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The creative mastermind did not foresee that Pluribus would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he states. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”

As the debut season of the hit sci-fi show reaching its finale—and Season 2 officially in the works—Gilligan and his team reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.

About the Incredible Viewer Reception

One could easily to get distracted by the rampant praise and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to ignore the noise.

“It feels like an endless supply of something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he explains. “It's wonderful, but I hear about it anecdotally, 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 rabbit hole 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.”

Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s it's impossible to ignore the immensely favorable 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.

“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by what people are saying.”

“We prefer to keep our heads down and working,” he chimes in.

The Central Mystery: Will the showrunner See the Ending of Pluribus?

So if Gilligan and his team aren't taking cues by public opinion, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… with some caveats.

“There are some interesting ideas about where the show might end up,” he states. “however, we remain prepared to throw out a solid concept for a more brilliant plan. This approach has served us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we conceive of something superior and I expect we'll continue doing that.”

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

“I constantly suggest that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and we're in there,” Smith quips, “but no one is buying it.”

Of course, why mess with the classics?

“I want Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” he jokes.

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Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.