The Showrunner Reveals He Knows How Pluribus Will End... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer did not foresee that his new science-fiction series would turn into a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
As the debut season of the hit program wrapping up—and the next chapter already in development—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will shape the future direction of Pluribus.
On the Incredible Fan Response
Anyone might to get distracted by the rampant praise and online debates about Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to steer clear of all that.
“It feels like force fed your favorite dessert and being tickled to death,” he describes. “It's amazing, but I hear about it from others, and that's on purpose. Not once have I looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever plan to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a deep trap I know I would disappear down and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Regardless of his concerted efforts, there’s no escaping the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to take it in stride and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by online forums.”
“We prefer to keep our heads down and working,” he chimes in.
The Big Question: Will the creator Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
Considering the creative staff are not listening by public opinion, does that mean they have already decided how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“There are some compelling concepts about where the show might end up,” he states. “yet we stand ready to abandon a decent plan for a more brilliant plan. That has held us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
On the other hand, if plans fall through, executive producer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to serve as a last resort.
“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and the characters are inside it,” Smith jokes, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Of course, why mess with the classics?
“My dream is Carol to awaken with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
