A yellow petri dish with a smile made by a cotton swab Apple TV

Vince Gilligan’s New Sci-fi Show Teases First Trailer With Unsettling Petri Dish Smile

Originally posted on Nerdist | By Michael Walsh | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 11:51 AM ET

Vince Gilligan is on what the kids would call a heater. Most creators would kill to have an iconic smash hit series like Breaking Bad on their resume. Yet he followed that up with Better Call Saul, a prequel series that somehow, against all odds, might have been even better. But now he’s finally read to leave the (fictional) crystal meth game behind, even if he’s staying in Albuquerque. This time he’s cooking up something entirely new for Apple TV with his next show. And while we still know very little about the sci-fi series, we’re hopefully about to get some answers. The streamer is teasing the first look at Gilligan’s mysterious next show with a yellow petri dish sporting a smile with the ominous note “happiness is contagious.”

Juuuuuust a little bit foreboding. But what can it possibly mean? Information about the still untitled series is scant, but previous reporting says it is not connected to Gilligan’s Breaking Bad universe even though it’s set in the same place, Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to Deadline the “fun, mild sci-fi series” is akin to E.T. It takes place in in our modern world, but with “a tweak on it, bending reality and focusing on people and exploring the human condition in an unexpected, surprising way.”

The show does have another big connection to Gilligan’s crystal meth universe. It stars Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn. Only this time Gilligan is not centering his story around an antihero. We’ll seemingly be able to fully root for the main character this time around. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Karolina Wydra will also star as Ana.

Whatever the show, which has filmed under the name Wycaro 339, ends up being about exactly, we know we’re getting at least two seasons of it. If it’s good, we expect more than that. Happiness is contagious, after all.

This article first appeared on Nerdist and was syndicated with permission.

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