The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Shares He Has an Idea of How Pluribus Will End... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would become a massive hit. “The viewers have been incredible,” he states. “It was unexpected the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
Now that Season 1 of the hit sci-fi show coming to an end—and a second season officially in the works—Gilligan and his team recently discussed the viewer reception and whether it will impact the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Viewer Reception
One could easily to get distracted by the rampant praise and fan theories about Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to avoid both.
“It feels like constantly eating something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he explains. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it through word of mouth, and that's on purpose. I have never looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever want to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be pooping in a five gallon bucket from the hardware store and I'd never leave my living room.”
In spite of his concerted efforts, there’s it's impossible to ignore the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to take it in stride and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“We don't try to adjust our writing,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not influenced by online forums.”
“Better to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Has the showrunner Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
Considering Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by audience theories, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? Essentially yes… in a way.
“We've developed some potential directions about where the show might end up,” he states. “however, we remain prepared to discard a decent plan for a superior concept. That has held us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We throw stuff out when we find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
On the other hand, if all else fails, executive producer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to serve as a last resort.
“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and we're in there,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Alternatively, why not reference the legendary finales?
“My dream is Carol to wake up in bed beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
