Posted in: Apple, TV | Tagged: Pluribus

Pluribus: Gilligan on Wanting to Write Heroes, Rhea Seehorn's Carol

Apple TV's Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan discusses wanting to write heroes and why Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka is the right kind of hero.

With only days to go until the two-episode premiere of Vince Gilligan's (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)-starring Pluribus hits Apple TV screens, the streaming service has been doing a countdown to November 7th over the past week. We've got a rundown of the first four waiting for you below. But before you get to that, Gilligan explains why Seehorn's Carol Sturka is the kind of hero he's been looking to write since his Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul days and why it was important to make that shift: "At a certain point, you're like, 'God, it'd be nice to write a hero again, someone who's trying to do the right thing.'"

"I like writing heroes again. Carol Sturka is a hero. She's imperfect. She can be a bit of a noodge or a curmudgeon or what have you, but we root for her. She wants to do the right thing, and she wants to save the world. That's refreshing," Gilligan shared during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "As much as I love Walter White and as proud as I am of 'Breaking Bad' — and as much as I know that it'll be the first sentence in my obituary — at a certain point, you're like, 'God, it'd be nice to write a hero again, someone who's trying to do the right thing. I've been working for years now to keep a guy safe through his various daily machinations, when his biggest goal in life is to have a U-Stor-It garage filled with cash, and he'll kill anyone to make that happen.' So it's nice we get to mix it up now."

debut:

Speaking with EW for its Fall preview special over the summer, Gilligan shed a bit more light on what we can expect from Pluribus, including some more details on the overarching storyline. Seehorn's Carol Sturka is a best-selling author of historical romance novels who is in the middle of a book tour in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when something mysterious impacts the population: a virus that leaves everyone happy and optimistic 24/7. Finding herself immune, Carol begins a journey to find answers – though Gilligan teases that "there's going to be complications arising from that." Here's a look at some key highlights from the profile piece:

Gilligan on Seehorn's "Reluctant Hero," Carol: "The drama of the show is that the world's most miserable person is desperately trying to save the planet from happiness," Gilligan shared about Seehorn's Carol. "There's a surprising amount of drama that we're mining from that," he added. However, Gilligan noted that there's a "lot of humor" to the premise, too. Gilligan says, describing Seehorn's character as a "reluctant hero." "She [Carol] doesn't really want to be tasked with saving the world, but she more or less feels like it's her duty," Gilligan said, describing Seehorn's character as a "reluctant hero."

Gilligan Knows Why Carol's Immune… Right? "That's a question that several people have asked me, starting back in the writers' room. I don't want to give too much away, but maybe we'll find an answer to that, maybe we won't. A better way for me to put it is that it never really occurred to me as a question. I just figured there's always gotta be a one-in-a-billion person. And it's Carol. As to the science of it, I don't know. Maybe we'll have an answer, maybe we won't."

Gilligan Teases "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" Easter Eggs: "There might be a couple if you keep your eyes and ears peeled. Fans of 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul,' if they pay close attention, they might come upon an Easter egg or two."

Joining Seehorn are Karolina Wydra (Sneaky Pete) and Carlos Manuel Vesga (The Hijacking of Flight 601), as well as guest stars Miriam Shor (American Fiction) and Samba Schutte (Our Flag Means Death). With the series set to make its global debut with its first two episodes on Friday, November 7, 2025 (with weekly single-episode drops on Fridays after that), here's a look back at the two previously released teasers (with the date announcement teaser waiting for you above):

Apple TV's Pluribus is produced by Sony Pictures Television and executive-produced by Emmy Award winner Gilligan alongside WGA Award winner Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, Diane Mercer, Allyce Ozarski, and Jeff Frost. Jenn Carroll and Trina Siopy serve as co-executive producers.

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