Although Season 2 of Pluribus is officially in production, fans of Vince Gilligan’s sci-fi series may have to wait until 2028 to find out what happens next. Production began Nov. 1 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, almost a year to the day after the show debuted on Apple TV+. The series, which stars Better Call Saul actress Rhea Seehorn, was Apple TV’s most-watched show and won six Emmy Awards. And now Gilligan is returning to a world where nearly every human being on Earth is infected with happiness whether they want it or not.
According to Forbes, production is scheduled to last 225 days, with filming expected to wrap around June 14th, 2027. The first season spent another 14 months in post-production. If Season 2 follows the same schedule, the series may not return until August 2028. That’s almost three years between seasons. Apple has not announced an official premiere date, and the second season could run out to ten episodes from nine.
The first season ended with Carol Sturka, played by Seehorn, finally joining forces with Manousos, played by Carlos Manuel Vesga. The two are among the handful of humans immune to the alien virus that connected nearly everyone else into a collective consciousness. Unfortunately, their shared determination to save humanity doesn’t mean they agree on how to accomplish it. Carol also discovered that the collective had secretly removed her frozen eggs and created a means of assimilating her against her will. That revelation ended her relationship with Zosia (Karolina Wydra), who had become Carol’s closest connection to the new world. Carol went back to Albuquerque, agreed to help Manousos, and had an atomic bomb delivered to her front door. What a way to finish a season.
Pluribus may be about an alien virus, but its collective consciousness is an uncomfortable analog to artificial intelligence. The infected share information, speak with one voice, and answer almost any question. They are endlessly accommodating, anxious to please, and cannot understand why anyone would not want to join them. They even seem to know Carol’s needs before she can articulate them.
The collective also demonstrates the perils of groupthink. Mankind has achieved something akin to world peace, but it has come at the expense of individual thought, creativity, and the ability to disagree. The very traits that made Carol miserable before the Joining, anger and stubbornness, may have become humanity’s best defenses. The question heading into Season 2 is not only whether Carol can reverse the Joining. It’s whether humanity would even want her to. The collective has eliminated loneliness, conflict, and much of the pain that defined human existence. Carol may be fighting to save the world, but everyone else is convinced it’s already been saved.
Apple TV is fast becoming the place to go for science fiction on the small screen with Dark Matter, Severance, Silo, Foundation, For All Mankind, and Pluribus. The streamer has put together a great lineup of ambitious, original stories that other networks might never have dared. The only catch? Fans have to wait years for a new season.
