The Showrunner Shares He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... For Now.
The acclaimed writer-producer did not foresee that Pluribus would emerge as a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he states. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
Now that Season 1 of the hit series reaching its finale—and Season 2 greenlit and underway—the creative team reflected on the fan response and whether it will influence the narrative path of Pluribus.
On the Tremendous Fan Response
Anyone might to get sidetracked by the rampant praise and online debates surrounding Pluribus. He is doing his best to steer clear of all that.
“It feels like force fed something incredibly sweet and being laughing uncontrollably,” he explains. “It's wonderful, but I get wind of it from others, and that's intentional. Never in my life looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever want to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a rabbit hole I know I would fall into and then I'd be never leaving the house from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”
Despite his concerted efforts, there’s no escaping the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to accept it graciously and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“It is not our goal to adjust our writing,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not changed by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan adds.
The Big Question: Does the showrunner Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
Given that the creative staff are not listening by public opinion, can we assume they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… in a way.
“We've developed some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a solid concept for a more brilliant plan. That has held us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we conceive of something superior and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to fall back on.
“I constantly suggest that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and that's where they've been all along,” he says humorously, “but no one is buying it.”
Then again, why not reference the classics?
“I want Carol to wake up in bed with Bob Newhart there,” he jokes.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.
