‘Breaking Bad’ creator Vince Gilligan returns to Albuquerque with ‘Pluribus’

Vince Gilligan knows a thing or two when it comes to filming in New Mexico — Albuquerque, specifically.

For nearly two decades, the acclaimed writer/director has had a project in the state in various stages. At first, it was “Breaking Bad.” Then “Better Call Saul” and “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.”

After “Better Call Saul” wrapped, Gilligan knew he wanted to return to the state. With a mind that has plenty of ideas in it, Gilligan was able to nail down the premise for his next project.

On Friday, Nov. 7, “Pluribus” will premiere on Apple TV — marking a return to TV for Gilligan.

“(The idea for ‘Pluribus’) has been bouncing around for almost 10 years,” Gilligan says. “ ‘Breaking Bad’ came together pretty quickly because I was sitting in the bathtub like Archimedes and I had this great idea and ran with it. ‘Pluribus’ took awhile. It started with an idea for a guy who was beloved by everybody. People love this guy and that’s where it came from. Pondering it, I had to flesh it into a plot.

“In the meantime, I was getting to know Rhea Seehorn from ‘Saul’ and knew I had to work with her again. I made the ‘he’ a ‘she’ and I tailored the show for Rhea. Thank goodness she said yes because I knew people who were lining up to get her into a new series after ‘Saul.’ ”

The sci-fi drama stars Seehorn as Carol, who seems to be the only person not affected by a strange event that makes everyone else unnaturally happy.

The cast is rounded out with Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Karolina Wydra, Miriam Shor and Samba Schutte.

Gilligan says the story is set in Albuquerque and the tone mixes dark humor with surreal moments as Carol tries to understand what happened and why she is different.

Gilligan was excited to return to Albuquerque and he has worked with many in the crew.

“I’ve worked with stellar crews,” he says. “Some of these folks (in Albuquerque) I’ve worked with for nearly 20 years.”

Gilligan said he decided to set the series in Albuquerque because of his positive experiences with the city.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production employed over 1,400 New Mexicans, including 500-plus crew members, 100-plus principal actors and 800-plus background talent. It filmed in and around Albuquerque for nearly eight months.

While Gilligan has been involved with some acclaimed TV projects, he’s the first to admit that “Pluribus” is ambitious.

It was the first production to take him to Spain.

“We shot in the Canary Islands and La Palma. We went all over the world. It’s a big show. The biggest fear I had was, ‘Do we have enough time and money?’ ”

Gilligan credits Apple TV for believing in the show and greenlighting two seasons so far.

“I’m so glad that this one is ready for the world,” he says. “And Rhea, it’s almost criminal that she’s never had a starring role. She’s up to the task ... I’ve worked with the best and she makes it look easy. The great ones make it look easy.”

Seehorn, who filmed “Better Call Saul” for six seasons in Albuquerque, was happy to be back in New Mexico filming, too.

“I love filming there,” Seehorn says. “I was so happy and much of the same crew. To have nearly a decade of filming in one place, it’s a pretty special thing. The crew is all so generous that they were thrilled that I was No. 1 on the call list for this show.”

Seehorn says she was excited to step into Carol’s shoes because after she read the first script, she knew Gilligan was going to play with different tropes.

“Carol is very different from me,” Seehorn says. “I was ready for the challenge. Vince really wanted to push this idea of being genre defying. … Vince routinely rewards his fans by assuming their intelligence, and I hope this show keeps people talking.”

'Breaking Bad' creator Vince Gilligan returns to Albuquerque with 'Pluribus'