Audiences are thrilled to see Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan back with a new series, mysteriously titled Pluribus, which Gilligan reveals was chosen from 100 options — including at least one truly awful one.Pluribus stars Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn as Carol, one of the few people in the world not affected by a virus that makes everyone else relentlessly cheerful.
Gilligan and members of the Pluribus cast talked about the new show at New York Comic Con in October, in a discussion moderated by Happy Sad Confused‘s Josh Horowitz, following an exclusive screening of a few episodes. Right away, Horowitz asked: “Was there a long list of titles? Was it always this title [Pluribus] ?” Gilligan responded that it was especially difficult to name this series.
“We were in a title desert for two or three years,” shares Gilligan. “Is that true? More than Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad?” asks Seehorn. Gilligan clarified that Better Call Saul was especially easy to name; it makes sense that this would be the obvious title for the Breaking Bad spinoff, named after the episode that introduced Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman to the flagship.
“Better call Saul” is also the slogan of the crooked lawyer’s business, the rise of which is the focus of his series. Gilligan also says that the title Breaking Bad came fairly easily, though he mistakenly believed the Southern expression was much more commonly known than it actually was. Even Seehorn, who, like Gilligan, is from Virginia, had not heard of the phrase before the show.
But with Pluribus, Gilligan reveals that they went through a list of approximately 100 titles for the Apple TV show. “The worst one of all, I can tell you, was ‘Be Kind, Remind’,” he says. The others on stage reacted in agreement that this was a terrible title. Seehorn also brought up Gilligan’s background as a Latin student, which may have led to the final title of Pluribus.
“Pluribus” is a Latin term that means “many” or “from many.” It is primarily known as being part of the phrase “e pluribus unum,” meaning “out of many, one,“ an early motto of the United States. The phrase alludes to the idea of unity among many people, which is crucial to the series’ depiction of most of the world united in a kind of hive mind, which Carol vehemently resists joining.
The title subtly and elegantly alludes to the central dilemma, as Carol resists apparent peace and unity, believing it contradicts individuality, privacy, and free will. Breaking Bad was also a very understated title, as the phrase “break bad” is only said once in the show, by Jesse in the pilot. Like with Gilligan’s career-defining project, you should pay attention to this title to understand Pluribus more.
- Release Date
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November 6, 2025
- Network
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Apple TV
- Directors
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Adam Bernstein, Zetna Fuentes, Melissa Bernstein
- Writers
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Ariel Levine
