Vince Gilligan, creator and showrunner of Apple TV+ series Pluribus, spoke to Decider regarding his views on America and how he envisions the future of the nation:
I just want people to get along. First and foremost, it’s just a TV show. No TV show is going to cure cancer, so to speak….
I want people to enjoy the show just like any other TV show. At the end of the day, that’s all I really hope for. But, this is so grandiose to say it, but the country is so divided…
Pluribus sees a virus take over the world, uniting every human being into one hive mind, like a psychic glue between humanity. The biggest moral challenge of the show is whether the protagonist (who is unaffected) should keep the world as it is or make a change.
Vince Gilligan Seeks a Middle Ground Between Our World and Pluribus
Vince Gilligan certainly isn’t an expert on politics, but he makes an interesting point that Pluribus creates during its second episode. In the interview with Decider, he added what he wished the nation took away from his sci-fi show:
I don’t know if it ought to be like it it in Pluribus either, because then we potentially lose all our individuality. There’s reasons you don’t want it to be like the world of Pluribus, but is there somewhere in the middle between the two?
I’d like this show — as grandiose as it is to say — my lottery win version of this would be that people watch this thing and they say, ‘Maybe there’s a better way.’
While Gilligan didn’t delve deep into the political nature of his wishes, he expressed his concerns over the climate of affairs in America today:
The country is so divided. The world — I can’t speak for the rest of the world, I’ll speak for the United States — but it feels like the precipice of civil war. There’s nothing funny at all about that. And I don’t believe for a minute that either side, no matter what your personal beliefs are, I don’t believe that either side wants it this way
With the current political and economic state of America, Vince Gilligan’s sentiment is one that is echoed by millions of the nation’s citizens.
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Divided America: Is the Nation Really on “the precipice of civil war”?
The United States is currently experiencing high political polarization and increasing instances of political violence, but experts agree that the nation is not on the immediate brink of a full-scale civil war.
Stimson reports that according to the Pew Research Center, “Trust in our nation’s institutions has never been lower.” Only 22% of U.S. adults said they trust the federal government to do the right thing most of the time, down from 77% six decades ago.
According to a YouGov survey earlier this year, “more Americans than not believe it is likely that the United States will see a civil war over the next decade,” while hundreds of scholars in an April 2025 survey saw the U.S. slipping into authoritarianism with Trump’s second term.
At the recent military offsite, Trump told the military chiefs that they should be prepared to battle “the enemy within,” an ominous phrase that was once uttered by Stalin.
Whether the nation will see a civil war or learn from Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus is something that time will tell. Should the latter happen, we would be grateful that the right person stepped in at the right time.
What do you think of Vince Gilligan’s plea?
Pluribus is currently streaming on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
