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The acclaimed writer-producer never anticipated that Pluribus would emerge as a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”

As the debut season of the acclaimed series wrapping up—and Season 2 officially in the works—the creative team reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will influence the future direction of Pluribus.

About the Overwhelming Fan Response

It would be easy to get swayed by the rampant praise and audience predictions surrounding Pluribus. He is striving to avoid both.

“It's like being force fed something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he explains. “It's wonderful, but I hear about it through word of mouth, and that's intentional. Never in my life looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever intend to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a deep trap 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 never leave my living room.”

Despite trying to stay away, there’s no escaping the extremely enthusiastic 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 writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not impacted by what people are saying.”

“It's wiser to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan concludes.

A Pressing Query: Will the showrunner See the Finale of Pluribus?

So if the creative staff aren't taking cues by fan response, can we assume they have already decided how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… with some caveats.

“We've developed some interesting ideas about where the show might end up,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to throw out a solid concept for a better idea. That philosophy has guided us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I imagine we will be doing that.”

Alternatively, if plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to serve as a last resort.

“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and that's where they've been all along,” Smith jokes, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”

Of course, why not reference the classics?

“I'd love for Carol to open her eyes with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan adds, smiling.

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Pluribus is currently available on the streaming service.