The Apple TV sci-fi show Pluribus enjoys the rare accomplishment of a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Created by the Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, the science fiction show is about fantasy author Carol Sturka adjusting to a changed world. The cataclysmic event in this show is a virus causing humans to become a part of a hive mind, except for a few immune people, including Carol."The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness."This darkly comedic but cryptic synopsis for Gilligan's new Apple TV series had fans intrigued, and they streamed the two-episode premiere on November 7, 2025. The glowing reception to the sci-fi show has some wondering how Pluribus measures up to Vince Gilligan's other hit shows, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which also starred Rhea Seehorn, who plays Carol in the Apple TV series.Opinion disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions. Readers' discretion is advised.Could Pluribus surpass Breaking Bad? Exploring possibilities: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHonestly, it is impossible to say how things will play out. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul built up a reputation over time, and conversely, the Apple TV Rhea Seehorn-led series has glowing reviews for the first three episodes. But things could change in the next six episodes, with the Pluribus finale streaming on December 26, 2025.Whether the new Gilligan sci-fi surpasses the iconic decade-old Bryan Cranston-led series or not, it is clear that the creator would not have made Pluribus a decade ago. Vince Gilligan himself said this in a GamesRadar+ interview this October:"I know, 10 years ago, I couldn't have made this show. Because this show is bigger than anything I've ever made before. The scope of it is globetrotting, world-spanning. I think we've learned – my producers and I, together – to be better producers over the years… The size of this thing is not something we would have attempted or could have succeeded at maybe five or 10 years ago."Vince Gilligan's anti-AI stance has only attracted fans to the Apple TV show: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Pluribus showrunner has been open about his disdain for the generative AI technology for a while. This is why the credits of the series include the words “This show was made by humans.” Gilligan's dislike for AI is nothing new, as he was also critical of the technology in an October 2023 Variety interview:"When I first became aware of ChatGPT or whatever it’s called, it scared the living hell out of me. I thought, “We’re done for as a race.” I don’t mean in the “Terminator” sense, like they’re going to start exterminating us. But who wants to live in a world where creativity is given over to machines? There goes my job. I had all those fears. And as the last six or nine months have progressed, I’ve somewhat kept abreast of this “marvel” of AI. I think it’s a lot of horses**t. It’s a giant plagiarism machine, in its current form. I think ChatGPT knows what it’s writing like a toaster knows that it’s making toast. There’s no intelligence — it’s a marvel of marketing. It may well become sentient and truly intelligent. Down the line there may be a moment of singularity where it actually becomes a threat, but right now it’s just a plagiarism machine. It’s a bunch of billionaires trying to become trillionaires by selling this thing as some kind of momentous sea change. It certainly will have its uses in writing legal briefs and stuff like that, but I don’t think it’s going to take over for writers of fiction."At the same time, he went on to add:"But then again, I’m always wrong! Take all of my predictions with a grain of salt."Then, two years after his comments in the Variety interview, the acclaimed showrunner only expressed his dislike for AI in a Deadline interview last week, after the two-episode premiere of Pluribus:“I do not care for AI. But I’ll try to be magnanimous and say that anytime a new technology is created, I have to believe that the central impetus of it is to make the world a better place. It’s just that, as this technology progresses, I don’t see how it will make the world a better place, but maybe it will, because I’m wrong more than I’m right. It depends on what the heck you’re creating a technology for, but more and more, it just seems to be clear, either explicitly or implicitly, that this technology is being designed to take work away, creativity away, creative endeavor away from human beings.”Three episodes of Pluribus are streaming on Apple TV. Binge them before the fourth one, "Please, Carol", releases next week.