Even Pluribus Star Rhea Seehorn Is in the Dark on Breaking Bad Creator’s New Sci-Fi Series

Vince Gilligan is back, and this time he brought a sci-fi brain twister. Apple TV Plus has only dropped two episodes of Pluribus so far, and the show is already messing with heads — including its lead, Rhea Seehorn. That is not a bug; that is the vibe.

The setup, in plain English

• Where: New Mexico (Gilligan country)
• Who: Rhea Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, an author
• The big swing: A virus called the Joining has turned basically everyone into a single, obedient hive mind known as the Others
• The twist: Carol is one of the rare people who is immune
• Status: Episodes 1 and 2 are out now on Apple TV Plus

So what is actually going on?

Short answer: you are meant to feel a little lost. The first two episodes drop us into Carol’s day-to-day as she tries to make sense of a world where most people share one collective brain, and she does not. Seehorn admits she was relieved to play someone who is fumbling through the same fog we are, because she, personally, is also piecing it together. That tracks with Gilligan’s whole approach here: he loves a slow burn that yanks the floorboards up just when you think you’ve found your footing.

Carol is not passive about it, though. As the season unfolds, she pushes hard for answers, tests different ways to reach the people she thinks are still human under the hive, and refuses to call it quits. Whether any of that works is the part you watch for.

Gilligan wrote it with Seehorn in mind

Pluribus is Gilligan’s first TV series since 2015’s Battle Creek, but the resume speaks for itself: Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, with Seehorn stealing scenes in the latter. He told GamesRadar+ that he built this one specifically to put her front and center.

"I wrote this show for her. I love her so much."

He also said he was confident she could carry a series and that it was long past time she headlined one. If you watched Better Call Saul, you know he is not wrong.

Where to watch

Pluribus episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Apple TV Plus, with more on the way. If you like shows that make you lean forward and mutter wait, what under your breath, you are in the right place.