The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Discloses He Has a Plan for How Pluribus Might Finish... For Now.
The acclaimed writer-producer never anticipated that his new science-fiction series would emerge as a massive hit. “The viewers have been incredible,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
With the first season of the acclaimed program wrapping up—and Season 2 greenlit and underway—Gilligan and his team opened up about the audience reaction and whether it will shape the narrative path of Pluribus.
On the Tremendous Audience Reaction
Anyone might to get distracted by the widespread acclaim and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. He is doing his best to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to force fed something incredibly sweet and being tickled to death,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it through word of mouth, and that's intentional. I have never searched for my own name online, nor do I ever plan to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a deep trap I know I would get lost in and then I'd be living in squalor from the hardware store and I'd never leave my living room.”
Regardless of trying to stay away, 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 influence the direction 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 impacted by audience chatter.”
“It's wiser to keep our focus on the work,” he chimes in.
The Central Mystery: Does the showrunner See the Finale of Pluribus?
Given that the creative staff are not listening by fan response, can we assume they have mapped out how Pluribus will ultimately end? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“We have some compelling concepts about where the show might end up,” he states. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a solid concept 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 find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if all else fails, Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to use as a backup.
“I constantly suggest that everything takes place within a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and we're in there,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Of course, why mess with the iconic TV endings?
“I'd love for Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV+.
