The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Discloses He Has a Plan for How The Apple TV+ Show Might Finish... At the Moment.

The creative mastermind did not foresee that Pluribus would become a breakout success. “The viewers have been incredible,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”

With the first season of the popular sci-fi show reaching its finale—and a second season already in development—the creative team opened up about the viewer reception and whether it will influence the future direction of Pluribus.

On the Incredible Audience Reaction

Anyone might to get swayed by the rampant praise and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. He is making a conscious effort to ignore the noise.

“It's like being force fed your favorite dessert and being tickled to death,” he says. “It's amazing, but I get wind of it from others, and that's intentional. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever plan to. It's quite the opposite. It's a bottomless pit I know I would get lost in and then I'd be pooping in a five gallon bucket from the hardware store and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”

Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no way to avoid the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to accept it graciously and try not to let it alter the course of the show.

“It is not our goal to change the plot,” says Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not impacted by audience chatter.”

“Better to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan concludes.

A Pressing Query: Will the showrunner Know the Ending of Pluribus?

Considering Gilligan and his team aren't taking cues by audience theories, can we assume they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… sort of.

“We've developed some interesting ideas about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan reveals. “but we are always ready to throw out a solid concept for a superior concept. This approach has served 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.”

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

“I constantly suggest that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”

Alternatively, why mess with the iconic TV endings?

“I'd love for Carol to open her eyes with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.

Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.