The Showrunner Reveals He Has an Idea of How His Sci-Fi Series Will Conclude... At the Moment.
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 passionately debated as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
Now that Season 1 of the acclaimed series coming to an end—and Season 2 already in development—the writers' room reflected on the fan response and whether it will shape the narrative path of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Fan Response
It would be easy to get swayed by the rampant praise and online debates regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is doing his best to steer clear of all that.
“The experience is akin to force fed something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it from others, and that's by design. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever want to. Not because I don't care. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
In spite of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s it's impossible to ignore the immensely favorable response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“We make no attempt to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not changed by audience chatter.”
“Better to keep our heads down and working,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Does the showrunner Have a Plan for the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Given that Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by audience theories, can we assume they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… in a way.
“We have some compelling concepts about the ultimate destination,” he states. “but we are always ready to abandon a decent plan for a better idea. 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.”
Then again, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to use as a backup.
“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,” he says humorously, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Of course, why mess with the iconic TV endings?
“I want Carol to wake up in bed next to Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV+.
