Last year, Apple TV debuted the buzziest science fiction TV show in years with Pluribus. Now, the wait is on for Season 2 of the mind-bending series, and creator Vince Gilligan has some tantalizing hints about where the show will go from its shocking season finale and how far the show is into production. Collider’s Meredith Loftus caught up with Gilligan on the red carpet for the Televerse festival in Los Angeles last weekend and got all the details.
In Season 1 of Pluribus, an alien virus links every human on Earth into an enormous hive mind, save for a handful of individuals. One such individual is romantasy author Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), whose wife was killed in the chaos of the hive mind’s activation. Now, she must deal with the hive mind, known as the Others, which desperately wants her to join it; it goes so far as to entice her with Zosia (Karolina Wydra), one of the Others who resembles an idealized version of Carol’s fictional creation. However, Carol seems to have found a compatriot in Manousos Oviedo (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), a Colombian man who inherently distrusts the Others…and may be willing to go to extremes to defeat them.
Gilligan hinted at some of the next season’s plot developments, as Carol and Manousos decide what to do about the Others…especially now that Carol has acquired a nuclear bomb. However, Gilligan’s excitement is less about actual pyrotechnics than the interpersonal fireworks that will fly as Carol and Manousos get to know each other, and explore the morality of their strange new world. As Gilligan says, “We’ve got some good stuff coming up.” He continued:
“I’m looking forward to seeing the character of Carol and the character of Manousos spend a little time together. That’s going to be fun. Carlos-Manuel Vesga is such a wonderful actor, as is this lady next to me, Rhea. Seeing them together is going to be great. Learning more about The Joining. Learning more about…watching Carol try to put the world right in her mind. And then asking the question, “Is she right or is she wrong?” in terms of “is the world is better this way?” Maybe it’s not. That’s fun stuff to play with for the writers and myself.”
Gilligan also gave an update on how season 2 is progressing; while a renewal was never in doubt, several of Apple TV’s biggest shows have had lengthy breaks between seasons. Cameras aren’t rolling on Pluribus yet, but Gilligan wants fans to know that he and the show’s writers are hard at work: “I’m really proud of this. We got all the episodes figured out. We got them all boarded and broken, we’ve got them plotted out. Now we’ve got to write them all. The plotting out is the hard part. But all of us writers know what the show is this year, this upcoming season, and I’m really excited about it. I can’t wait for people to see it,” said Gilligan. Pluribus‘ second season is in development; no release date has yet been announced.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
What Awards Is ‘Pluribus’ Up For?
Pluribus has been nominated for 18 Emmy Awards this year, which is a record for Gilligan: the final season of Breaking Bad received 16 (and won six, including Outstanding Dramatic Series). Pluribus is up for Outstanding Drama Series this year, while Gilligan has nominations for both writing and directing: stars Seehorn, Wydra, and Vesga are all up for acting trophies, as well.
Season 1 of Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
