Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan is back with something weird, ambitious and a little unsettling. His new Apple TV series Pluribus dropped its first two episodes on November 7, bringing with it a mix of sci-fi mystery and social commentary.
According to Peoplefans are also realizing that the title is loaded with meaning. The Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator reunites in the show with Rhea Seehorn, who stars as Carol Sturka, a romance author pulled into a world that is suddenly gone eerily…happy.
The show follows the aftermath of an alien virus that has infected almost everyone on Earth, erasing anger, grief and conflict. On the surface, it looks like paradise, but something feels off.
“We want to keep a lot of it secret, and we tried to hit every [sci-fi] trope and turn it on its ear,” Gilligan told. TV Insider earlier this year.
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Pluribus: The meaning behind the name
The word pluribus comes from Latin. It means “many” or “from many,” and it is most famously known from the phrase E Pluribus Unum – “out of many, one.” As People explains, that phrase was once considered the unofficial motto of the United States before “In God We Trust” became official in 1956. It still appears on US currency, passports and the Great Seal.
Gilligan said naming the show Pluribus was a nod to that idea – but not just in a patriotic sense. “It’s a tip of the hat to the motto, but the show isn’t meant to be just American. I really want this to be a show for the whole world. I liked the idea of ’out of many, one,’ not just in reference to democracy, but people everywhere – all becoming one,” he told. TechRadar,
In Pluribus (stylized as Plur1bus), the concept becomes literal. Humanity is merged into a single, smiling hive mind – all connected by an alien signal that turned into a global virus. Everyone is calm, everyone is kind and no one argues except Carol. She is one of the few left uninfected and cannot shake the feeling that this forced happiness hides something darker.
A show about “saving” the world from happiness
The show’s tagline describes it as “the story of the most miserable person on Earth who must save the world from happiness.” Carol’s journey, Gilligan told TV Insider, takes her “to the other side of the world” as she tries to undo what she sees as an apocalypse – though viewers are left to wonder if she is saving the world or ruining perfection.
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How the title came together
Finding the right name was not easy. Gilligan told TechRadar it took years. “This was the single hardest thing I’ve ever created to title. We had a list of over 100 names. Pluribus came up early, but we circled back to it two years later,” he said.
Now, with the series out, Gilligan says the title finally feels right. “It seems obvious now. But it took forever to get there,” he said.
FAQs
What does the word “pluribus” mean?
It is Latin for “many” or “from many,” often used in the US motto E Pluribus Unum (“out of many, one”).
Why did Vince Gilligan name the show Pluribus?
He told People it reflects the theme of humanity merging into one – both literally and philosophically.
Who stars in Pluribus?
Rhea Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, a writer trying to save the world from an alien-inspired hive mind.
When did Pluribus premiere on Apple TV?
The first two episodes dropped on November 7, 2025.
Is Pluribus connected to Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul?
No, it’s an entirely new story, but it reunites Gilligan and Seehorn for the first time since Better Call Saul.
