Apple TV’s new series Pluribus reunites Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, but it completely upends expectations. After the first two episodes, the show’s world stands in a very different place from the “character transformation within crime” formula. Yes, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is back on stage, and Gilligan’s dark humor tone is felt, but this time the heart of the story isn’t chemistry — it’s consciousness, technology, and the boundaries of human nature.
Pluribus is, in genre terms, a “high-concept sci-fi mystery.” Its tone and atmosphere are closer to Severance’s dystopian world questioning corporate consciousness than to Breaking Bad’s crime tension. As Gilligan opens a new chapter in his career, he gives viewers a very clear message: “This time nobody’s going ‘bad’ — but everyone’s identity is changing.”
At the center of the series is Rhea Seehorn’s Carol Sturka — a sarcastic, misanthropic woman who hates people yet somehow still earns the viewer’s empathy. Gilligan gives Seehorn her most challenging role to date: a character who is emotionally closed off yet wrestling with an internal moral struggle. And Seehorn returns with a depth that surpasses her Kim Wexler performance in Better Call Saul.
Critics say the series could be an “award turning point” for Seehorn. The actress, who didn’t win an Emmy for Better Call Saul, is being reevaluated here as television’s new anti-hero. Pluribus offers a performance feast where Seehorn carries both toughness and fragility in the same body.
From Gilligan’s perspective, this project is a rebirth. Since 2008, his career has been identified with the weight of the Breaking Bad universe — and while that made him one of TV history’s most respected creators, it also carried the risk of being a “one-trick” director. Pluribus eliminates that risk entirely. Returning to the genre flexibility of his The X-Files and Lone Gunmen days, Gilligan delivers a story that questions the boundaries of science, consciousness, and identity.
Apple TV’s ambitious production is also a space where Gilligan rediscovers his strengths outside crime drama. The theme of “people coping with extreme situations” is still present, but now it progresses through reality and technology rather than crime. Albuquerque remains the heart of Gilligan’s cinematic universe; but this time, instead of blue meth, there’s a consciousness lost inside a mysterious digital system.
Though the series carries familiar elements from the Gilligan universe, Pluribus advances with a much more philosophical, quieter, and gradually building tension. Apple TV’s visually sterile, psychologically suffocating atmosphere perfectly complements the story’s themes.
Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan, with this series, pull both themselves and the audience out of their comfort zones. Pluribus might be a disappointment for those expecting “a crime story,” but it’s definitely a reward for anyone seeking good television.
And perhaps Gilligan’s most important message is exactly this:
“We’re not going bad anymore. We’re just trying to remain human.”
- Creator: Vince Gilligan
- Lead: Rhea Seehorn (Carol Sturka)
- Platform: Apple TV
- Genre: Sci-Fi / Mystery / Psychological Drama
Pluribus stands out as a series that redefines Gilligan’s television legacy while taking Rhea Seehorn to a new acting peak. Moving away from Breaking Bad has never looked so good.
