Apple TVPluribus is one of the most talked about TV shows of the moment, and while the mystery of the hive mind deepens, we’re set to learn more when Episode 4 arrives this week.
Pluribus stars Rhea Seehorn as one of the few people on earth not affected by a virus that connects everyone, but does away with the likes of choice, individuality, and free will.
The virus appears to have come from space, though creator Vince Gilligan says that doesn’t necessarily mean aliens are here. While fans have theorised that it’s a metaphor for everything from the AI revolution and the current fractured political discourse, to a tale of addiction.
The show’s writers are keeping cards close to their collective chests when it comes to answers, meaning it’s up to us to figure Pluribus out. And audiences will get their next opportunity when Episode 4 hits screens…
Pluribus release date & time
Apple TVPluribus Episode 4 will drop at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Friday, November 21, 2025, on Apple TV.
This is the typical format the streaming service follows with its original content. If you’re in a different geographical zone, you can calculate the release time accordingly. Here are a few so you know exactly when to tune in:
- 8pm CT
- 11pm Brazil
- 2am UK (November 8)
- 4am CEST
- 7:30am India Standard Time
- 11:30am Australia
- 1pm New Zealand
How many episodes are there?
Apple TVSeason 1 consists of nine episodes in total, but the series won’t end there, as when Apple won the bidding war to make Pluribus, they immediately green-lit two seasons.
Episode 1 is titled ‘We is Us’ with a synopsis as follows: “An astronomer’s discovery turns the planet upside down. Carol Sturka, a curmudgeonly novelist, is terrified by this strange new world.”
Episode 2 is titled ‘Pirate Lady’ with the synopsis: “A curiously familiar face introduces Carol to the bizarre new normal. A gathering in Europe brings strangers together… and causes friction.”
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Episode 3 is titled ‘Grenade‘ with the synopsis: “The world just wants to help – which infuriates Carol. A heart-to-heart conversation ends with a bang.”
Episode 4 is titled ‘Please, Carol‘ with the synopsis: “Carol tests the boundaries of this weirdly honest world at the expense of her ego. Far away, a resolute individual learns he’s not alone.”
Pluribus release schedule
Apple TVThe first two episodes of Pluribus dropped in week one, then the show shifted to one episode per week, with the full schedule as follows:
- Episode 1: November 7
- Episode 2: November 7
- Episode 3: November 14
- Episode 4: November 21
- Episode 5: November 28
- Episode 6: December 5
- Episode 7: December 12
- Episode 8: December 19
- Episode 9: December 26
What is Pluribus about?
Apple TVThe brief synopsis for Pluribus is that “the most miserable woman on earth must save the world from happiness.”
Seehorn plays the woman in question – an author called Carol Sturka – whom everyone on the planet suddenly wants to make happy, with the whole world turning into a placid, peaceful, and kind hive mind.
That story has a deeper meaning connected to what Vince Gilligan is observing in society at present, with the Pluribus creator telling ScreenRant: “Would this be so bad in some sense? Could it not be paradise? And that’s completely up to the viewer to decide for themselves.
“I’m not telling anybody how to parse that. But I’d like to think people could watch this and say to themselves, ‘Maybe there is another way other than what we got going on in America right now.’”
What the viewer takes away from the show will be very much up to them, with Gilligan adding: “TV is just TV – it’s not a cure for cancer, never was, never will be. But I’d love to think that people will watch this show and think to themselves, ‘I don’t necessarily want to live in that world, or maybe I do.’ We work really hard to make this a different kind of apocalypse.”
Pluribus is streaming on Apple TV, while these are more great shows to watch this month, and the following is a list of the best TV shows of 2025 so far.