Movies

With his new Apple TV show, Pluribus, creator Dan Gilligan is trying something different. The show—a unique, end-of-the-world story about a woman trying to save humanity from a strangely cheerful virus that connects everyone’s minds—is full of possible meanings. It’s the kind of show that invites deep analysis: the main character, Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn), could be seen as a symbol of grief, loneliness in the digital age, humanity versus AI, or even depression—and the possibilities don’t stop there. Gilligan intentionally avoids providing easy answers. He wants viewers to interpret Pluribus in whatever way resonates with them. He’s thrilled when people share their own unique understandings of the show, often discovering interpretations he hadn’t even considered.

Watching Pluribus is initially confusing – it’s hard to figure out what the show is truly about. Then, you start to notice Rhea Seehorn’s incredible range of emotions, and you wonder how many different ways she can express longing and disgust. Finally, you’re left wondering where the story about Carol Sturka and the Others is headed. While the cliffhanger bomb from the first season finale creates a lot of mystery, even bigger questions emerge when thinking about the second season – questions about the powerful entity that gave Carol the weapon and what its motives are.

What makes the story of Pluribus interesting is that it’s an alien invasion story without traditional aliens or an invasion, as we typically think of it. The transforming force, referred to as “the Others,” doesn’t physically alter people like in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Instead, it’s a subtle, almost undetectable signal or virus. After the initial shock of nearly everyone on Earth becoming part of a single, unified consciousness – all wearing the same serene smile – it’s difficult to see the Others as malicious or even as outsiders. They’re actually quite friendly, fulfilling desires and offering a vision of a peaceful, harmonious world, even if it can’t last. Essentially, they present a compelling case – who wouldn’t want happiness?

The lovely bit of trivia was posted this week on Instagram by Emily V. Gordon, who is Nanjiani’s wife in addition to being credited as an executive producer on Night Thoughts. In the social media post, she offers gratitude and appreciation to the folks at Hulu for a kindness that they extended to the couple in the development of the stand-up special – which was instigated by the sad passing of Bagel earlier this year. In a series of images with text, Gordon wrote,

Jordan has experience working on several Sheridan productions, including Mayor of Kingstown, 1883, Yellowstone, and Lioness, as well as Landman. This has given him the chance to work with well-known actors like Jeremy Renner, Kevin Costner, Nicole Kidman, and Zoe Saldaña. However, he recently shared that acting alongside Timoth Thornton and Elliott in a season of Landman was particularly impactful, as he discussed in a Paramount+ video.

Zooey Deschanel, currently starring alongside Charlie Cox (from Daredevil: Born Again) in the 2025 film Merv (available on Prime Video), recently shared her opinion on Die Hard with People magazine. She firmly believes it is a Christmas movie, stating:

Recent data from Variety shows that the character Eleven’s fondness for Eggo waffles, which began in the first season of the show in 2016, has significantly benefited Kellogg’s, the company that makes them. Kellogg saw a 14% increase in sales during the last three months of 2017, and a further 9.4% increase in the first four months of 2018. This suggests that the popularity of Eggos soared around the time Season 2 was released on October 27, 2017, as fans stocked up both before and after watching. (Sales did decrease during the break between Seasons 2 and 3.) While Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, may not personally enjoy frozen waffles, it’s clear many other people do!

The unexpected popularity of “Heated Rivalry” took everyone by surprise. According to HBO’s Casey Bloys, they initially anticipated a niche audience, “maybe gay-only,” but the show appealed to a much wider group. This success caught them off guard, leaving them unprepared for a quick return. However, the creators don’t want to repeat the long wait fans experienced with “Euphoria.” They aim to release a new season as soon as possible without sacrificing quality. “We know everyone wants seasons to come out more quickly,” said creator Tierney, “but I don’t want to rush a bad second season just because the show is popular. We’re eager to get back to work and deliver something great, and our creative team feels the same way!”

The show’s clever, self-deprecating humor was incredibly popular and still feels funny today, even after almost forty years. Viewers enjoyed how openly flawed the characters were – the funniest moments came from revealing their insecurities and selfishness. Despite portraying himself as logical and unbiased, Jerry Seinfeld was actually the most concerned with his own image.

Stephen Lang is good in the role of Quaritch, but his character doesn’t really change or develop. With each new Avatar movie, he just gets a different outfit and more powerful weapons. How long will the Avatar series continue to repeat Quaritch’s same old errors?