The Showrunner Reveals He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Will Conclude... At the Moment.
The creative mastermind did not foresee that Pluribus would emerge as a massive hit. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he states. “It was unexpected the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed program reaching its finale—and Season 2 already in development—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will shape the future direction of Pluribus.
On the Incredible Viewer Reception
One could easily to get swayed by the constant speculation and online debates regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to ignore the noise.
“It feels like constantly eating something incredibly sweet and being tickled to death,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I get wind of it anecdotally, and that's intentional. I have never Googled myself, nor do I ever want to. Not because I don't care. It's a rabbit hole I know I would get lost in and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”
Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no escaping the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“We don't try to adjust our writing,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by online forums.”
“We prefer to keep our focus on the work,” he chimes in.
A Pressing Query: Does Vince Gilligan Have a Plan for the Finale of Pluribus?
Given that the writers aren’t being guided by fan response, does that mean they have already decided how Pluribus will ultimately end? Essentially yes… in a way.
“We've developed some compelling concepts about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a good idea for a superior concept. This approach has served us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Then again, if plans fall through, executive producer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to use as a backup.
“My recurring proposal is that everything takes place within a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and that's where they've been all along,” Smith jokes, “but no one is buying it.”
Then again, why not reference the iconic TV endings?
“I want Carol to open her eyes next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV+.
