The Showrunner Reveals He Has a Plan for How His Sci-Fi Series Will Conclude... Currently.
The creative mastermind could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would turn into a massive hit. “The viewers have been incredible,” he states. “I was surprised by the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed series reaching its finale—and a second season greenlit and underway—Gilligan and his team opened up about the audience reaction and whether it will impact the narrative path of Pluribus.
On the Incredible Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the rampant praise and audience predictions regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is doing his best to avoid both.
“It feels like force fed something incredibly sweet and being tickled to death,” he explains. “It's amazing, but I learn of it from others, and that's on purpose. I have never 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 get lost in and then I'd be never leaving the house from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”
In spite of his concerted efforts, there’s no escaping the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“It is not our goal to adjust our writing,” says Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not changed by audience chatter.”
“It's wiser to keep our heads down and working,” he chimes in.
The Central Mystery: Will the creator Have a Plan for the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Given that Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by fan response, does that mean they have mapped out how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… in a way.
“We have some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “however, we remain prepared to discard a good idea for a superior concept. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we get a better idea and I imagine we will be doing that.”
On the other hand, if all else fails, executive producer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to fall back on.
“I keep pitching 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,” he says humorously, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Then again, one could always use the legendary finales?
“I want Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV.
