The Showrunner Reveals He Has an Idea of How Pluribus Will End... At the Moment.
The creative mastermind never anticipated that his new science-fiction series would emerge as a massive hit. “The viewers have been incredible,” Gilligan says. “I was surprised by the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
With the first season of the acclaimed series reaching its finale—and a second season officially in the works—the writers' room opened up about the audience reaction and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Viewer Reception
It would be easy to get swayed by the rampant praise and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to avoid both.
“It's like being constantly eating hot fudge sundaes and being laughing uncontrollably,” he describes. “It's wonderful, but I hear about it through word of mouth, and that's on purpose. Not once have I looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever plan to. Not because I don't care. It's a rabbit hole I know I would fall into and then I'd be living in squalor from the hardware store and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”
Despite his concerted efforts, there’s no way to avoid the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The most practical strategy is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not impacted by what people are saying.”
“It's wiser to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Big Question: Does the creator Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Considering the writers aren’t being guided by public opinion, can we assume they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… in a way.
“There are some interesting ideas about where the show might end up,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a decent plan for a better idea. That has held us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we conceive of something superior and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if plans fall through, executive producer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to use as a backup.
“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “but no one is buying it.”
Of course, why not reference the legendary finales?
“I want Carol to wake up in bed with Bob Newhart there,” he jokes.
Pluribus is currently available on the streaming service.
