In a newly released promotional teaser created for Vince Gilligan’s latest series on Apple TV, a host of familiar faces including Bob Odenkirk, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and several other prominent actors from the expansive Walter White television universe make special appearances on a television screen to directly greet Rhea Seehorn’s central character, a woman named Carol Sturka.
The series “Pluribus” follows the journey of Carol, who has been rather dramatically dubbed “the most miserable person on Earth” as she finds herself in a position where she must paradoxically “save the world from happiness.”
The plot is set into motion when a mysterious, world-shattering global event somehow transforms the vast majority of the Earth’s population into a singular, friendly, and unified hive mind, prompting Carol to desperately set out on a mission to fiercely protect her own precious individuality.
At the climactic conclusion of the show’s very first episode, the character Carol turns on her television set and begins to communicate with an official representing the White House, who attempts to calmly reassure her that she is, in fact, perfectly safe and that there has categorically been no alien invasion or takeover.
Apple TV has now cleverly mimicked this specific scene from the show by creating a 100-second promotional advertisement that begins with a shot of Bryan Cranston’s face displayed prominently above a news-style chyron that reads simply “JOIN US.”
This is followed by a rapid montage featuring hundreds of smiling, friendly faces that flash sequentially across her television screen, which notably includes a shot of Aaron Paul standing cheerfully in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Bob Odenkirk and his former co-star Patrick Fabian, who memorably played the character Howard Hamlin on “Better Call Saul,” appear together to tell Carol in a reassuring tone, “We just want to make you happy.”
The renowned actor Giancarlo Esposito, who played the formidable Gustavo Fring across both of Vince Gilligan’s acclaimed series, appears to sincerely say, “We’re sorry we upset you,” and the veteran actor Jonathan Banks, who played the beloved fixer Mike Ehrmantraut, makes a very brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo appearance.
The legendary comedienne Carol Burnett, who had a memorable guest role during the sixth and final season of “Better Call Saul,” appears to warmly say, “Carol, if you need us, we’re here for you.”
And even the popular talk show host Drew Barrymore, who is shown speaking directly from the set of her own daytime talk show, looks directly into the camera to sincerely say, “We love you, Carol, and we just want you to be happy.”
Rhea Seehorn, of course, is best known for her acclaimed portrayal of the character Kim Wexler across all six seasons of “Better Call Saul,” a series on which she appeared extensively opposite her co-stars Bob Odenkirk, Patrick Fabian, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jonathan Banks.
Furthermore, in the final, intense season of the “Breaking Bad” prequel, series creator Vince Gilligan masterfully overlapped the timelines of his two interconnected series by writing surprise guest roles for both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, allowing them to briefly reprise their iconic roles of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, respectively.
The new series “Pluribus” officially debuted on the Apple TV platform on November 7, with its launch consisting of the first two episodes. Despite the very direct and deliberate nature of this inventive new promotional video, it is crucial for viewers to understand that the series itself is not actually set within the established “Breaking Bad” fictional universe.
The series has already been officially renewed by the network for a second season, and Gilligan himself told in a wide-ranging recent interview that he fully expects and hopes the show will continue its run well beyond that initial renewal.