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Vince Gilligan's Pluribus has sparked a surge of interest on social media following the release of its first official trailer on Apple TV+. With Rhea Seehorn appearing in a leading role again and Gilligan working in Albuquerque again, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fans automatically wondered if the show could be set in the same universe as either or both shows. It's a leap to make, given shared creative heritage and geography.
However, the response is straightforward and consistent across all official releases: Pluribus stands alone. It is in no way connected to Breaking Bad or any of its offshoots. The series is a new venture for Vince Gilligan, marking a departure from crime and moral shades into science fiction. Let's take a look at what has been officially established so far.
Project overview of Pluribus
Based on Apple TV+'s newsroom, Pluribus is a "genre-bending original" starring Emmy-nominated actress Rhea Seehorn. It's one of those shows about Carol Sturka, "the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness." That alone makes it something worth checking out as something new Gilligan has created.
The show will premiere exclusively on Apple TV+ on November 7, 2025, with the first two episodes available together, followed by subsequent weekly releases. The release dates were locked in by Apple's July and October 2025 press announcements. Apple TV+ also commissioned it for two seasons, a sign of faith in the project's direction from the outset.
Developed by Vince Gilligan and Sony Pictures Television, Pluribus is his initial original series since Better Call Saul. Confirmed credits on Apple's "Originals" page guarantee Gilligan as writer, creator, and executive producer.
Setting and production of Pluribus
Pluribus was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The series was supposedly filmed under the title "Wycaro 339". It is not to imply that the Albuquerque shoot is in the same universe as Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. It is solidly in Gilligan's own creative comfort zone and provides the visual landscape he has made his career.
The general mood of the series, as hinted at in Apple TV+'s official trailer on their YouTube channel, is that of a cheerful yet unsettling world, one where seeming contentment masks a deeper societal issue. The contrast serves to strengthen the science-fiction base without any mixing with realism or crime.
Independence of theme and narrative
Despite fan gossip, every release announcement confirms that Pluribus is not a spin-off series of the Breaking Bad franchise. Vince Gilligan has personally confirmed, through interviews following the release of Better Call Saul, that his new show will be an independent undertaking from his prior crime series.
Apple's representation makes it equally clear. It's an identity, emotion, and control software, not a software for crime or moral decay. The bigger premise, a heroine who must save humanity from the perils of mass euphoria, is more characteristic of speculative fiction than the realism of Gilligan's earlier work.
Tone-wise, Pluribus is more intellectual science fiction, like in The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. It explores how societal extremes are reshaping what it means to be human.
Character and story details
As quoted in Apple TV+'s official summary, Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka is "the most miserable person on Earth," but she's humankind's best hope when happiness itself is deadly. Such a comedic and existential setup is the emotional core of Pluribus.
The character development appears to explore how emotion and truth persist in a world where happiness is manufactured. While the entire supporting cast is not currently available on Apple's newsroom as of October 2025, Gilligan is listed as creator, writer, and producer for the series on all credits.
The series has been described as meshing dark comedy and psychological suspense, a marked departure from style for Gilligan. However, his traditional storytelling, ordinary people in outlandish circumstances, reigns supreme on Pluribus.
Why did fans suspect a shared universe?
No wonder some enthusiasts initially thought Pluribus might be related to Breaking Bad. Ingredients are familiar: Gilligan's inventive hand, Rhea Seehorn's inclusion, and Albuquerque's desert landscape. Since the trailer was released, social media has been abuzz with conspiracy theories that combine the two worlds.
However, Apple's official press releases and reports from Deadline confirm that there is no overlap. The domain of influence is visual and artistic, not narrative. Mood, tone, and genre of Pluribus are all different from Gilligan's work before.
Instead of an anecdote on moral decay, Pluribus develops Gilligan's fascination with the human condition and shapes it into a new, more ethereal form.
Anticipation and industry reception
Even before its premiere, Pluribus has captured the attention of media outlets and industry commentators due to the involvement of Vince Gilligan. Deadline, MacRumors, and The Economic Times stories highlight the intrigue surrounding the hotly speculative idea of the series and the return of Rhea Seehorn to spearhead a high-concept series.
Early reactions to the trailer highlight the show's distinctive visual style, the blend of dark humor and existential themes, and its clear departure from the crime-oriented storytelling of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Fans naturally compare the work to Gilligan's previous work, but all coverage establishes that Pluribus is being sold as an original, self-contained series in a new category.
All the official information ensures that the show is completely separate from the universe of Breaking Bad. Although there may be familiar places and faces, which will make it old-fashioned, Pluribus is a standalone work, an exploratory examination of happiness, control, and individuality.
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Short of all that is the fact that the truth is obvious: Pluribus has no connection to Breaking Bad on any storytelling level. It's a new concept with new characters, one that feels right to Gilligan as a new creator. Viewers might catch the similarity to his prior style, but they'll arrive in a completely different world, one where danger isn't meth or morality, but the deception of pure bliss.
Also read: Brand new trailer Pluribus by Vince Gilligan is released
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