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# What If Everyone Was Happy—and That Was the Problem?
- URL: https://www.bensmovieguide.com/what-if-everyone-was-happy-and-that-was-the-problem/
- Published: 2026-09-21T05:47:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T18:19:50.000Z
- Description: Rhea Seehorn stars in Vince Gilligan’s very strange new series about a world where almost everyone becomes happy, agreeable and connected. Which turns out to be much creepier than it sounds.
- Author: Ben's
- Tags: #tv, #currentish, Year: 2025, #Run: 2025-Present, #Verdict: Rent, #Eyebrow: Happiness is Mandatory, TV Show: Pluribus (2025-)

There are a lot of television shows where you can explain the premise in about fifteen seconds.

[*Pluribus*](https://www.bensmovieguide.com/pluribus-2025/) is not one of them.

Apple describes the show as “the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness,” and for once, the marketing line gets pretty close to what makes the show interesting. 

*Pluribus* comes from Vince Gilligan, creator of *Breaking Bad* and co-creator of *Better Call Saul*, and stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, a successful romance novelist who isn’t exactly overflowing with joy even before the world changes.

And “changes” is probably underselling it.

An alien species effectively converts humanity, turning virtually everyone into happy, agreeable, cooperative drones — basically happy Borgs, for you *Star Trek: The Next Generation* fans out there. Everyone except Carol and a handful of others.

If you watched *Better Call Saul*, you already know Seehorn can carry a scene without doing very much at all. A look. A pause. She can make you feel like there’s an entire argument happening inside her head before she says a word. 

That makes Carol perfect for this world, where she spends much of the show surrounded by people who are relentlessly reasonable, cheerful and accommodating while she becomes increasingly irritated by all of them.

And somehow, she’s the one you understand.

That’s where *Pluribus* gets interesting, because happiness is supposed to be good. People getting along is good. No fighting. No cruelty. No selfishness. Everyone working together. Sounds pretty great.

Except *Pluribus* keeps asking an uncomfortable question: what if getting all of that required giving up the thing that makes you *you*?

Now we have a television show.

If you need a major revelation every twelve minutes, *Pluribus* may drive you nuts. There are stretches where the show is perfectly happy letting Carol wander around, test the boundaries of what has happened and argue with people who refuse to argue back. 

I can understand why that won’t work for everyone.

This is a weird show. It takes its time, doesn’t rush to explain itself, and sometimes seems more interested in the idea behind the story than moving the story forward.

But that’s also why it sticks with you.

And if you’re anything like me, it will stick with you long after the episode ends.

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