Starz is only two episodes into the first season of American Gods, but both the critical and fan reception has been so positive they are already pulling the trigger on a season two! With more than 5 million viewers tuning in for the series premiere, the show set a record for the premium cable network.
This is great news for fans of the series, but even more so for fans of Neil Gaiman’s novel. Gaiman has stated in past interviews that the first season of American Gods doesn’t even get one-third of the way through the source material. With Starz committing to another season this early in the game, fans can watch without fear that the “Firefly Effect”* will prematurely steal away such a weird, opaque show.
*The “Firefly Effect” is when fear of a show being canceled keeps viewers from getting invested in said show, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy because no one is watching the show. The concept is based on Joss Whedon’s short-lived sci-fi western Firefly.
From the official press release:
Carmi Zlotnik, president of programming for Starz, said, “Bryan Fuller, Michael Green and Neil Gaiman have evolved the art form of television narratively, structurally and graphically with ‘American Gods,’ and we’re thrilled to be working again with these artists as they continue to build the worlds and wars of the gods.”
“American Gods has been a ground-breaking series born out of belief and it’s thrilling to be partnered with Starz to continue this ambitious story. Neil Gaiman, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have ignited a conversation through cinematic magic, presented through a diverse ensemble of actors that continue to keep us engaged and inspired,” said Craig Cegielski, Co-CEO of FremantleMedia North America.
American Gods stars Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon, an ex-con who is sucked into the world of ancient gods in America fighting an unseen war against the new gods who have supplanted them. The series co-stars Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday, Emily Browning as the recently deceased but still lively Laura Moon, Pablo Schreiber as the extremely tall leprechaun Mad Sweeney, Yetide Badaki as the living embodiment of vagina dentate as Bilquis, Bruce Langley as the Internet Troll and new god Technical Boy, the effervescent Gillian Anderson as Media, and winner of Best Angry Monologue Of 2017 Orlando Jones as Mr. Nancy/Anansi.
