Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan teases what to expect from Season 2

Pluribus Season 1 soon caught the audience's attention when it launched on Apple TV. After two major hits, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, creator Vince Gilligan tried his hand at sci-fi with this show. What particularly stuck with fans is the unique storyline.

This was not just a regular virus attack on the planet. Instead of being an abomination, the viral attack turns humanity into a peaceful state. Everyone in this alternate reality shares the same consciousness or a hive mind, which means they all think alike. When the population thinks in a certain pattern, there is no chance of conflicts.

However, that's not how it's supposed to work, and the protagonist, Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn), is on her way to bring humanity back to its original form.

After the success of the first season of Pluribus, Gilligan just opened up about what the next season holds for the audience.

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Vince Gilligan's take on Season 2

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vince Gilligan and senior writers/executive producers Gordon Smith and Alison Tatlock shared some insights on the Pluribus Season 1 finale and what to expect from Season 2.

The Hollywood Reporter asked the trio about Manousos’ experiment

"Did Manousos’ experiment to unjoin an individual named Rick definitively fail? Or was it interrupted by Carol before success or failure could be determined?"

Tatlock responds that he indeed fails

"He fails in the moment while still learning something.

Smith again elaborated further about learning through failure,

"Yeah, an experiment within the scientific method, generally, moves through failure, and it keeps moving through failure. You learn more from saying, “That’s not right. It did not stop them from being joined, but I did learn something. So what did I learn?” What he learned and what he can do with it is hopefully going to be brought out in season two.""

The Hollywood Reporter dived deeper into the narrative and asked:

"Was he using the same signal that started the Joining in the first place?"

Gilligan responded that it wasn't the same.

"Well, I don’t want to ruin anything for season two, but I think it’s okay to say it’s not the [same signal]."

Smith explained how the signals had a different wavelength than Manousos.

"I don’t think we’ve discussed it as being the signal from space. Manousos’ is the shortwave. If we looked at the stuff that the scientists [in the premiere] were doing, they were coming in on a different wavelength."

Gilligan added that the aliens had to broadcast it 600 light-years away.

Next, The Hollywood Reporter asked about the production timeline,

"The season two writers' room is already underway. Is a May production start date in the realm of possibility? Or am I writing checks you can’t cash?"

Gilligan hinted that Pluribus Season 2 is not likely to start production in May 2026.

"May of what year? (Laughs.) No, I don’t think so. I wish. Just like the Others, I’m not going to lie. But we’re working very hard."

Smith assured the audience that they "will be back as soon as humanly possible."

Gilligan also added how he wished he could get it done quicker, but it's going to take some time.

"Yeah, it’s going to frustrate some folks, just to be honest. We work at the speed we work at, much like glaciers melt at the speed that they melt at. For my own sake, as much as anybody, selfishly, I wish we could get this job done quicker because I don’t know how many years I’ve got left. I still want to do more things, but I go slower than I used to. So it’s going to be a while between seasons; it just is. Unless we invent a time machine or figure out how to stop time, it’s just the nature of the beast."

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The Pluribus season finale left the audience with several questions, like, "Is Carol ready to destroy everything to keep her freedom?" "Can love be enough reason to spare the hive?" "What lengths will two humans go to save humanity?" The answers will be revealed in Season 2.