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Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka in 'Pluribus'

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<div>This review includes minor spoilers.</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1767670775285download.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka in &#x27;Pluribus&#x27;"/>Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka in &#x27;Pluribus&#x27;</div>&quot;Pluribus&quot; is a science fiction TV series that boasts an ambitious premise, one that extremely intrigues albeit stretched a bit long, and a committed performance from Rhea Seehorn who carries the weight of the show on her shoulders.The series is created by Vince Gilligan, the creative genius behind &quot;Breaking Bad,” and is streaming on Apple TV. Gilligan wastes no time and instantly reveals the mind-bending premise of the show in its first episode. Almost everyone in the world has been infected with an extraterrestrial virus that transformed them into a peaceful hivemind, where every single infected human has been conjoined mentally.The high-concept premise of the show can be seen as Apple TV’s answer to Netflix’s “3 Body Problem.” While both shows&#x27; story arcs and hooks differ from each other, they are similar in terms of narrative breadth, complexity, and the fact that both tackle extraterrestrial interventions.The series follows Carol Sturka (played by Seehorn), one of the only 13 people in the world who’s immune from the extraterrestrial virus. Seehorn&#x27;s Carol is a novelist living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We get to know Carol in the first few episodes as a person who is high-strung and abrasive. The logline of the show describes her as &quot;the most miserable person on Earth,&quot; and yet she intends to save the world.Seehorn effectively captures the anger, grief, and loneliness that Carol has to deal with in a post-apocalyptic world where, because of her abrasiveness, even most of the 13 non-infected people don&#x27;t want to cooperate with her.In the entire duration of the first season, totaling nine episodes, we see Carol go through these emotions that inform the series of actions that she takes to figure out what the hell is going on. We see her grapple with confusion and helplessness as she tries to be the only person in North America to navigate coexisting with the &quot;Others&quot; (as the show calls the hivemind), even at times letting herself be vulnerable with them, and try to come up with a seemingly impossible plan to save the human race.Seehorn, who was also widely praised for her performance as Kim Wexler in Peter Gould and Gilligan&#x27;s &quot;Better Call Saul,&quot; had the huge task of keeping the viewers engaged as the sole lead of the show, and she did it spectacularly.Carol is presented as an unlikeable antihero of sorts. Impressively, Seehorn still manages to make you root for her with her nuanced performance. Viewers might not like the way Carol comes across sometimes, but Seehorn portrays the character in such a way that viewers can still understand her inner struggles and where she is coming from. It&#x27;s no surprise that Seehorn won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for this performance and, as of this writing, she&#x27;s in the running for the same category at the 2026 Golden Globes Awards.If there is one critique to point out in &quot;Pluribus,&quot; it is the story&#x27;s tendency to move at a very glacial pace. The beats or plot points of the story are too far apart. Viewers not used to slow-burn storytelling would have to be patient because, with the exception of the pilot episode, there is not much action or spectacle that transpires.The season ends with viewers not knowing much about the extraterrestrial event that plagued mankind. Carol’s plan to save the world also appears to go back to the drawing board from where it was mid-season.Still, despite the slow pacing, &quot;Pluribus&quot; is never boring. Apart from Seehorn&#x27;s performance and its intriguing premise, viewers should be able to marvel at the show’s high-grade production quality where everything looks gorgeous, from the set design and locations that feature stunning, expansive landscapes, to its expertly maneuvered cinematography.<div> </div>Reynaldo Pagsolingan Jr. is a pop culture critic and former television drama researcher. This review was originally published in his column, “<a href="https://www.walphs.com/2026/01/apple-tv-plus-review-pluribus.html">The Reception</a>.”

It's no surprise that Rhea Seehorn won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for her performance in 'Pluribus.'

It's no surprise that Rhea Seehorn won Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for her performance in 'Pluribus.'

'Pluribus' review: Rhea Seehorn carries high-concept, slow-burn sci-fi show

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'Pluribus' review: Rhea Seehorn carries high-concept, slow-burn sci-fi show

Reynaldo Pagsolingan Jr.

Published Jan 06, 2026 11:48 AM PHT

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