apple TV has become one of the most reliable sources of high-concept sci-fi series, as evidenced by the success of Severance, Silo, For All Mankind, Dark Matter, and Foundation, so a new "Apple TV sci-fi show" also naturally added appeal to Pluribus from the very beginning. Lastly, and most importantly, Pluribus cashed in on its intriguing premise, in which nearly everyone in the world becomes overtaken by a shared hivemind of happiness and efficiency. Like Gilligan's other series, Pluribus is a slow-burner that allows viewers to experience the unfolding action right next to its main characters, even when those moments are ordinary and not necessarily adrenaline-pumping. Many critics adored this traditional style of filmmaking that required viewers to remain engaged without adding any cheap thrills for the sake of it. As a result, the looming mystery of the worldwide phenomenon shapes Carol's new world, and the audience is strapped in with her through all the confusion, crisis, and chaos. Why The Wait For Pluribus Season 2 Will Be Long Lewis Jacobs/©Apple TV/Courtesy Everett Collection Pluribus season 1 executed an interesting 9-episode arc throughout its first season and was unsurprisingly renewed for a second season by Apple TV, given its massive popularity and its inconclusive cliffhanger ending. Even though Pluribus was released in late 2025, it's not expected to return with its sophomore effort on Apple TV until late 2027, marking a 2-year hiatus between seasons. While other massively successful series, such as Prime Video's Reacher or Hulu's The Bear, were able to maintain a new season per year release schedule, such is not the case for Pluribus, and eager viewers have no choice but to ride out the lengthy wait. The slower production timeline for Pluribus tracks with Gilligan's approach on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, especially with the added consideration of extreme secrecy amongst his tight-knit production team. In the meantime, Seehorn will be joining the cast of another Apple TV original series, the golf comedy Stick starring Owen Wilson, as Pluribus season 2 remains in development. With a show as universally celebrated as Pluribus, viewers will likely be willing to wait as long as it takes for Gilligan and his team to deliver another great season that should dive more deeply into the show's core mystery. Pluribus 8/10 Release Date November 6, 2025 Network Apple TV