The Showrunner Reveals He Has an Idea of How Pluribus Might Finish... For Now.
The creative mastermind could not have predicted that Pluribus would turn into a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
With the first season of the acclaimed sci-fi show wrapping up—and Season 2 already in development—Gilligan and his team reflected on the audience reaction and whether it will impact the narrative path of Pluribus.
About the Incredible Viewer Reception
It would be easy to get distracted by the rampant praise and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. He is making a conscious effort to avoid both.
“It feels like constantly eating hot fudge sundaes and being laughing uncontrollably,” he describes. “It's wonderful, but I get wind of it through word of mouth, and that's intentional. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever want to. Not because I don't care. It's a rabbit hole I know I would disappear down and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
In spite of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no way to avoid the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“We make no attempt to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not changed by online forums.”
“It's wiser to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Does the showrunner Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
So if the writers are not listening by public opinion, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? Essentially yes… in a way.
“We've developed some compelling concepts about the ultimate destination,” he states. “but we are always ready to abandon a good idea for a better idea. That philosophy has guided us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we conceive of something superior and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if all else fails, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to serve as a last resort.
“My recurring proposal is that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and that's where they've been all along,” he says humorously, “but no one is buying it.”
Then again, why mess with the legendary finales?
“My dream is Carol to open her eyes beside Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV+.
