How would it feel to be the last unhappy person on Earth, and the world’s resources are trained on making you happy? You can get progressively bigger tastes of such a world through trailers, below — or you can start tuning in Friday when Apple TV streams Pluribus, from Breaking Bad and X-Files creator Vince Gilligan,
As I said when the official trailer dropped, for my money, the rampant happiness the world’s population apparently feels — aside from the story’s main character — is actually some sort of contagion with dire consequences. And she has immunity.
Reviews so far are positive. The Guardian calls the “audacity” of the “intrepid” and “blackly comic” show “incredible,” while also revealing a cause of the worldwide happiness that jibes with my theory above. Variety says Rhea Seehorn is “magnificent” on the show. The BBC describes it as “George Orwell meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” And lots of reviews invoke Gilligan’s X-Files while some prefer references to The Twilight Zone.
New full trailer for Pluribus season 1 brings you deeper into its weird world
October 22, 2025: Watch the first full trailer for Pluribus below and enjoy a few laughs amid the overall creepy feeling. The last line made me LOL.
Pluribus season 1: Unsettling new teaser trailer is LOL funny
October 10, 2025: I consider it a very good sign when a one-minute trailer for a new show makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, even as I laugh out loud. And that’s exactly what I got from Apple TV+’s new teaser trailer for Pluribus, the upcoming sci-fi show from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan.
Just get a load of this tagline for what looks like both a comedy and a drama: “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.”
The first teaser trailer for Pluribus amounted to little more than a visual joke. You can watch it below. The second one, however, brings us into the story a little more, giving a strong sense that we’re in for something weird — and possibly wonderfully weird.
In it, the main character Carol (played by Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn) takes a call from the White House. She is extremely uncomfortable. It seems the president (or whoever that breezy, blow-dried guy is) leads a burgeoning national effort to cure the unhappiness she alone suffers from. As she says when the president asks if she has any questions, “I guess to start with, what … the … f –”
Catch an odd glimpse of Breaking Bad creator’s new sci-fi, Pluribus
July 26, 2025: It’s hard to tell from the weird little teaser trailer Apple TV+ dropped Friday, but subscribers may get their next must-watch series when Pluribus — the highly anticipated sci-fi drama from Breaking Bad creator Gilligan — debuts on the streaming platform November 7.
The nine-episode series stars Emmy-nominated actress Rhea Seehorn, best known for her critically acclaimed role as Kim Wexler in Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul.
Pluribus presents an intriguing high-concept storyline where “the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness,” according to Apple TV+. This genre-bending, sci-fi-meets-drama approach represents another creative departure for Gilligan. He consistently pushed boundaries throughout his career, from The X-Files to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
The series has already been renewed for a second season before its premiere, demonstrating Apple TV+’s confidence in the project. This early renewal follows Apple’s strategy of backing prestige content from proven creators, similar to their approach with other original series.
Brief but intriguing look
Photo: Apple TV+
And all this despite a teaser trailer about 20 seconds in length that tells us almost nothing about the show. In it we see a bored-looking woman in an empty, dark workplace licking the bottom of each donut before putting them back in a box. The camera pans from her down to a hand-written sign that says “Help yourself!” with a smiley face. And that’s it, aside from the somewhat ominous music.
The accompanying dark and red-hued photograph is a bit more helpful. It shows a fraught-looking Seehorn on the phone.
And make what you will of the show title, as well. “Pluribus” is Latin for “many” or “more.” It’s well-known in the U.S. motto “E pluribus unum” (“out of many, one”) that appears on the country’s seal and coins.
Star-studded cast and creative team
Seehorn leads the show’s cast alongside Karolina Wydra (Sneaky Pete) and Carlos Manuel Vesga (The Hijacking of Flight 601). Guest stars include Miriam Shor (American Fiction) and Samba Schutte (Our Flag Means Death), adding depth to the supporting roster.
Behind the camera, Emmy winner Gilligan serves as executive producer alongside WGA Award winner Gordon Smith, with additional executive producers Alison Tatlock, Diane Mercer, Allyce Ozarski and Jeff Frost. Sony Pictures Television produces the series.
Watch the teaser trailer for Pluribus
Watch sci-fi on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ will release the first two episodes of Pluribus on Friday, November 7, 2025, followed by new episodes every Friday through December 26. In the meantime, the streamer offers plenty of other sci-fi to watch. Get Apple TV+ by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. Customers who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 580 wins and 2,787 award nominations and counting,” the service said.
More than 200 exclusive movies and TV shows call Apple TV+ home (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso). The service also offers documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.
This post published on July 26, 2025, and republished with updates on October 10, October 22 and November 7, 2025.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.