If there ever was such a thing as “auteur” TV, the names that would probably be mentioned first are David Chase (“The Sopranos”), David Simon (“The Wire”), Matthew Weiner (“Mad Men”), Noah Hawley (“Fargo”), Damon Lindelof (“Lost,” “The Leftovers,” “Watchmen”), and Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”).
These are the showrunners who not only created distinctive worlds but also infused them with their own unmistakable voice — shaping television into something as personal, expressive, and artistically ambitious as cinema itself.
After years of rumors and cryptic social media posts, we’re finally getting Gilligan’s long-brewing Apple TV+ series, “Pluribus.” Announced back in 2022 with little more than a logline and Rhea Seehorn in the cast, the show has now premiered its first two episodes on Apple TV+. A new episode is set to air every Friday through December 26.
The new series marks Gilligan’s return following the one-two punch that was “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” and like the latter, “Pluribus” stars Seehorn, whose performance as Kim Wexler is still very fresh in my mind.
The embargo lifted last night, and so far, so good — reviews are great for “Pluribus.” Critics were sent the first few episodes, and there’s almost nothing but good ink being dished out on this show: an 85 on Metacritic and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Bring it on.
Seehorn steps into what Gilligan has called a “more heroic” lead role — though how exactly that plays out remains a mystery. The logline, in true Gilligan fashion, is cryptic to the point of abstraction: “A genre-bending original in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.”
A trailer dropped two weeks ago.
Gilligan has described the series as written specifically for Seehorn. One major shift from the “Breaking Bad” universe? The moral center. While Walter White and Jimmy McGill were exercises in villainous leads, “Pluribus” is being framed as, in Gilligan’s words, a story about the “good guys.”
Gilligan’s track record speaks for itself, but “Pluribus” arrives with high expectations and very little revealed. Regardless, this is a big test for Gilligan, as his last two acclaimed shows were part of the same universe. The showrunner is now branching out into what seems to be a neo–sci-fi project.
Joining Seehorn in the cast are Karolina Wydra and Carlos-Manuel Vesga, with Miriam Shor and Samba Schutte appearing in guest roles. The series consists of 10 episodes. Gilligan has hinted that the project felt like a return to his “X-Files” roots.
It’s been seven years since Alma Har’el’s feature debut, “Honey Boy,” which was written by and starred Shia LaBeouf — she is now set to direct her next film, with a very talented cast.