NYCC: Americans Gods entertains, but is still quiet about its production troubles.

It’s all about adaptability and evolving

Americans Gods was a very entertaining show when its first season aired in 2017. It chronicles the story of Shadow Moon, an ex-con that gets wrapped up in a war between the Gods of Old and the New Gods for supremacy in America. The premise alone is worth a watch and I was satisfied at the end of it, despite a very slow first season. 

The panel started off right away with a reveal of the trailer for Season 2. We see all of Old Gods converging together under Mr. Wednesday and the New Gods start prepping their own battle plans. Most of the original cast returns with the except of Media, played by Gillian Anderson, who left after former showrunner Bryan Fuller left the show. And on the surface, it looks like its going to be chock full of more action and drama, though Neil Gaiman was quick to point out that the show will not reach Lakeside by the end of the second season, which was an important location in the original novel. 

And yet, I can’t help but feel that something isn’t right. With all of the drama that’s occurred on set, mostly involving now former showrunner Jesse Alexander being fired as of last month and that they had yet to even complete a final script for the finale. Ricky Whittle stated during the panel that he had off in November, so maybe the finale is actually complete? Maybe it’s been delayed until December? Who knows? The fact that they didn’t do anything to address the well-publicized production woes is a bit off putting, but maybe I’m just overreacting to it.

The panel was certainly lively, with questions being asked about whether the Old Gods or the New Gods are truly correct, how to have sex with Gods, and the fact that Ian McShane couldn’t make it to the panel because, to quote Gaiman himself, McShane was “zapping kidney stones that he will be pissing out.” I had a blast there, but the production troubles casts a cloud over it. That being said, Gaiman was overjoyed that “the show got so huge across the world, which was a spectacular and glorious delight.” I hope that I can be that optimistic about the second season.

American Gods Season 2 will debut on Starz sometime in 2019.