After the breakout success of Vince Gilligan's bizarrely brilliant dystopian drama Pluribus, the series is officially returning for another season at Apple TV, with probably more installments beyond that. However, while season 2 is officially in development, Gilligan admits that progress in the writer's room "is not going quite as fast as I would hope."
Fans of Pluribus were left on a major cliffhanger at the end of season 1. After trying every feasible way to kill the 'Happy' virus and revert the world back to how it used to be, Carol (Rhea Seehorn) landed on the most drastic and destructive solution of them all. She ordered a literal atom bomb to her home, delivered by the very people she's intent on killing. While she doesn't detonate it, the cliffhanger implies that she's not afraid to inflict mass destruction.
Following the major cliffhanger, Gilligan and the team have been working on writing what comes next. However, progress is taking its time. It's a tough nut to crack. “We're plugging away on it," Gilligan told Polygon in a recent interview where they discussed his work on the X-Files franchise. "We are breaking the season. It is not going quite as fast as I would hope, but we're hoping there's lots more excitement and twists and turns. And I think we got some dramatic stuff coming up in season 2.”
Despite the slightly disappointing update, Gilligan went on to tease the return of fan-favorite characters. “Obviously, I can't give away any details, but we're looking forward to spending more time with some characters that we've met and didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with," he said, adding: "I'd love to see more of Mr. Diabaté [Samba Schutte], for instance, and seeing more of Zosia [Karolina Wydra] and Manousos [Carlos Manuel Vesga] is always going to be a treat for us and for the audience."
Naturally, Carol will still be the main character (whether she likes it or not). "And of course, Carol remains front and center in our show, played by the great Rhea Seehorn.”
As for when Pluribus will return to our screens, Gilligan offers a silly remark. At least, we hope he's joking. "We're looking forward to people seeing it in eight or nine years when we get season 2 finished."
Realistically, we expect to see Pluribus back on our screens sometime in 2027 or 2028. It won't be anytime soon. In the meantime, Pluribus season 1 is now streaming in its entirety on Apple TV.