6 mind-bending shows more unsettling than Pluribus on Apple TV+

Pluribus has quickly become one of the most talked-about shows on streaming, and for very good reason. From the mind of Vince Gilligan, who gave us television masterpieces like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, this is a series that’s poised to take over the pop culture world for years to come. Its premise is appropriately mysterious and intriguing: The human race is all but taken over by a virus that turns nearly everyone into a hivemind that’s happy all the time.

Still, for as wild as that premise is, Apple TV+ has been not-so-quietly taking over the weird sci-fi genre of television for years now. Pluribus seems like it’ll be one of its biggest hits, no doubt about it, but other shows have been all but leading to this moment for the premium streamer. In fact, I believe that Pluribus hasn’t quite yet reached the mind-bending levels of some of Apple TV+’s more bonkers series.

Severance

This arguably put Apple TV+ on the map

Hearing about Severance is what finally made me take the plunge and get Apple TV+, and I haven’t looked back since. What starts as a strange workplace dramedy with a weird, interesting sci-fi twist quickly becomes an uncomfortably plausible dystopian series. Imagine having to split your brain between two versions of yourself: your work self and your outside self. Neither knows what the other is doing, and it’s completely legal.

It’s a horrifying concept, and Severance gets a lot of mileage out of this premise. It has a phenomenal cast, and the writing and directing feel like I’m watching a high-end movie production. Not only is Severance mind-bending, but it’s modern prestige TV done right.

Dark Matter

Slow-burning sci-fi

I don’t think Dark Matter is as good as Pluribus has been so far, but I do think its entire premise is one that lends itself to brain-breaking shenanigans. Based on the novel of the same name, Dark Matter focuses on physicist Jason (Joel Edgerton), who is forced into an alternate version of his life by his counterpart from that world. He fights to get back home and stop the other Jason from completely taking over his life.

Again, frightening stuff here, though Dark Matter is a bit slow-paced and requires more patience. But by its season’s ending, it had me questioning reality, like the best sci-fi does. We’ll see if it’ll be able to sustain that in future seasons, but so far, so good.

Dark Matter

Release Date

May 7, 2024

Network

Apple TV+

Directors

Jakob Verbruggen, Alik Sakharov, Roxann Dawson, Logan George

Writers

Blake Crouch

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  Jennifer Connelly

  Daniela Dessen

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  Joel Edgerton

  Jason Dessen / Jason2

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  Oakes Fegley

  Charlie Dessen

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  Jackie Dallas

  Hazmat Woman

Silo

Dystopian sci-fi where the truth is controlled

While many have tried to mimic the storytelling style of Lost over the years, I don’t think any show has done it nearly as successfully as Silo has throughout its first two seasons. Emulating Lost‘s confined setting, Silo tells the story of a large community living in a massive underground silo in a dystopian world. The inhabitants believe this silo keeps them safe, but the truth is not so simple, as the main character Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) soon comes to discover.

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I love a good mystery box show, and while Severance has elements of it as well, I think Silo is more geared toward it. And, thus far, it hasn’t fallen into the trap falls that can come with a show like this. Silo knows when to reveal massive truths and when to hold back. I’ll be fascinated to see if the final two seasons can stick the landing.

Silo

Release Date

May 5, 2023

Showrunner

Graham Yost

Directors

Morten Tyldum, David Semel

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  Rebecca Ferguson

  Juliette Nichols

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  Tim Robbins

  Bernard Holland

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  Harriet Walter

  Martha Walker

For All Mankind

Alternate history with a fun twist

Shows that implement an alternate history narrative can be a tricky thing to get right. Personally, I prefer alternate history that actually seems plausible, and sometimes that just doesn’t happen. That’s not the case when it comes to For All Mankind. What if the Soviet Union became the first country to have someone land on the moon instead of NASA? How would that change the space race in the long run? Beyond that, how would it change the development of the human race as a whole? For All Mankind answers these questions, and many more.

For All Mankind takes place over decades, which is a bold move, but it really works to the show’s benefit. In fact, it’s been such a successful series that we’re also getting a spin-off series from the perspective of the Soviet space program called Star City. But it breaks my brain to imagine this world being reality, and that’s the best compliment I can pay For All Mankind.

For All Mankind

Release Date

November 1, 2019

Showrunner

Ronald D. Moore

Writers

Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi

Servant

A truly chilling horror show

M. Night Shyamalan’s output since The Sixth Sense has been something of a mixed bag, if I’m being generous. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had some really great movies since then, but you really just never know what you’re going to get from him. But I think one of the filmmaker’s best recent works is Servant, a horror show that he directed quite a few episodes for and helped run. Focusing on a grieving couple who have a reborn doll made of their late infant son.

Soon after, they hire a nanny (Neil Tiger Free) to look after the doll, whom the mother believes is actually their infant son. What follows is four seasons of the strangest, unsettling horror I’ve seen in ages. Servant is a brilliantly realized series, and one that I will happily recommend to anyone who says that Shyamalan has lost his touch.

Servant

Release Date

2019 – 2022

Showrunner

M. Night Shyamalan

Directors

M. Night Shyamalan

Writers

Tony Basgallop

Foundation

A surprisingly good adaptation

I never thought I’d see the day when Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation book series would actually be adapted to another medium, and that it would actually be good. But Apple TV+’s version of Foundation has been truly fantastic thus far, and it captures the bonkers scope of the books in ways I never imagined it could.

Set in the future, Foundation is about the Empire, the governing body of most of the known galaxy, and how it’s destined to fall. This is known thanks to mathematician Hari (Jared Harris), who develops a scientific concept known as psychohistory that is capable of predicting the future. To explain everything in this universe would take several charts and graphs, but trust me when I say that Foundation is worth taking the plunge. Both the show and the fantastic novels.

Servant

Release Date

2019 – 2022

Showrunner

M. Night Shyamalan

Directors

M. Night Shyamalan

Writers

Tony Basgallop

I think Pluribus has the opportunity to surpass these shows in weirdness

Thus far, Pluribus is still in its infancy, so it’s difficult to predict how things will unfold. However, so far, it seems to be on track for a truly weird, unsettling run. I would expect nothing else from Gilligan. Given his track record and how fantastic Apple TV+’s output has been, I think Pluribus could truly become the streamer’s flagship series, even over Severance.

But if science fiction is a passion for you, check out these upcoming sci-fi book adaptations that can’t be missed.