Is There a Hidden Link Between 'Pluribus' and 'Breaking Bad'?

The Apple TV Plus series Pluribus, which premieres on Nov. 7, 2025, puts actor Rhea Seehorn at the center of a new science fiction drama as the character Carol. At first glance, Carol lives in a world that looks just like ours, until it’s revealed that it’s actually overtaken by people who are obsessively happy and will go to any length to make Carol happy, too.

The show has sparked plenty of curiosity, but what’s really made fans mark the premiere date on their calendars is the fact that the show is executive-produced by Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Rhea also stars in Better Call Saul. And with so many connections between the cast and the creator, it’s no surprise fans are wondering whether Pluribus is connected to Breaking Bad in any way. Here’s what we’ve uncovered about the series.

Pluribus is a standalone series that has no connection to the Breaking Bad series. The only connection the two do have is Vince Gilligan’s involvement with both. Vince is a writer and executive director for Pluribus, and he’s also the creator of Breaking Bad. One thing the two shows do have in common is honing in on a character arc and watching it play out slowly.

In Pluribus, Carol isn’t happy, and everywhere she goes everyone around her tries to make her happy, from delivering gourmet breakfast to her front door to giving her a warm and inviting greeting every time she comes in contact with them. But there’s clearly more to the story. It appears everyone has contracted some sort of disease or virus that makes them happy except Carol, who is “the most miserable person in the world.”

It’s essentially Carol against the world as she tries to reverse whatever has caused this widespread happiness sickness (though it runs much deeper than just smiling faces). Meanwhile, the people around her, even White House staff, are desperate to find something that will make her happy too, allowing her to join in on their shared state of mind.

In a way, that setup feels a lot like what we’ve already seen in Breaking Bad, which follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who learns he has terminal lung cancer. In order to secure a fortune for his family after he’s gone, he turns into a dangerous drug lord, cooking and selling crystal meth. He bands together with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to make it all happen.

He, too, is faced with a similar outlook, him against the world, because, in many ways, the world turned on him when he was diagnosed with cancer. Walter has to overcome his fate and take on the role of securing his family, which sounds a lot like what Carol has to do. She is also facing a scary fate if she doesn’t take on the world and undo whatever strings turned it into this surreal, science-fiction-like place.