The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Shares He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Will End... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would turn into a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” Gilligan says. “It was unexpected the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
Now that Season 1 of the acclaimed series reaching its finale—and Season 2 already in development—the creative team opened up about the fan response and whether it will impact the future direction of Pluribus.
About the Tremendous Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the constant speculation and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to force fed something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he says. “It's wonderful, but I learn of it anecdotally, and that's on purpose. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever intend to. It's quite the opposite. It's a deep trap I know I would get lost in and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”
Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no escaping the immensely favorable response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“We make no attempt to adjust our writing,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our heads down and working,” Gilligan concludes.
A Pressing Query: Will Vince Gilligan Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
So if the writers aren’t being guided by public opinion, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will ultimately end? In short yes… in a way.
“We have some potential directions about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to abandon a good idea 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 find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Then again, if plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to use as a backup.
“I constantly suggest that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Alternatively, why not reference the iconic TV endings?
“My dream is Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus is streaming now on the streaming service.
