The biggest injustice of Better Call Saul’s run was its complete lack of Emmy victories, but Rhea Seehorn’s role in Pluribus could finally win her the gold. In all of its six seasons, Better Call Saul was one of the best shows on television; an even deeper character study of a complex antihero than its predecessor, Breaking Bad.
And yet, every single year, it went home from the Emmys empty-handed. Seehorn should’ve won an Emmy for playing Kim Wexler, Bob Odenkirk should’ve won an Emmy for playing Jimmy McGill and his various alter egos, and the show itself deserved a few dozen more Emmy wins throughout its run. Seehorn’s new show could finally make up for Better Call Saul’s litany of snubs.
Pluribus Can Win Rhea Seehorn The Emmy She Should’ve Gotten For Playing Kim Wexler
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan is back with another masterpiece. Pluribus is a chilling paranormal thriller airing on Apple TV. It combines the best things about Gilligan’s previous shows: it’s a gripping Albuquerque-based character study like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but it’s also a strange sci-fi mystery like Gilligan’s old stomping ground, The X-Files.
Gilligan specifically wrote the lead role for Seehorn. She plays Carol Sturka, a jaded romantasy novelist whose brittle cynicism protects her from a mysterious virus that turns the entire human race into a happy-go-lucky hive mind. So far, Seehorn is giving a fantastic performance in Pluribus (unsurprisingly), and it could finally win her that elusive Emmy.
Carol has a lot in common with Kim: they’re both headstrong, independent, career-focused women who represent a moral center in a dark world. Pluribus could earn Seehorn the Emmy she should’ve won for Better Call Saul. There’s always stiff competition, but she’s a very strong early contender.
Pluribus Could Be An Emmy Contender For More Than Just Outstanding Lead Actress
While Seehorn’s performance is the focus of a lot of the praise (and deservingly so), Pluribus could be an Emmy contender for more than just Outstanding Lead Actress. Gilligan’s writing and direction, Dave Porter’s music, and Karolina Wydra’s supporting turn as Zosia have all been incredible so far, so they could all be in the running for nominations, too.
Gilligan is Emmy royalty, having essentially defined Peak TV with Breaking Bad, and Pluribus is already being hailed as the best new show to come along this year (and that’s saying a lot, because 2025 has already given us The Studio, The Chair Company, The Lowdown, and Adolescence). I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t get a lot of much-deserved attention at next year’s Emmys.
