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Vince Gilligan did not foresee that Pluribus would become a cultural phenomenon. “The viewers have been incredible,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”

Now that Season 1 of the hit series reaching its finale—and Season 2 officially in the works—the creative team opened up about the viewer reception and whether it will impact the narrative path of Pluribus.

Regarding the Incredible Viewer Reception

It would be easy to get sidetracked by the widespread acclaim and fan theories about Pluribus. The creator is doing his best to steer clear of all that.

“The experience is akin to force fed hot fudge sundaes and being tickled to death,” he says. “It's amazing, but I hear about it from others, and that's on purpose. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever plan 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 Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”

In spite of trying to stay away, there’s no escaping the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.

“We make no attempt to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by audience chatter.”

“It's wiser to keep our heads down and working,” he chimes in.

The Central Mystery: Will Vince Gilligan Know the Finale of Pluribus?

Considering the creative staff aren't taking cues by public opinion, does that mean they have mapped out how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… with some caveats.

“There are some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a solid concept for a better idea. That has held us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I expect we'll continue doing that.”

Then again, if all else fails, Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to use as a backup.

“I keep pitching that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and that's where they've been all along,” Smith jokes, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”

Of course, why mess with the classics?

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

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Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV.