🔗 Share this article Award-Winning Creator Gilligan Himself Reveals His Sci-Fi Influences Behind His New Series Pluribus After a long break away from the science fiction genre, the celebrated showrunner is making a comeback back to where he began. Launching his career with The Iconic X-Files Series, where he wrote three dozen installments, and also writing the script for the superhero comedy Hancock, the creator devoted the past decade-plus focused on the universe from Breaking Bad Universe. This fall, via his new Apple TV project Pluribus, he’s coming back home toward the genre that kicked off his journey. A Secretive Premise and Vague Trailers The plot and premise for Pluribus remain closely guarded. Promotional clips and previews are tantalizingly vague. In one, a short clip shows a woman by herself in an office after hours nonchalantly taking donuts out of a box marked “Help yourself!” then tasting each one prior to placing them carefully back in its place. Critics aren’t allowed to disclose details about the series’ thrilling first episode, except that the narrative kicks off when our modern world transforms dramatically. The Creator’s Sci-Fi Recommendations Since details on the story or production were off-limits, the showrunner was asked a simple question: What other science fiction series or films ought viewers see to prepare before Pluribus? “Both the 1956 and 1978 versions of Body Snatchers; that’s an excellent touchstone,” Gilligan explains. “The Twilight Zone, that's always my go-to. The Thing, John Carpenter's film. I like both versions, but I particularly love the John Carpenter version.” A Love Letter for Sci-Fi Enthusiasts For those who are an admirer of science fiction or scary movies, you will probably recognize the tales that influenced Pluribus. Its inspirations are far from subtle — which is the point. The creator says his aim for this series was to riff on the genre itself. “I was thinking of every science fiction trope and horror conventions I could incorporate into the series, before flip each one onto their head,” he adds. “ That’s what made me excited.” In other words: Pluribus serves as a sci-fi show for genre lovers. So if you approach to it as a Breaking Bad superfan who’s never been much for science fiction, you may want to complete a bit of homework beforehand. The showrunner has now offered the curriculum. Pluribus premieres November 7 on Apple TV+.