Amid all the hubbub of San Diego Comic-Con weekend, Apple TV finally unveiled its new sci-fi drama series, Pluribus, created by Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan.
Although Pluribus is Gilligan’s first venture into sci-fi, it will feature a familiar face: Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul. Apple TV’s press release for Pluribus, like its teaser poster, doesn’t reveal much about the show in terms of what viewers can expect from its story, aside from Gilligan’s name being attached to it and that it’ll consist of nine episodes. In the spirit of enticing vagueness, the streamer coupled its official announcement with a date trailer.
The date announcement trailer for Pluribus taps into the cringe-worthy YouTube prank culture from nearly a decade ago. In the clip, a woman licks the bottom of every donut before placing them back into their container—color us appropriately grossed out and curious to see how the show’s sci-fi elements unfold.
Apple’s brief logline for the series describes it as being set in a world where “the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” Presumably starting with one licked donut at a time.
Alongside Seehorn, the cast includes Karolina Wydra (Sneaky Pete), Carlos-Manuel Vesga (The Hijacking of Flight 601), Miriam Shor (American Fiction), and Samba Schutte (Our Flag Means Death). In tandem with the show’s announcement, Apple TV put ten toes down on Gilligan’s new hotness by already picking the nine-episode series up for a second season. The drama series is being executive produced by Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, Diane Mercer, Allyce Ozarski, and Jeff Frost. Additionally, Jenn Carroll and Trina Siopy are joining the team as co-executive producers.
Happiness is contagious. pic.twitter.com/81igNemjAk
— Breaking Bad (@BreakingBad) July 22, 2025
Gilligan first hinted at working on “Pluribus” in 2023, following the end of the WGA strike. Although he remained somewhat vague about the show’s specifics, he mentioned to Variety that production was nearing the completion of its first season.
“I wouldn’t call this heavy science fiction, I would call it mild science fiction,” Gilligan told Variety. “But it does have a sci-fi element to it, at its core. And there’s no crime, and no methamphetamine. It’s going to be fun and different … I know it’s a story that interests me, and Rhea will be playing a very different character than she played on Saul. The weird thing is that it takes place in Albuquerque, except it’s a whole different world. There’s no overlap that I can see.”
Given Gilligan’s history working on shows like The X-Files, we can only hope he brings some of that uncanny energy into whatever Pluribus winds up being about.
The first two episodes of Pluribus premiere on November 7, with new episodes airing every Friday through December 26 on Apple TV.
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