The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Reveals He Has a Plan for How Pluribus Might Finish... For Now.
The acclaimed writer-producer did not foresee that Pluribus would become a cultural phenomenon. “God bless the fans,” he states. “I was surprised by the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
As the debut season of the hit sci-fi show coming to an end—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 Viewer Reception
One could easily to get swayed by the widespread acclaim and online debates regarding Pluribus. He is making a conscious effort to ignore the noise.
“It feels like constantly eating hot fudge sundaes and being laughing uncontrollably,” he explains. “It's amazing, but I hear about it through word of mouth, and that's intentional. I have never searched for my own name online, nor do I ever intend to. It's quite the opposite. It's a rabbit hole I know I would fall into and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s it's impossible to ignore the overwhelmingly positive 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 tailor anything,” says Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not changed by audience chatter.”
“It's wiser to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Will the showrunner Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Given that Gilligan and his team aren't taking cues by fan response, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… sort of.
“There are some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan says. “yet we stand ready to throw out a decent plan for a superior concept. That has held us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we find a more perfect path and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
On the other hand, if they hit a wall, director and writer 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 quips, “but no one is buying it.”
Alternatively, why mess with the classics?
“I want Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus is currently available on the streaming service.
