Vince Gilligan is gearing up to launch a new Apple TV+ series, Pluribus. If you were waiting for one more lap around the Breaking Bad block, though, he basically shut the door on that. Not with drama, not with bitterness — just a clean creative pivot.
So, about more Breaking Bad...
Gilligan says he has no current plans to return to Walter White and that whole ecosystem. He isn't sick of it, he isn't burned out — he just wants to write a straight-up hero for a change instead of living in gray areas forever. He also admitted he's wary of tinkering with something fans already consider finished. Translation: he doesn't want to drag the legacy down with one project too many.
"God, it'd be nice to write a hero again, someone who's trying to do the right thing."
What Pluribus actually is
Pluribus is a sci-fi drama led by Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka — a flawed but determined woman who sets out to uncover and fix a mysterious global disorder. Gilligan calls Carol a hero who wants to do the right thing and, yes, literally save the world. After Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, that's a pretty sharp tonal turn, which is kind of the point.
No, it's not secretly a Breaking Bad spinoff
Because Pluribus is set in Albuquerque and there's a tease-y "Hello Carol" moment floating around, people assumed there had to be some crossover. Gilligan was crystal clear: this is a different universe entirely. Carol has nothing to do with anyone from Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, and this is not that version of Albuquerque.
He even considered setting Pluribus somewhere else just to dodge confusion, but in the end he wanted to work with his longtime crew again — keep folks employed, keep the shorthand going. Shooting in Albuquerque is simply easier for him; the team already speaks his filmmaking language.
Gilligan's track record (and why he's protective)
If you're wondering why he's so careful about not overplaying his hand, the numbers explain a lot:
- Breaking Bad — 5 seasons, 96% on Rotten Tomatoes
- Better Call Saul — 6 seasons, 98% on Rotten Tomatoes
- El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie — 92% on Rotten Tomatoes
The bottom line
Gilligan's done telling stories about guys who break bad. Pluribus is him flipping the switch to a full-on hero story, on his terms, and without a secret Heisenberg backdoor pilot hiding under the floorboards.
Pluribus premieres November 7, 2025 on Apple TV+. Breaking Bad is streaming on Netflix.