The Showrunner Reveals He Has a Plan for How The Apple TV+ Show Will Conclude... For Now.
Vince Gilligan did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “The viewers have been incredible,” Gilligan says. “I was surprised by the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
With the first season of the acclaimed sci-fi show coming to an end—and the next chapter officially in the works—Gilligan and his team opened up about the fan response and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Overwhelming Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the constant speculation and online debates surrounding Pluribus. He is doing his best to avoid both.
“It feels like an endless supply of something incredibly sweet and being tickled to death,” he explains. “It's the greatest thing, but I hear about it anecdotally, and that's intentional. Not once have I searched for my own name online, nor do I ever plan to. Not because I don't care. It's a rabbit hole I know I would get lost in and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd never leave my living room.”
Regardless of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no escaping the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The most practical strategy is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“It is not our goal to adjust our writing,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not influenced by online forums.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Does the showrunner Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
Given that the creative staff aren't taking cues by audience theories, does it imply they have already decided how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? In short yes… in a way.
“We have some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a good idea for a superior concept. That has held us in well 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.”
On the other hand, if all else fails, executive producer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to serve as a last resort.
“I constantly suggest that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and the characters are inside it,” Smith jokes, “but no one is buying it.”
Then again, why mess with the legendary finales?
“I want Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV+.
