The Showrunner Reveals He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... Currently.

Vince Gilligan could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would turn into a massive hit. “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 acclaimed sci-fi show wrapping up—and the next chapter officially in the works—Gilligan and his team opened up about the viewer reception and whether it will impact the narrative path of Pluribus.

On the Overwhelming Audience Reaction

It would be easy to get swayed by the widespread acclaim and fan theories about Pluribus. He is striving to steer clear of all that.

“It's like being constantly eating hot fudge sundaes and being laughing uncontrollably,” he describes. “It's wonderful, but I learn of it from others, and that's on purpose. I have never looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever want to. It's quite the opposite. It's a bottomless pit 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 his concerted efforts, there’s no escaping the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The most practical strategy is to accept it graciously and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.

“We make no attempt to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not impacted by audience chatter.”

“It's wiser to keep our noses to the grindstone,” he chimes in.

A Pressing Query: Will Vince Gilligan Know the Finale of Pluribus?

Considering the writers aren't taking cues by audience theories, can we assume they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? Essentially yes… sort of.

“We have some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a solid concept for a superior concept. That philosophy has guided 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 imagine we will be doing that.”

Alternatively, if they hit a wall, Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to use as a backup.

“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and the characters are inside it,” he says humorously, “but no one is buying it.”

Of course, why mess with the classics?

“I want Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.

Pluribus is streaming now on the streaming service.