Naman Shrestha
From the mind of Vince Gilligan, the creator of ‘Breaking Bad,‘ stems another original show — Apple TV’s ‘Pluribus.’ The science fiction drama series acquaints us with a successful author named Carol Sturka. When a strange and inexplicable virus affects the world, the entire population is transformed into happy and optimistic citizens. Somehow, Carol is the only person immune to the mysterious phenomenon, resulting in her becoming the most miserable person on the planet. Now, it is the writer’s responsibility to save the world from the psychological effect that has made everyone content. The genre-bending and mind-bending tale unfolds in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Carol embarks on a purposeful mission while encountering strange occurrences along the way.
Pluribus Filming Locations
The shooting for ‘Pluribus’ is conducted in New Mexico, Montana, and Spain, particularly in Albuquerque, Helena, and the Canary Islands. Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the production was postponed by a few months. Finally, in February 2024, the principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the series got underway under the working title of ‘Wycaro 339.’ After seven months of hard work, filming concluded in September of the same year. Since most of the show was shot in New Mexico, more than 100 principal actors and hundreds more background talent from the state were employed.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
In the same vein as Vince Gilligan’s classic creation, ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘Pluribius’ was filmed extensively in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The production team visited several locations in the city to create the visual setting of the show. For a chunk of the show, the team also headed downtown and utilized the soundstage and services of a production facility. For the uninitiated, using a residential property as the home of Walter White in ‘Breaking Bad’ caused several issues for the original owners, reportedly ranging from vandalism and constant trouble from obsessive fans, ultimately leading them to sell the property and relocate. Therefore, with ‘Pluribius,’ Vince mapped out a plan to prevent subjecting “anyone else to that, (especially) any nice homeowner who would rent you their house.”
Interestingly, the houses in Carol Sturka’s neighborhood were actually constructed by the crew, as realistically as possible, like real-world structures. Per reports, the entire vicinity, right down to the cul-de-sac, was built with wood, brick, and stone, on the outskirts of Albuquerque. To do so, the team set up camp in an area that offered majestic views of the Sandia Mountains and the stunning cityscape of Burque. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creator Vince Gilligan shared some behind-the-scenes insights about the production. Explaining the aforementioned decision, he explained, “We knew some of the things that were going to happen to these houses in Carol’s neighborhood, so we just figured that you can’t do it in a real neighborhood. You just can’t.”
Reflecting on the instance that influenced the creative choice, the Emmy winner divulged, “In the first episode, you’ve got a helicopter delivering a bulldozer to the backyard of our main character. A lot of people are scared of helicopters, and they don’t want one hovering over their house next door for eight hours straight. So we knew that we were going to be very intrusive on this neighborhood and demand a lot from this neighborhood. All it would take [to throw a wrench into the works] is one neighbor out of seven or eight or whatever number to say, “I’m done. I’m sorry. I’ve got to get some peace.” To execute the plan, he got his regular collaborators, production designer Denise Pizzini and construction coordinator Steve Brown, on board.
Denise and Steve teamed up and enlisted several seasoned artisans and craftsmen to bring Vince’s vision to reality. Vince expressed his gratitude to every member of his crew who contributed their time, skill, and effort to the project for months to the best of their ability. “I stood in this field, this empty prairie, with weeds, and x number of months later, there was an asphalt cul-de-sac, concrete sidewalks, landscaping, and seven real houses. They’re not like some old Western where the exteriors were just a facade being held up by two-by-fours. These are real solid houses. You could live in them, and we shoot inside more than one of them throughout the season. It just blows my mind what these people accomplished after I said, ‘She lives in a cul-de-sac,’” he added.
Having said that, the creator also shared he was initially a bit apprehensive about choosing ABQ as the setting for ‘Pluribus.’ While he was excited to let the city serve as a shooting site, he wasn’t sure about setting people’s expectations high by offering them a familiar setting, given the city’s connection to the massive success and fan base of ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul.’ He even toyed with the idea of choosing his home state, Virginia, Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago, as the backdrop. However, it was his desire to work with his ABQ crew that guided his ultimate decision. “I just thought, ‘Man, I’ve got to work with my crew again. I want to keep them working if I can.’ It’s not like they need me, but I wanted to keep folks employed in Albuquerque. I love them. We’re like a family,” Vince concluded.
In conversation with Screenrant, Vince shed some light on a challenging apocalyptic sequence that “almost killed us.” He described, “I wanted to really sell it visually and figure out how we make this really cinematic. I thought it would take hundreds and hundreds of shots (with) different things going on. It turned out to be insanely difficult, but I’m really proud of it. We had a dress rehearsal night where we literally rehearsed the shot, and then we shot it for real.” For the purpose of showcasing the spread of absurd happiness or the optimistic virus, the cast and crew moved across half a dozen city blocks in downtown ABQ. They ultimately invested approximately 12 hours, spanning 6 to 7 takes, to tape it all.
Canary Islands, Spain
For the purpose of shooting, the production team of ‘Pluribus’ also traveled all the way to the Canary Islands. In November 2024, the cast and crew members were spotted taping multiple important scenes on the islands for the debut season of the sci-fi series. The scenes set at a Norwegian ice hotel and in the hills of Tangier, Morocco, were supposedly shot on the vast and versatile Spanish islands. Apart from the Vince Gilligan creation, the Canary Islands have hosted the production of films and TV shows like ‘The Assessment,’ ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ ‘The Midnight Sky,’ ‘Doctor Who,’ and ‘Foundation.’
Helena, Montana
From what we can tell, additional portions for ‘Pluribus’ were also seemingly lensed in Helena, the capital city of Montana. Also known as the Queen City of the Rockies, it mirrors the landscape of Albuquerque, primarily due to the mountains present in the backdrop. It is likely that they utilized a few of the locales of Helena to double for the New Mexico city.
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