I recently had a thought while watching the new TV show Pluribus. If you have not seen it, it is a mind-bending sci-fi series about a cynical writer who feels stuck in her life. *Spoilers ahead*. Scientists detect a mysterious signal that turns out to be an RNA sequence. They synthesize it, test it on animals, and everything seems fine until one scientist gets bitten by a mouse. From there, the world collapses into a hive-mind catastrophe, and almost everyone on Earth becomes infected. *End spoilers*.

Shows like this always make me think about how Hollywood now portrays science. More often than not, the story begins with a scientist making a mistake that threatens humanity. With that constant pattern, it is easy to understand why some people believed that COVID-19 leaked from a lab. Even though we have no evidence for that theory, it makes sense when the same storyline appears in movie after movie.

This idea is everywhere in entertainment. Stories like Jurassic Park, Frankenstein, 28 Days Later, Event Horizon, Westworld, and Stranger Things all hinge on scientists creating danger. Even medical dramas have shifted. Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor, House, and American Horror Story often show doctors as deeply flawed or unethical. Compare that to older shows like Dr. Kildare, Marcus Welby MD, and MASH, which portrayed doctors as compassionate problem solvers. We also once saw heroic scientists in Outbreak, The Andromeda Strain, and Apollo 13.

So what changed? And how is this shaping how we feel about science today?

If you sometimes feel unsure about trusting scientists or doctors, you are not alone. Fiction may not be real, but it absolutely influences how we see the world. Over time, plots about dangerous experiments and corrupt doctors can make real science seem risky or untrustworthy.

The truth is much less dramatic and much more inspiring. Science has saved countless lives and continues to improve the world. Advances in vaccines, cancer research, clean energy, robotics, and genetics are overwhelmingly beneficial. They touch nearly every part of modern life. The problem is that these real successes do not make thrilling TV, so Hollywood chooses chaos over accuracy.

Even so, the stories Hollywood tells often reflect our own anxieties about technology, medicine, and the institutions we rely on. That is why scientists and doctors must keep communicating with the public, being transparent, and building trust, both in real life and in the media that shapes our imagination.

So here is my question for you. How do you feel about scientists and doctors? Do you think Hollywood’s storytelling has changed the way you see them? And what needs to happen for trust to grow again?

Pluribus may make for great entertainment, but real science works very differently. In real life, scientists and doctors are far more likely to save humanity than destroy it.