Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus Has the Plan Breaking Bad Didn’t

Vince Gilligan says he actually knows how Pluribus should end. For a guy who famously made TV by building the bridge as he crossed it, that is a shift.

Gilligan is planning further ahead this time

Talking to Screen Rant, he said he has a clearer ending in mind right now than he did in the early days of Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. The caveat: he is still the guy who will toss a good idea the second a better one shows up. That flexible, try-stuff-and-see-what-breaks approach gave us some of the best moments in BB and BCS, but it also led to those notorious writer room puzzles. Case in point: the machine gun in the back of Walter White's car at the start of the final season was an awesome image they threw in before they knew exactly how it would pay off.

With Pluribus, Gilligan says there is a general roadmap. In his words, he could see it running about three seasons, maybe a bit longer, but definitely not forever. The vibe here is: controlled runway, not an endless taxi.

"The biggest trick in this job is knowing when to leave the party. You want to leave people wanting more."

A rare luxury: they broke Season 1 before cameras rolled

Gilligan told GamesRadar+ they had the entire first season mapped out before shooting started, which he called a gift. And because he is him, he also cracked that by Season 2 he will probably do something dumb and paint himself into a corner again. That is the candid, behind-the-scenes process stuff fans of his work know well: meticulous planning, with a healthy respect for better ideas showing up late.

What Pluribus actually is, and when you can watch it

Rhea Seehorn stars as, and this is the official pitch, "the most miserable person on Earth" who has to "save the world from happiness." Apple has already given the show a two-season order, and the first two episodes premiere November 7 on Apple TV.

• Gilligan has a clearer ending in mind than he did on Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, but he will ditch it if a better idea lands
• There is a general roadmap; he is thinking roughly three seasons, maybe more, but it will not run forever
• Season 1 was fully planned before filming; he still expects to write himself into a corner at some point in Season 2
• Past example of their make-it-up-and-stick-the-landing style: that early final-season machine gun in Walt's car
• Rhea Seehorn leads as the wonderfully bleak hero tasked with saving the world from happiness
• Two-season order at Apple TV; first two episodes drop November 7
• Gilligan has said he wrote the show for Seehorn and that Pluribus is bigger in scope than Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul