India, Nov. 7 -- Apple TV's new sci-fi series, Pluribus, is not interested in slow teases or vague hints. Instead, it sets its central mystery on the table early, and the tension comes from understanding the world that follows.

Pluribus, the new Apple TV series from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan, opens with very little mystery left to hide. Instead of teasing its premise for half a season, the show lays out the central event early: almost the entire human population has been drawn into something known as "The Joining." And the most miserable person on earth Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) has to save the world from happiness.

The show's explanation points back to a signal found in deep space, roughly 600 light-yea...