The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Discloses He Knows How The Apple TV+ Show Will End... For Now.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that Pluribus would emerge as a breakout success. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he remarks. “I did not foresee the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
With the first season of the hit sci-fi show reaching its finale—and Season 2 greenlit and underway—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will impact the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Viewer Reception
Anyone might to get sidetracked by the widespread acclaim and fan theories regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to ignore the noise.
“It's like being force fed something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I hear about it through word of mouth, and that's by design. I have never Googled myself, nor do I ever intend to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a bottomless pit I know I would fall into and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”
Regardless of his concerted efforts, there’s no way to avoid the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to take it in stride and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“We don't try to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not influenced by audience chatter.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” he chimes in.
A Pressing Query: Has the showrunner Have a Plan for the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Considering Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by public opinion, does it imply they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? In short yes… sort of.
“We've developed some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a good idea for a better idea. This approach has served us in excellent shape 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.”
Then again, if plans fall through, director and writer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to serve as a last resort.
“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 legendary finales?
“I want Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV.
