Neil Gaiman sheds light on show-running American Gods season 2
After a rocky pre-production phase of American Gods season 2, Neil Gaiman comments on how he’ll be involved with it.
Bryan Fuller and Michael Green adapted Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and presented it to viewers all across the world in 2017. The first season was lauded for its mythological allegories and visual style, and was green lit for another season. However, season two’s creative process has been met with a lot of speed bumps and Neil Gaiman’s involvement might just add to that.
On November 2017, Variety reported that Fuller and Green had left American Gods due to disagreements with FremantleMedia (the producers of the show) on budget and creativity. As the position for a show-runner was open, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht readily told the Television Critics Association that Gaiman would be taking that role. But, according to a Twitter conversation, Gaiman clearly doesn’t believe so.
I'm already showrunning GOOD OMENS and I won't be physically showrunning two shows. But I plan to work really closely with the new showrunner, and to help plot and guide and build American Gods, just as I did when Bryan & Michael came on as showrunners.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 12, 2018
Gaiman had actively worked as an executive producer with Fuller and Green for season 1 and provided character adjustments whenever it was necessary. And according to Gaiman, the directing duo had responded well to that. So, it’ll be a matter of concern how the new show-runner(s) will react to Gaiman’s suggestions, if he stays as an executive producer at all. Additionally, as Gaiman and Albrecht’s statements are so contradictory, it’ll be best for Starz to flesh out the details for season 2 before moving forward.
What should be done to save American Gods season 2?
Movies and TV shows often suffer due to creative and budgetary differences, and it’s very tough to recover once the project goes into production. In the last few years, the frequency has increased, with Suicide Squad and Justice League being the noteworthy victims. However, as American Gods season 2 is still in the early phases, there’s still time to take some major decisions and save it from any permanent damage.
American Gods had concluded on June 2017, which means that it’s still fresh enough to be re-watched and unpacked. Therefore, Starz shouldn’t look to rush season 2 in order to get it released as soon as possible. As shows like Sherlock, Game of Thrones and Rick & Morty, have created a trend of rewarding their fans with quality content for waiting, the producers should utilize that & take their time to search for a writer(s) who’ll emulate or accentuate Fuller and Green’s work.
Apart from the hypnotic visuals, thanks to Gaiman’s close supervision, fans and critics had lauded American Gods season 1 for sticking to the source material. As Gaiman has stated that he won’t be as available as he was before, the show should wait till he can provide his full attention to the show. And if that prospect is too unpredictable, the studios should look for a show-runner(s) who can honestly translate Gaiman’s work.
Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth gave truly mesmerizing performances as Media and Easter respectively. However, their departure shouldn’t be a point of concern as well. As all the Gods of Gaiman’s world are reincarnations of how people perceive them, it’s the perfect loophole that casting directors can use to bring in new actresses for those roles. Although it’ll be a gamble to match up to Anderson and Chenoweth’s charm, but given the circumstances, it’s an unavoidable one.
Next: Snowpiercer to be developed as a TV series by TNT
What are your thoughts on the complete change-up that’s taking place around American Gods? Let me know in the comments!