The creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan, has a roadmap for his new Apple TV+ sci-fi series, Pluribus. While the show has already been confirmed for two seasons, Gilligan has indicated that the complete story is ideally suited for a three-season run.
The new series, which debuted its first two episodes on November 7, 2025, stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, a woman who becomes the world’s last miserable person after a strange event transforms everyone else into blissful members of a hive mind. Gilligan has shared his thoughts on how long he expects this unique story to continue.
The Creator’s Roadmap for the Show
In recent interviews, Vince Gilligan explained that he has a clearer plan for the end of Pluribus than he did for his previous hit shows at similar stages. He mentioned that the creative team has a “general roadmap” for where the story should go.
“I have more – at this moment – an idea of how the show should end than I usually do, certainly than I did on Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul,” Gilligan said. He also noted that he is always willing to change a good idea for a better one, but the overall direction is set.
When asked about the potential number of seasons, Gilligan suggested that three feels like the right number, though he acknowledged that stories can sometimes grow. He compared it to his experience on Better Call Saul, where he initially thought the show might last three seasons, but it ultimately ran for six because more story possibilities emerged.
Why the Story Has a Natural Limit
A key reason for the three-season vision is Gilligan’s philosophy on storytelling. He believes that a show should “know when to leave the party” and end while the audience still wants more. He wants to avoid being the creator who overstays their welcome.
“The biggest trick in this job is knowing when to leave the party. You want to leave people wanting more,” Gilligan stated. He added that while Pluribus “feels like it can’t go on forever,” the same was true for his other shows, and they found ways to expand the narrative in a satisfying way. The final length will depend on the story that he and his writers discover during production.
How Pluribus Connects to Gilligan’s Past Work
Gilligan’s approach to planning Pluribus seems to be influenced by lessons learned from his time on Breaking Bad. On that show, the writers famously introduced elements without knowing exactly how they would pay off, such as the machine gun in Walter White’s trunk at the start of the final season. They trusted they would find a way to make it work, which they successfully did.
With Pluribus, Gilligan is aiming for a balance. He has an ending in mind but remains open to new ideas that might appear during the writing process. The show’s first season was fully figured out before shooting began, a process he found very helpful. However, he joked that he would likely “do something dumb and write myself into a corner again” during the second season, a creative challenge he seems to welcome.
What We Know About the New Series
Pluribus is Gilligan’s first major project since concluding the Breaking Bad universe and his first proper foray into science fiction since his work on The X-Files. The show features Rhea Seehorn as Carol, a romance novelist who is immune to a global virus that turns people into happy, unified members of a single consciousness. The title comes from the Latin phrase “E pluribus unum,” meaning “Out of many, one,” which directly describes the hive mind in the show.
The first season, which will run for nine episodes, premiered on November 7, 2025, on Apple TV+. New episodes are released every Friday through December 26, 2025. The series has already been praised by critics as a “dazzling piece of entertainment” and “riveting,” with particular attention given to Seehorn’s central performance.
Also Read: Pluribus Episode 3 Arrives November 14: What to Expect After That Shocking Ending
