2025 yielded some incredible TV shows, and Pluribus was easily at the top of that list. In a media landscape filled with homogenous entertainment, Vince Gilligan’s science fiction series feels like a true novelty. Aside from the content of the series itself, this Apple TV subscription holder also appreciated the fact that the episodes were released weekly. CinemaBlend actually had the opportunity to speak to one of the show’s writers, and they shared an excellent take regarding their preference of the weekly model for this show.
It’s no secret that at this point, the binge model – which has arguably been popularized by Netflix and other streamers – has become commonplace. So it feels refreshing to me when a service decides to drop a show on a weekly basis like a network would. Interestingly enough, when CB spoke to writer/EP Jenn Carroll during SCAD TVfest, she explained that the weekly release model wasn’t set in stone from the jump. From there, she explained why she and her colleagues preferred the week-to-week approach over the binge method:
When we first got into streaming, we weren't sure whether or not we were going to be a week to week release or if we're going to be a binge model, but I was really keeping my fingers crossed that we were going to be week to week, because I wanted to be a water cooler show. We wanted to have every episode go by and have you think, 'Oh, is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing?' And have the chance to really dive in to whatever new part of the mystery was revealed week to week. And so luckily, Apple were so great. They allowed us to do the two episode premiere, so you really met all of the characters.
I couldn’t agree with this rationale more. Admittedly, when all episodes of a given TV show season are released all at once, there is a convenience factor to that. However, it can also lead to viewers speeding through the episodes in a single sitting without actually taking some time to sit with the individual episodes. I’m actually someone who chooses not to race through episodes even if they’re dropped at once. Like Carroll and co., I love the anticipation of waiting a week for each installment and discussing them with colleagues in the interim.
To that point, Pluribus presents viewers with a lot to chew on, beginning with its gripping pilot episode. Looking back at the eventful first season, I honestly think I was better off having weeks to process the biggest developments instead of inhaling them in just a matter of days. I’m not sure I would’ve truly appreciated Manousos’ trek across the Durién Gap or Carol and Zosia’s surprising developments as much as I ended up doing. Carroll also shared a thoughtful take on why the show’s narrative warrants weekly viewing:
You get the big disaster episode, and then you get some more of the humor and comedy and scope. Then after that, week to week, you could get to really dig into where Carol's psyche was. And even though the show moves through a very short period of time that it's so hyper serialized in that way, we thought it was important for people to be able to live with Carol's emotions and really identify with her and sort of discuss what she was going through and examine it week to week.
Carol Sturka goes on quite the journey, as she navigates the world in the aftermath of the Others’ invasion. I don’t know about anyone else, but I certainly appreciate all of that more due to the fact that I was able to digest the episodes over a matter of weeks. Of course, while I can wait a week for a new installment to drop, waiting a few years for a new season is something else entirely. Unfortunately, that’s going to be the reality, as Vince Gilligan teased that Season 2 is quite a ways off.
Still, I’m confident that whatever Gilligan, Jenn Carroll and their collaborators cook up will be worth the wait, and I look forward to watching those episodes weekly whenever they finally debut. In the meantime, stream the first season of Pluribus now on Apple TV, and anyone in need of something fresh to watch should take a look at the 2026 TV schedule.
