The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Shares He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Will End... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer never anticipated that Pluribus would become a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he states. “I was surprised by the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed series wrapping up—and Season 2 greenlit and underway—the writers' room opened up about the fan response and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Incredible Viewer Reception
One could easily to get sidetracked by the widespread acclaim and audience predictions surrounding Pluribus. The creator is doing his best to avoid both.
“The experience is akin to an endless supply of hot fudge sundaes and being laughing uncontrollably,” he says. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it through word of mouth, and that's intentional. Not once have I searched for my own name online, nor do I ever want 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 the hardware store and I'd never leave my living room.”
In spite of trying to stay away, there’s no way to avoid the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to accept it graciously and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“We make no attempt to tailor anything,” says Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by online forums.”
“We prefer to keep our focus on the work,” he chimes in.
The Central Mystery: Has the creator Know the Ending of Pluribus?
Given that the writers aren't taking cues by audience theories, does that mean they have already decided how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“There are some interesting ideas about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a good idea for a more brilliant plan. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we get a better idea and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
Then again, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to serve as a last resort.
“My recurring proposal is that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and we're in there,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Alternatively, why not reference the iconic TV endings?
“My dream is Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is currently available on the streaming service.