American Gods Review: Starz Brings Gaiman's Mythology to Life

American Gods explained: the series and the novel

American Gods is a television adaptation of one of the best-known modern fantasy novels. Starz premiered the first season on April 30, 2017, and the show ran for three seasons and 26 episodes before the network canceled it on March 29, 2021, eight days after the final episode aired. The first season has eight episodes, the second eight, and the third ten. Neil Gaiman's novel came out on June 19, 2001, from Headline in the UK and William Morrow in the US, and Fremantle acquired the rights to develop it for television in February 2014.

The setup is easy to state and slow to unfold. Shadow Moon, played by Ricky Whittle, is released from prison five days early because his wife, Laura, has died in a car accident. On the flight home he meets a charming, eccentric stranger who calls himself Mr. Wednesday and who plays by his own rules. Ian McShane plays Wednesday. Shadow takes a job working for him, and that choice drags him into a hidden America of gods who arrived with immigrants and are now fading because almost nobody worships them.

The review of the season's early episodes called American Gods high on style and drama, with the potential to be gripping television. It credited showrunners Bryan Fuller, known for Hannibal and Pushing Daisies, and Michael Green, co-writer of Logan, with an excellent start. The season, it says, introduces an America brimming with mythical beings and magic, and it follows Shadow out of prison into a strange new world that is both mesmerizing and terrifying.

Anyone searching for American Gods usually wants one of three things: a plain account of what the show is, a sense of whether the first season is worth the time, or an explanation of why the series changed so much behind the scenes. This piece answers all three, using the original review of the premiere run as its backbone and Wikipedia's production history for what came after.

The premise: old gods against new gods

In Gaiman's story, gods exist because people believe in them. Immigrants brought their gods to America, and the gods lost power as belief waned. The old gods now live in motels and cheap apartments and take jobs to get by. A new generation has taken their place, personifications of technology, media and commerce. Wednesday is trying to recruit the old gods for a coming war, and he needs Shadow as driver, protector and accomplice.

The review picks up on the way the show frames belief as a resource. It notes that the intensity of human worship gives these beings vitality and potency, and that temples, offerings, sacrifices and prayer have given way to a world in which the new deities hold dominion over people. It treats that competition between the old and the new as the larger part of the storyline and as an echo of the country's own ongoing narrative.

The characters in the first season

Pablo Schreiber plays Mad Sweeney, a man who calls himself a leprechaun and appears early in Shadow's journey. Bruce Langley plays Technical Boy, a powerful new god who assaults Shadow through a virtual-reality helmet. Gillian Anderson played Media in the first season, and the review singles out the new deities Technical Boy and Media as the ones who hold sway over humans now. Emily Browning plays Laura Moon, Crispin Glover plays Mr. World, and Yetide Badaki plays Bilquis, among a large ensemble.

The review also compliments the casting of the two leads. Ian McShane makes Mr. Wednesday a cunning yet likable hustler, a conman working his way across America. Book readers know that Wednesday is eventually revealed to be the Norse god Odin, and the review observes how different this version is from the one seen in films like Thor. Ricky Whittle's Shadow is compared to a lost puppy, which is also his wife's nickname for him: a man trying to find his place in a world he no longer recognizes.

Pace, structure and what the first episode does

The premiere, The Bone Orchard, was directed by David Slade from a teleplay by Fuller and Green. It was nominated for an Emmy for special visual effects. The review acknowledges that the story moves slowly and drops hints about characters' motives, but argues that this builds anticipation as the audience gradually sees the larger narrative. In its view Fuller and Green have done a tremendous job of world building, because the show offers Shadow's perspective as well as the point of view of the old gods living diminished lives in a society that depends more and more on technology.

American Gods seasons at a glance

Dates and credits from Wikipedia's article on the series, linked in the sources below.

From novel to screen: how the American Gods adaptation came together

The novel is a large book. At 465 pages in its first edition, it follows Shadow across a continent, mixing the main story with short interludes about gods arriving in America with their believers. Gaiman won the 2002 Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Bram Stoker awards for it, along with an SFX Award, and the 2003 Geffen Award followed. In June 2011, William Morrow published a tenth anniversary edition containing the author's preferred text and roughly 12,000 additional words. An unabridged audiobook read by George Guidall appeared in 2001, and a full-cast version of the anniversary edition in 2011.

Television rights took years to settle. Fremantle acquired them in February 2014, and Bryan Fuller said that year that Gaiman was very involved in the production. Gaiman is credited as an executive producer. That involvement was meant to carry the series through a plan he described in October 2018 as five seasons. The adaptation's first showrunners, Fuller and Green, shaped season 1, which is the season the review covers, and they had both left by the end of 2017.

A useful way to compare the book and the show is by what each treats as the main engine. In the novel the engine is the con. Shadow later learns that Wednesday and Low Key Lyesmith, who is Loki, orchestrated the conflict as a two-man con, and the war between the gods is a staged performance. In the show, the engine in season 1 is the journey and the world it reveals, and the review praises how each place on Shadow's route shows another side of the country, both beautiful and ugly.

Why belief is the show's central idea

The review spends time on the idea of belief because it is where the series is most thoughtful. Shadow is a modern man conditioned to think magic is not real, and his boss challenges him to expand his mind. The audience is asked the same thing: whether it is open to the possibility that there are circumstances science may never explain. The old gods depend on that openness for their survival, which gives the war a human stake.

That framing also explains why the series feels bigger than its plot. A road trip with a con man and an ex-convict could be a small story. When every motel and diner may hide a god, the road trip becomes a map of what people worship and what they have stopped worshiping.

Immigration and the country's own story

The review calls American Gods relevant for its time, reminding viewers that the country was built by immigrants who brought their culture, stories and, apparently, their gods. The show takes the viewer from rural towns to large cities and shows both the beautiful and the ugly parts of life. That theme is built into the premise from the first episode, and the supporting cast reflects it, with gods from many traditions living ordinary, difficult lives.

What happened after season 1: American Gods behind the scenes

The behind-the-scenes story is a major part of why the show is remembered as uneven. On November 29, 2017, it was announced that Fuller and Green were leaving the show after completing about half of the second season's scripts. Jesse Alexander was named showrunner in February 2018 and removed in September 2018. Producing director Chris Byrne and line producer Lisa Kussner were left in charge, and production on season 2 had begun in April 2018. Season 3 was run by Charles H. Eglee.

Cast changes followed. Gillian Anderson left the series after the first season, and her role was redefined as New Media, played by Kahyun Kim, in the second. Pablo Schreiber replaced Sean Harris as Mad Sweeney, according to Wikipedia. Orlando Jones, who plays the trickster god Mr. Nancy, and Mousa Kraish, who plays the Jinn, moved from recurring to main cast in season 2. Neil Gaiman remained an executive producer, and said in October 2018 that the plan was five seasons. By April 2019, he and Eglee had begun planning a fourth season. That plan did not survive the cancellation of March 29, 2021.

Reception shifted with the production. As summarized on Wikipedia, the first season scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from 272 reviews and 77 on Metacritic. The second season dropped to 61% from 106 reviews and 47 on Metacritic. The third season rebounded to 79% from 19 reviews and 69 on Metacritic. Those numbers move over time, but the shape is stable: a strong opening, a bruised middle, and a quieter finish. The show was nominated for two Primetime Emmys at the 69th ceremony, for main title design and for special visual effects.

A short viewing guide, season by season

Season 1 is the version of the show the review describes: eight episodes, the full ensemble, and the clearest sense of the source material. It is also the season that earned the show's two Emmy nominations, so it is the best test of whether the series suits you.

Season 2 arrived on March 10, 2019, after the leadership change, and runs eight episodes to April 28, 2019. It is the one where the cast shifted most, with Gillian Anderson gone and New Media introduced, and where the critical numbers fell furthest. Season 3 began January 10, 2021, with ten episodes under Charles H. Eglee, and its last episode on March 21, 2021 became the series finale when Starz canceled the show eight days later.

A reasonable plan for a newcomer is to watch the first season in full, decide whether the pacing works, and only then continue. There is no penalty for stopping after season 1, and no secret payoff that depends on the later seasons.

Verdict: is American Gods worth watching today?

For a fan of the novel, the first season is the strongest reason to start, and the review of its premiere run says why. The show treats belief as something characters have to earn and spend. It makes the old gods small and tired, and the new gods glossy and menacing. It is stylish without being only style, and it gives two very good actors, McShane and Whittle, something to build a relationship on.

The case against it is the slow pace, and the review is upfront that the story moves slowly. Viewers who need plot every ten minutes may fade out. Viewers who like a show that hints and withholds, and who enjoy the Americana road-trip structure, will settle in. The review also says the series feels relevant to its time because the country was built by immigrants who brought their culture, stories and, apparently, their gods with them.

The practical advice is simple. Start with season 1, which has the most complete creative vision and the most positive reception. Treat season 2 as a transition made under changing leadership. Watch season 3 if you are invested in the characters, knowing that Starz canceled the series after it. And if the novel appeals more than the show, Gaiman's 2011 tenth anniversary edition restores about 12,000 words and counts as the author's preferred text.

One note on expectations: the series is an adaptation, not a transcript, and readers of the book should expect a different rhythm. The review's reading of Mr. Wednesday as a conman and of Shadow as the passenger of his plans is still the clearest way into the show.

Sources

• American Gods (TV series), Wikipedia — Seasons, dates, showrunners, cast changes, cancellation and reception.
• American Gods (novel), Wikipedia — Publication details, awards, plot and related works.