You probably spent the last few years mourning the end of Better Call Saul, wondering if we'd ever see Rhea Seehorn back in a role that actually used her range. Well, the wait ended late last year, but if you haven't caught up with Pluribus, you’re missing the weirdest, most ambitious thing on television right now.
It’s not another lawyer drama. Not even close.
Vince Gilligan, the mastermind behind the Breaking Bad universe, basically took a hard left turn into high-concept sci-fi. He’s back in Albuquerque, sure, but this isn't the Albuquerque of meth labs and cartel shootouts. It’s a world where almost every single person on the planet has been "Joined" into a blissful, terrifying hive mind by an alien virus. Seehorn stars as Carol Sturka, and honestly? She might be the most relatable "hero" ever put on screen because her superpower is being absolutely miserable.
Why Pluribus Is the Rhea Seehorn New Show You Didn't Expect
Most people heard "Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn reunite" and expected Better Call Saul 2.0. They expected Kim Wexler with a different name. Instead, we got Carol Sturka, a cynical "romantasy" novelist who is one of only 13 people on Earth immune to a virus that makes everyone else perpetually, annoyingly happy.
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The show premiered on Apple TV+ in November 2025, and it’s already a massive hit, but the internet is full of misconceptions about what it actually is. It’s not a zombie show. It’s not an action thriller. It’s a "grounded genre drama" that feels more like The Twilight Zone had a baby with Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Seehorn is incredible here. She just cleaned up at the 2026 Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards for a reason. Carol is grieving her wife, Helen (played by Miriam Shor), who died during the initial "Joining." While the rest of the world is floating around in a state of euphoric peace, Carol is holding onto her rage like a shield.
The Wycaro Mystery and the First Season Twist
If you followed the production news back in 2024 and early 2025, you might remember the working title was Wycaro 339. Fans spent months trying to decode what that meant. Turns out, it was a bit of a meta-joke from Gilligan. In the show, Winds of Wycaro is the name of the book series Carol writes.
Basically, the "Others"—the hive-minded humans—try to use Carol's own fictional characters to manipulate her. They find a woman named Zosia (Karolina Wydra) who looks exactly like a character from Carol’s books and send her in as an ambassador. It’s creepy. It’s brilliant. It’s exactly the kind of psychological chess Gilligan loves to play, just with a sci-fi skin.
The Viral Success and the "Joining"
The science behind the show is actually kind of fascinating. It starts with astronomers detecting a radio signal that contains a viral RNA sequence. Researchers, being researchers, decided to recreate it in a lab. Bad move.
The virus spreads through saliva, and instead of killing people, it merges their consciousness. There are over 8 billion people in this hive mind now. They share memories. They share feelings. They don't fight. They don't even really have personalities anymore.
- The 13 Immunes: Scattered across the globe, including a hedonist in Mauritania and a hostile survivor in India.
- The Cost of Peace: Over 886 million people actually died during the initial outbreak. The hive mind just... ignores that.
- The Conflict: Carol wants to reverse it. The hive mind wants her to join the party.
One of the wildest things about the first season—and spoilers if you haven't finished the nine episodes—is that Carol's anger is actually a weapon. In the finale, we see her realize that her negative emotions can cause the hive mind to literally convulse. She’s essentially a virus to the virus.
What's Actually Happening with Season 2?
Is there going to be more? Yes. Apple TV+ was so confident they ordered two seasons right out of the gate.
Rhea Seehorn confirmed earlier this month at the Golden Globes that the writers are already back in the room. There isn't a firm release date for Season 2 yet, but Gilligan is notorious for taking his time to get the scripts perfect. Given the production cycle, we’re likely looking at a late 2026 or early 2027 return.
The stakes are higher now. Carol ended the season with a tactical nuke (literally) and a plan to force the world back into the "misery" of being human. It’s a wild premise: a protagonist fighting to bring back pain and suffering because without it, we aren't really us.
Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you're just jumping into the Pluribus rabbit hole, here is what you need to know to stay ahead of the theories.
First, pay attention to the "Others" and how they treat art. There’s a scene where they tell Carol they find all art "equally wonderful." It’s a chilling commentary on a world without conflict. If everything is great, nothing is special.
Second, watch the background. Gilligan loves visual storytelling. There are long stretches of the show with almost no dialogue where Seehorn has to carry the entire emotional weight with just her face. It's masterclass acting.
Finally, don't expect a Breaking Bad cameo. This isn't that world. It’s something entirely new.
To get the most out of the show, you should:
- Re-watch the first two episodes, "We Is Us" and "The Joining," specifically looking for the Winds of Wycaro Easter eggs.
- Follow the official Apple TV+ press site for the first production stills from Season 2, which usually drop about six months before the premiere.
- Listen to the Dave Porter score—the guy who did the music for Saul is back here, and he uses a lot of discordant synth to represent the hive mind's "hum."
The show asks a heavy question: Is a peaceful life worth it if you have to lose your identity to get it? Carol Sturka says no. And watching her fight for the right to be miserable is the most entertaining thing on TV right now.