For the past few months, Apple TV has been dropping enigmatic and enticing teasers for Pluribus (stylized Plur1bus) ahead of its debut on the 2025 TV schedule. After watching a handful of these brief videos from Vince Gilligan’s upcoming series and going over all kinds of fan theories, I thought the new full-length trailer would offer more insight into the show starring Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn. Yet, here I am, as confused as ever, trying to make sense of this…
As soon as I finished the trailer, I turned my confusion into motivation to start a quest to find as much information as I could about Pluribus and what the Breaking Bad creator is up to here. Here’s what I found…
What We Know From The Trailer And Description
So, what is Pluribus about? Well, according to the official logline from Apple TV, the series will follow the most miserable person on Earth – Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) – as she is forced to save the world from happiness. The action-packed, dramatic, and darkly humorous Pluribus trailer begins to explain what happens in the show, but without giving away what it’s about. Check it out below:
While everyone is happy, or at least content, Carol spends her days angry, confused, and somehow isolated from the world that seems to be there just to meet her needs. When touching on Pluribus in an interview with EW, Vince Gilligan offered a little more insight into the story than the logline, but not much:
The drama of the show is that the world’s most miserable person is desperately trying to save the planet from happiness. There's a surprising amount of drama that we're mining from that. … She doesn't really want to be tasked with saving the world, but she more or less feels like it's her duty.
This poses more questions than it answers, but we are left with some key details about the show: Carol is the only person not affected by some wave of happiness, she is tasked with saving the world, and she can have anything and everything she wants (besides answers).
The Scenario Vince Gilligan Set Out To Explore
The idea that would eventually become Pluribus came to Vince Gilligan many years ago when he was taking a break during production of Better Call Saul. In the same EW interview mentioned above, he recalled how walking through a neighborhood triggered a random thought that became the genesis of it all:
During our lunch breaks, I would take long walks around the neighborhood near our offices. My mind would wander, and I got interested in the idea of a world in which everyone was nice. There was no way you could insult them. There was no way you could hurt their feelings. But they would do anything and everything for you.
This totally sounds like something out of a great Twilight Zone episode, with its world in which everyone is nice and can’t be offended, and it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
Is This Going To Be A Lost Situation, But With A Breaking Bad And Better Call Saul Attitude?
Based on the mysterious teaser trailers and new full-length trailer, I can’t help but think Pluribus is going to be a Lost situation with a Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul attitude. On one hand, you could argue that the upcoming Apple TV series can be taken at face value, and what you see is what you get. However, I can’t help but think there are going to be so many layers to this story that’ll unfold over time.
Combine that mystery and intrigue with Vince Gilligan’s knack for storytelling, well-rounded and intense characters, and a return to the desert landscape of New Mexico, and you have yourself a lot of potential.
The truth is, I don’t know how many questions will be answered when Pluribus starts streaming for anyone with an Apple TV subscription on November 7th. I’ll be there, though.
