Pluribus is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction television series created by Vince Gilligan for Apple TV. Set and filmed primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows novelist Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), who finds herself isolated after an alien virus transforms the rest of humanity into a peaceful and content hive mind, which nevertheless seeks to assimilate her and other immune individuals. The series premiered on Apple TV on November 7, 2025. A second season has been ordered. The title of the series refers to e pluribus unum, a Latin motto of the United States which means 'out of many, one'. Pluribus has received acclaim from critics, with praise for Gilligan's writing and direction and Seehorn's performance, as well as the show's originality, tone, and stylistic influences, though its pacing received some criticism. Pluribus has received numerous accolades. At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, it earned 18 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, as well as acting nominations for Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Jeff Hiller, and Miriam Shor. It has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards, with Seehorn winning Best Actress in a Drama Series at both ceremonies. Additionally, the series was honored with a Peabody Award and was named one of the 10 best television programs of 2025 by the American Film Institute.
Premise Pluribus follows Albuquerque author Carol Sturka, who is one of only 13 people in the world immune to the effects of the "Joining", an event in which an extraterrestrial virus transformed the rest of humanity into a peaceful and content hive mind known as the "Others". The hive mind happily accommodates the wishes of those who remain unaffected, but admits that it will ultimately seek to assimilate them when it learns how to do so. Carol is adamantly against their efforts as she searches for a way to reverse the Joining.
Cast and characters
Main Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, an American romantasy author who is immune to the Joining and seeks to reverse it Karolina Wydra as Zosia, a Polish member of the Others who acts as Carol's chaperone Carlos-Manuel Vesga as Manousos Oviedo, a Colombian immune individual living in Paraguay who refuses all contact with the Others
Recurring Miriam Shor as Helen L. Umstead, Carol's manager and wife Samba Schutte as Koumba Diabaté, a Mauritanian immune individual who lives a hedonistic lifestyle in the aftermath of the outbreak Menik Gooneratne as Laxmi, an Indian immune individual who is hostile to Carol Darinka Arones as Kusimayu, an immune Peruvian villager amenable to joining the Others
Episodes
Production
Development
Vince Gilligan conceived the premise of the series after becoming "weary of writing bad guys", following a decade of working on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. During production of Better Call Saul, he came up with the premise of a man who everyone in the world suddenly adored after some cataclysmic event. He expanded on the idea, turning the lead into a female character that was written with Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn in mind, and coming up with the idea of a hive mind. As he wanted the story as grounded as possible, he came up with the idea of the hive mind coming from a signal sent from space containing code for RNA that would transform humanity. Gilligan crafted Seehorn's character to be a "flawed good guy" who tries to save the world. Gilligan told Seehorn that he was working on something he wrote for her, and she immediately agreed to be a part of it even before seeing the initial drafts. After Better Call Saul ended in August 2022, Gilligan pitched a new series that he would develop with Sony Pictures Television. His pitch triggered the first bidding war for one of his works, with Apple TV winning the rights to the series in September 2022 and giving it a two-season order. Gilligan was named as showrunner and executive producer. Seehorn was cast as Carol Sturka, a successful but discontented romance novel author. Gilligan said he felt that he had about four seasons' worth of ideas for Pluribus, and did not envision that there would be a demand for more beyond that, nor would he have the energy to pursue more, given how long each episode takes to produce. In March 2024, Karolina Wydra was cast in the lead role of Zosia, one of the "Others" that serves as Carol's liaison. The series title was chosen from a list of over 100 names as "a tip of the hat to the unofficial motto of America", E pluribus unum, a Latin phrase meaning "out of many, one".
Writing and filming
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