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The creative mastermind never anticipated that Pluribus would turn into a breakout success. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “I did not foresee the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”

With the first season of the hit series reaching its finale—and the next chapter greenlit and underway—Gilligan and his team recently discussed the viewer reception and whether it will shape the future direction of Pluribus.

Regarding the Incredible Audience Reaction

Anyone might to get distracted by the constant speculation and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to ignore the noise.

“The experience is akin to constantly eating something incredibly sweet and being tickled to death,” he says. “It's wonderful, but I learn of it from others, and that's intentional. I have never looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever want to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a bottomless pit I know I would fall into and then I'd be pooping in a five gallon bucket from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”

Regardless of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no escaping 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 influence the direction of the show.

“We make no attempt to adjust our writing,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not impacted by online forums.”

“We prefer to keep our focus on the work,” he chimes in.

The Big Question: Does the showrunner Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?

So if the creative staff aren't taking cues by fan response, does it imply they have already decided how Pluribus will ultimately end? Essentially yes… in a way.

“We have some interesting ideas about where the show might end up,” he states. “but we are always ready to abandon a solid concept for a more brilliant plan. That philosophy has guided us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we conceive of something superior and I suspect we'll be doing that.”

On the other hand, if plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to use as a backup.

“I keep pitching that everything takes place within a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”

Alternatively, why mess with the classics?

“I want Carol to open her eyes with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.

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Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.