American Gods is expected to return for season 3, despite the behind the scenes problems that plagued production on season 2. The first season of American Gods earned rave reviews for its lush and sometimes psychedelic imagery, as well as its general dream-like atmosphere and tone. Unfortunately, showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michal Green’s adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel also cost a pretty penny to make. As a result, the pair clashed with Starz over their proposed budget for season 2, which ultimately led to Fuller and Green departing the series altogether in late 2017.
Things didn’t get easier for American Gods after that, either. Jesse Alexander, who had previously worked on Fuller’s Hannibal series, was brought in to serve as showrunner on season 2, with Gaiman playing a more hands-on role in the series’ development. Nevertheless, the show continued to suffer from various production issues and still went over budget, which resulted in season 2’s premiere being delayed until this March (nearly two years after season 1 aired). Despite all this, however, the war between the Old Gods and New Gods is expected to continue for another round.
According to Deadline, American Gods is already close to landing a season 3 renewal. The show has only covered the first handful of chapters from Gaiman’s novel so far and could ultimately live on for many years, assuming that Starz can get its budget and turnaround time under control. Deadline reports the network is currently searching for a showrunner who can do just that, having already unofficially parted ways with Alexander as far back as last September.
Season 2 will pick up in the aftermath of season 1, which concluded with Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) revealing the truth about himself to Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) and openly declaring war against the New Gods, led by Mr. World (Crispin Glover). Based on the trailers, American Gods season 2 will stick closely to the surreal style and mood of season 1, despite the numerous behind the scenes changes between installments. At the same time, Fuller especially has a storytelling approach that’s difficult to imitate and the concern is that season 2 will pale in comparison to its predecessor, both in terms of aesthetics and how they’ve woven together with the show’s larger themes.
Hopefully, that won’t be the case and season 2 earns the critical response and ratings it needs to convince Starz to green-light season 3. The show has only scratched the surface of Gaiman’s source material so far and there are even more exciting developments and characters to come, after season 2 is done. Depending on how long the show continues, there’s a possibility it will even cover plot points from Gaiman’s as-yet unpublished American Gods sequel novel. Of course, the author has said the series won’t get there until season 6, so it still has a long ways to go before fans can start taking the idea seriously.
MORE: Watch the First 3 Minutes of American Gods Season 2
American Gods season 2 premieres Sunday, March 10 on Starz.
Source: Deadline
