Vince Gilligan Breaks From the ‘Breaking Bad’ Universe With Apple TV+’s Sci-Fi ‘Pluribus’

Apple TV+ has shared the first glimpse of Pluribus, a new original series from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan. The show stars Rhea Seehorn in her first leading role since her Emmy-nominated turn as Kim Wexler, and premieres globally on November 7, 2025. It marks Gilligan’s first foray into science fiction and his first project outside the Breaking Bad universe in over 15 years.

Although story specifics are still under wraps, the official synopsis offers only a cryptic glimpse, describing Seehorn’s character, Carol, as “the most miserable person on Earth,” who is somehow tasked with saving humanity “from happiness.” The nine-episode season will launch with a two-episode premiere, followed by weekly releases every Friday until December 26. A second season has already been confirmed.

A brief and bizarre teaser premiered during San Diego Comic-Con, offering a surreal taste of the show’s tone. In one moment, a woman in pink medical scrubs licks donuts and returns them to a box marked “Help Yourself.” It’s a small but unsettling detail. The teaser ends with the tagline: “Happiness is contagious.”

Gilligan has made it clear this isn’t another crime saga. “There’s no crime, and no methamphetamine,” he told Variety. “The world changes very abruptly in the first episode, and then it is quite different. It’s the modern world — the world we live in — but it changes very abruptly.”

Pluribus isn’t aiming for lasers and spaceships. Instead, it appears to be exploring a darker edge of modern life through an unusual, genre-blending lens. With Gilligan behind the wheel and Seehorn front and center, this could be Apple TV+’s next big swing.

Seehorn is joined by a cast that includes Karolina Wydra (Sneaky Pete), Carlos Manuel Vesga (The Hijacking of Flight 601), Miriam Shor (American Fiction), and Samba Schutte (Our Flag Means Death). The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and executive produced by Gilligan, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, and others from the Better Call Saul team.

Pluribus will premiere on Apple TV+ November 7, check out the bizarre teaser below.

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