Vince Gilligan Submits ‘Pluribus’ Pilot for Emmys. Will He Finally Win for Writing or Directing?
by Clayton Davis · VarietyIt may be hard to argue that someone with 23 Emmy nominations and four statuettes sitting on his mantle would be considered “overdue.” And yet, in the case of Vince Gilligan, it’s surprisingly easy to do.
The legendary creator, showrunner and executive producer is best known for helming AMC’s landmark crime drama “Breaking Bad” and its prequel spinoff “Better Call Saul.” Earlier in his career, he built his reputation writing and producing on Fox’s sci-fi staple “The X-Files.”
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Gilligan’s Emmy wins are notable but, in some ways, incomplete. He took home back-to-back trophies in 2013 and 2014 as a producer for the split final season of “Breaking Bad.” He later added two more in 2017 and 2020 for outstanding short-form comedy or drama series for “Better Call Saul Employee Training: Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training” and “Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics with Kim Wexler.”
But the core of Gilligan’s legacy — and the foundation of his influence on modern television — lies in writing and directing. But in those categories, despite multiple nominations, he has never won. He won a DGA Award for directing the “Breaking Bad” series finale, “Felina,” and has collected five WGA statues for the same series, plus another for “Better Call Saul.”
As a director, Gilligan has been nominated for the “Breaking Bad” pilot, the Season 4 episode “Face Off,” and the series conclusion “Felina.” He also earned a bid for directing “Witness,” Season 3, Episode 2 of “Better Call Saul.” On the writing side, his noms include “Felina” and the revered “X-Files” episode “Memento Mori,” often cited as one of the strongest installments of that series’ mythology arc. Across all of those efforts, his individual name was never called.
That brings us to this season’s “Pluribus,” his latest project and a major player in this year’s Emmy conversation.
The post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama reunites Gilligan with Rhea Seehorn and centers on novelist Carol Sturka, who finds herself alone after an alien virus transforms humanity into a peaceful hive mind determined to assimilate the remaining few who are immune.
Since debuting in November, “Pluribus” has steadily built momentum. The series has already landed noms at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, with Seehorn winning lead drama actress at both.
Still, the Emmy race is rarely straightforward.
While HBO Max’s “The Pitt” is widely viewed as the early frontrunner, the Emmys voting structure can lead to split-series winners when the envelopes are opened. Unlike the Oscars, where the entire membership selects winners, Emmy nominees and winners are determined by peer groups within each branch, except for the 15 series categories.
Over the past decade, directing and drama series winners have aligned six times, including “Shōgun” (Frederick E.O. Toye), “Succession” (Mark Mylod and Andrij Parekh), “The Crown” (Jessica Hobbs), “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Reed Morano) and “Game of Thrones” (Miguel Sapochnik). Writing has followed a similar pattern, though not always with the same titles. In other words, a show doesn’t need to win best drama series to claim writing or directing — and vice versa.
That dynamic could work in Gilligan’s favor.
If “Pluribus” stays the course as a serious contender, a win in writing or directing would signal broader support and potentially strengthen its case in the top category. Conversely, even if “The Pitt” is poised to win the drama series race again, there’s no guarantee it will sweep those fields.
Last year showed it didn’t need to. Despite heavy attention on “The Pitt” and Apple’s “Severance,” the writing and directing prizes went instead to “Andor” (Dan Gilroy) and “Slow Horses” (Adam Randall).
But rest assured, the path for Gilligan begins with nominations.
Variety has confirmed he is expected to submit the pilot episode, “We Is Us,” which establishes the series’ tone and thematic scope. Another fellow director, Gordon Smith, is also set to enter “Grenade,” the third episode. In recent years, the directing (drama) category has fluctuated between six and seven nominees, leaving room for inclusion.
The writing field may offer more opportunities, but more chances at possible vote-splitting. Seven episodes from “Pluribus” are in contention:
- Episode 101: “We Is Us” (Vince Gilligan)
- Episode 103: “Grenade” (Gordon Smith)
- Episode 104: “Please, Carol” (Alison Tatlock)
- Episode 105: “Got Milk” (Ariel Levine)
- Episode 106: “HDP” (Vera Blasi)
- Episode 107: “The Gap” (Jenn Carroll)
- Episode 108 (Jonny Gomez)
Ultimately, the question isn’t whether Gilligan is respected. It’s whether the voters will finally align its recognition with the very disciplines that define his artistry.
As the title “Pluribus” suggests, drawn from “E pluribus unum” — Latin for “out of many, one” — it may offer a fitting narrative. After decades of shaping TV, Gilligan could finally be “the one.”