Vince Gilligan’s new Apple TV+ series, Pluribus, stylized as PLUR1BUS, follows the colossal success of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, creating instant buzz. This science fiction drama features a bizarre premise: a virus makes everyone blissfully optimistic, except for the miserable author, Carol Sturka. Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the genre-bending tale raises questions about Gilligan’s innovative filming methods and his return to this iconic location for a mind-bending story.

In what precise corners of Albuquerque did Vince Gilligan conjure this gleaming dystopia into being?

The production for Pluribus was an ambitious endeavor that utilized filming locations across two continents and three distinct geographical areas. Production took the cast to the United States and Spain, securing varied and versatile backdrops for the genre-bending narrative. The primary and most extensive production hub was Albuquerque, New Mexico, which serves as the explicit setting for the series and the central location for the unfolding events involving Carol Sturka.

Vince Gilligan and the team utilized city streets, local exteriors, and a dedicated production facility downtown, ensuring the show possessed the authentic visual identity. Additional domestic filming was also conducted in Helena, Montana.

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The choice of New Mexico was deliberate, influenced by a unique blend of professional loyalty and creative problem-solving.

Vince Gilligan felt a deep sense of loyalty, expressing a wish to keep the talented professionals he considers family employed in the city. Beyond this personal connection, the choice allowed the production to leverage Albuquerque's established film infrastructure and its distinctive high-desert landscape, which perfectly fits the aesthetic of his storytelling. To execute the extreme, intrusive stunts planned for the first episode, including a helicopter delivering a bulldozer, Gilligan and his team made the unprecedented decision to build an entire fictional cul-de-sac of seven fully functional houses on the outskirts of Albuquerque.

In addition to the domestic sites, the creative team sought out versatile international locales to depict the show's global reach.

The production of Pluribus required filming outside of the United States to capture the necessary international settings for Carol's unique journey. The crew and cast traveled to Spain, where they utilized the vast and diverse landscapes of the Canary Islands. These Spanish islands provided the ideal backdrop to simulate scenes set in completely different parts of the world. Specifically, the Islands were used to shoot sequences meant to represent a Norwegian ice hotel and the hills of Tangier, Morocco.

The versatility of the Spanish Islands has made them a popular choice for numerous global productions, and their use in Pluribus allowed the filmmakers to achieve a global scale without having to move the entire production across multiple continents. This strategic international filming contributed significantly to the cinematic scope of the genre-bending series.

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The ambitious project required a substantial commitment of time from its crew, stretching over much of the year before its premiere.

The principal photography for Pluribus began in February 2024. The production faced an initial delay due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, pushing the start date back by a few months. Once underway, the ambitious schedule, which included building a complete neighborhood and shooting in multiple international locations, required the cast and crew to commit to months of intensive work.

The dedicated filming process ultimately concluded in September 2024. This seven-month period of hard work ensured the inaugural season was completed ahead of its 2025 release schedule. During the New Mexico shoot, the production employed over one hundred principal actors and hundreds more background talents from within the state, highlighting the massive scale of the operation and the director's local commitment.

This Apple TV+ drama stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, a romance novelist who is the only individual immune to a widespread extraterrestrial virus that forces humanity into a relentlessly happy, optimistic hive mind. As the sole unhappy person left on Earth, Carol must fight the psychological effects of this global contentment to uncover the truth and save the world from total assimilation. Supporting Seehorn are Karolina Wydra as Zosia and Carlos Manuel Vesga as Manousos, with Miriam Shor appearing as Carol's manager and partner, Helen.

To bring this bizarre premise to life, creator Vince Gilligan primarily filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, even constructing an entire neighborhood for ambitious stunts. Production also spanned to Helena, Montana, and the Canary Islands, Spain, for diverse global settings, with the seven-month shoot wrapping in September 2024.  

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What facts about shoot locations of Pluribus amazed you the most? Let us know in the comments below.