Vince Gilligan Shares He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that Pluribus would become a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed series wrapping up—and a second season greenlit and underway—Gilligan and his team recently discussed the viewer reception and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Viewer Reception
It would be easy to get distracted by the rampant praise and fan theories about Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to steer clear of all that.
“It's like being force fed hot fudge sundaes and being in a state of bliss,” he describes. “It's amazing, but I hear about it anecdotally, and that's on purpose. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever want 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 Home Depot and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Regardless of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no escaping the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to take it in stride and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“We don't try to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by online forums.”
“Better to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Central Mystery: Has the showrunner See the Finale of Pluribus?
Considering the writers aren’t being guided by fan response, does it imply they have already decided how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? Essentially yes… sort of.
“We have some potential directions about where the show might end up,” he states. “yet we stand ready to abandon a decent plan for a superior concept. That philosophy has guided us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I imagine we will be doing that.”
On the other hand, if plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to fall back on.
“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and the characters are inside it,” Smith jokes, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Alternatively, why mess with the classics?
“I want Carol to open her eyes with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV+.
