Move Over Severance: Pluribus Is Now Apple TV's Most-Watched Series
In a fractured media era, the country is locked on one screen. From living rooms to timelines to trading floors, the same feed is setting the stakes for what happens next.
Apple just handed Pluribus the crown: it is now, officially, the most-watched show in Apple TV history. No surprise twist here — except Apple still won’t share actual numbers. Because of course they won’t.
Apple’s new No. 1 (with no numbers)
Apple says Vince Gilligan’s sci-fi mystery has leapfrogged everything else on the service to become its most popular show. As usual, the streamer is keeping the viewership data locked in a vault (unlike Netflix, which at least tosses out some stats). So yes, it’s a record… you just have to trust them on the math.
The announcement, Pluribus-style
Rather than a press release, Apple did it with a sly in-world wink: a clip riffing on a recent episode where Carol (Rhea Seehorn) calmly sets off fireworks in her eerily empty neighborhood. This time the on-screen message reads: "Congratulations, Carol." The streamer posted it on December 12, 2025 with the caption "It’s official, Carol. #Pluribus — Now Streaming."
Where it lands in Apple TV’s pecking order
Earlier this year, Severance sprinted past Ted Lasso to claim Apple TV’s top spot. Now Pluribus has passed them both. For anyone keeping track of branding whiplash: yes, Apple TV is the current name, formerly Apple TV Plus.
Not watching yet? Here’s the hook
If you’re still holding out (which Carol would probably respect), the premise is elegantly bleak: romance novelist Carol Sturka wakes up to find a global hivemind has absorbed basically everyone on Earth except a handful of stragglers — including her. She’s not alone-alone, though; she has a designated hivemind "chaperone" keeping tabs on her and crosses paths with other survivors.
- Rhea Seehorn plays Carol Sturka
- Karolina Wydra is Zosia, Carol’s hivemind "chaperone"
- Carlos-Manuel Vesga plays Manousos, a fellow survivor
Season 2 is happening
Apple has already renewed Pluribus for a second season. Given the show’s momentum, that was always the most likely outcome, but it’s nice to have it locked.
Gilligan wrote it for Rhea Seehorn
Vince Gilligan told GamesRadar+ earlier this year that Pluribus began with one person in mind — Rhea Seehorn, his Better Call Saul collaborator — and he did not mince words about why.
"I wrote this show for her. I love her so much. We got to know her and enjoyed writing for her on Better Call Saul – so much so that I created this show just for her. I knew she would be good in it; I knew she was someone I could confidently count on and place a bet on in terms of making her the star of a TV show… I thought it was long past time for her to be a star."
Short version: Apple has a new all-time champ, they’re keeping the scoreboard to themselves, and Gilligan built the whole thing around Seehorn — which, if you’ve seen even a single episode, tracks. If you haven’t started yet, the fireworks are your cue.