The Showrunner Reveals He Has an Idea of How The Apple TV+ Show Might Finish... For Now.
Vince Gilligan did not foresee that Pluribus would become a cultural phenomenon. “I am so grateful to the audience,” 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 hit program wrapping up—and a second season officially in the works—the writers' room opened up about the viewer reception and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.
About the Overwhelming Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the constant speculation and fan theories about Pluribus. The creator is striving to steer clear of all that.
“It's like being constantly eating your favorite dessert and being laughing uncontrollably,” he explains. “It's amazing, but I hear about it anecdotally, and that's by design. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever plan to. It's quite the opposite. It's a bottomless pit I know I would fall into and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Regardless of his concerted efforts, there’s no escaping the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The best he and his team can do 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 co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not influenced by what people are saying.”
“Better to keep our heads down and working,” Gilligan adds.
The Big Question: Does Vince Gilligan Know the Ending of Pluribus?
Considering Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by public opinion, does that mean they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? In short yes… sort of.
“We've developed some compelling concepts about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a solid concept for a better idea. That philosophy has guided 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 imagine we will be doing that.”
Then again, if plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to use as a backup.
“I constantly suggest that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and the characters are inside it,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Then again, why not reference the classics?
“My dream is Carol to wake up in bed beside Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.
