The Showrunner Discloses He Has a Plan for How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... Currently.
The creative mastermind did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would become a breakout success. “The viewers have been incredible,” he remarks. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed program reaching its finale—and Season 2 officially in the works—Gilligan and his team opened up about the fan response and whether it will shape the narrative path of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the widespread acclaim and audience predictions regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to avoid both.
“It's like being an endless supply of your favorite dessert and being in a state of bliss,” he says. “It's the greatest thing, but I hear about it from others, and that's by design. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever intend to. Not because I don't care. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be never leaving the house from Home Depot and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Regardless of his concerted efforts, there’s it's impossible to ignore the immensely favorable 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 make no attempt to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by online forums.”
“It's wiser to keep our heads down and working,” Gilligan adds.
The Central Mystery: Does the showrunner Know the Ending of Pluribus?
So if the creative staff aren’t being guided by audience theories, can we assume they have already decided how Pluribus will finally conclude? In short yes… sort of.
“There are some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan reveals. “but we are always ready to abandon a solid concept for a better idea. This approach has served us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we get a better idea and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Then again, if all else fails, director and writer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to fall back on.
“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and the characters are inside it,” Smith quips, “but no one is buying it.”
Then again, why not reference the classics?
“I want Carol to wake up in bed next to Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is currently available on the streaming service.
