Vince Gilligan’s new sci-fi epic brings Apple TV+ to its knees, but fans still call it worth the wait. For Apple TV+, Thursday night was meant to be a triumph. Instead, it became chaos.
Just as fans settled in for the launch of Pluribus, the newest creation from Breaking Bad mastermind Vince Gilligan, the entire streaming service went dark. Screens froze, episodes refused to load, and social media erupted.
For nearly half a day between 6 and 7 November, tens of thousands of viewers around the world were left staring at spinning wheels.
Downdetector logged more than 11,700 outage reports within hours. What should’ve been a moment of prestige became a technical nightmare.
What Went Wrong with Apple TV?
The crash began around 9:00 p.m. Eastern (2:00 a.m. GMT), prime time for Pluribus’s double-episode premiere. Apple’s own system status page confirmed “widespread disruption” to video delivery, pointing to a massive infrastructure failure.
For Apple, this wasn’t just another hiccup. It was the biggest streaming outage of the year, and it hit during the debut of what insiders had dubbed its “flagship autumn release.”
By Friday morning, service was restored, but the damage was already done. Viewers flooded online forums expressing frustration. Some joked the real sci-fi drama was “trying to get Apple TV+ to load.”
Inside the World of ‘Pluribus’
“The drama of the show is that the world’s most miserable person is desperately trying to save the planet from happiness,” Vince Gilligan explained. “She doesn’t want to be tasked with saving the world, but she feels it’s her duty.”
The series stars Rhea Seehorn, best known for her award-winning role in Better Call Saul, as Carol Sturka, a romance novelist whose miserable nature might just save humanity.
In Pluribus, a mysterious virus infects people with unstoppable optimism, leaving Carol as the only immune human.
Philosophical. Witty. Disturbing. Critics call it “a surreal blend of humour and existential dread.”
Apple TV’s Recovery
After roughly 12–18 hours of downtime, Apple TV+ returned to normal on 7 November. No official cause has been shared, though experts suspect overloaded servers triggered the crash.
The servers are back up!
Everyone go watch #Pluribus! https://t.co/Rd1Hhk78CF— Apple TV Updates (@AppleTVUpdate) November 7, 2025
The outage underscored how fragile streaming ecosystems can be, even for a tech giant like Apple. With its premium pricing and sleek branding, expectations run high. And on this occasion, those expectations weren’t met.
Subscribers are now questioning the reliability ahead of other major premieres. It’s not the first disruption this quarter, and analysts warn that repeated failures could dent Apple’s growing streaming ambitions.
Why ‘Pluribus’ Still Matters?
Despite the glitch, Pluribus remains one of the most talked-about launches of the season. It marks Gilligan’s first return to television since Better Call Saul, and Apple TV+ is betting big on its success.
You’ve never seen anything like Pluribus.#Pluribus — November 7 pic.twitter.com/tHNAnYrGjD
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) November 6, 2025
The nine-episode season airs weekly every Friday through 26 December, with the first two episodes, “We Is Us” and “Pirate Lady”, now available for streaming. A second season is already greenlit, signalling Apple’s confidence in the project.
With Seehorn’s sharp performance and Gilligan’s signature dark wit, Pluribus could easily become the next streaming phenomenon, provided viewers can actually watch it.
What Viewers Should Know?
- Check Apple’s system status page before major premieres.
- Download episodes for offline viewing when possible.
- Follow @AppleTV on social media for real-time updates.
- Mark Fridays through December for new episodes.
Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial for new users, followed by a £8.99 yearly subscription in the UK. occurrences are available across smart TVs, iPhones, iPads, and computers.
This isn’t just about one bad night. It’s about the pressure Apple faces as it competes with streaming titans like Netflix and Disney. When suckers pay for decoration service, they anticipate ultra-expensive trustworthiness.
The Pluribus outage may soon fade from memory, but for Apple, it’s a sharp reminder that, indeed, in the streaming wars, technology can’t go to falter.
For now, the show goes on. And as observers eventually press play, the story of Pluribus and Apple TV’s adaptability is just beginning.
