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American Gods season 2

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American Gods
Season 2
Promotional poster
Starring
No. of episodes8
Release
Original networkStarz
Original releaseMarch 10 (2019-03-10) –
April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of American Gods, based on Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name, was broadcast on Starz between March 10 and April 28, 2019, and consisted of eight episodes. Jesse Alexander adapted the second season, serving as the sole showrunner after Bryan Fuller and Michael Green departed the series, and production began in April 2018 after the season was officially greenlit in May 2017. The season stars Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Crispin Glover, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley, Pablo Schreiber and Ian McShane, who all return from the previous season, as well as Orlando Jones, Mousa Kraish, Omid Abtahi and Demore Barnes, who were promoted to series regular status for the second season.

The second season follows Shadow Moon, an ex-convict who is the right-hand man and bodyguard for Mr. Wednesday, an Old God who is in the midst of a war between the Old Gods, the gods from ancient mythology, and the New Gods, the gods of society, technology, and globalization.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

  • Kahyun Kim as the New Goddess New Media, who is described as, "the goddess of global content and in this age, a cyberspace chameleon, who is also a master of manipulation".[3][12]
  • Peter Stormare as Czernobog, Slavic god of darkness, death and evil who suspects Mr. Wednesday's motives and is reluctant to lend his aid.[3][9]
  • Sakina Jaffrey as Mama-Ji, a waitress at the Motel America and the Hindu goddess of death and liberation, Kali. With her necklace of skulls, acerbic wit and free spirit, she is a match for any mighty god or man.[3][13] She is present in each Motel America, which serve as meeting places for the gods.
  • Andrew Koji as Mr. Xie, the top executive at the Silicon Valley company, Xie Comm. He invented the programs that write the electronic music that gave an increase in vitality, and brought more worshipers to, Technical Boy.

Guests

  • Cloris Leachman as Zorya Vechernyaya, "the Evening Star", the eldest of three sisters who watch the stars to guard against forgotten horrors.[3][9]
  • Dean Winters as Mr. Town, a brutal and efficient agent tasked by the New Gods to find out what Shadow knows about Mr. Wednesday's plan.[3][12]
  • Devery Jacobs as Sam Black Crow, a fierce and confident college student, who travels alone in her dusty pickup truck, giving rides to hitchhikers whom she photographs. She is spiritually cynical for someone who claims to believe in so much.[3][12]
  • Christian Lloyd as Argus Panoptes, an all-seeing Greek giant who has many eyes that allow him to be asleep and awake at the same time. Over time he became the god of surveillance.
  • Sana Asad as Bast, a goddess who lives as a cat at Ibis and Jacquel Funeral Parlor.
  • William Sanderson as Bookkeeper, a representative of the god of Money.
  • Mustafa Shakir as Baron Samedi, the Haitian loa of the dead who owns a bar in New Orleans.
  • Hani Furstenberg as Maman Brigitte, Haitian loa of the dead and consort of Baron Samedi.
  • Lee Arenberg as Alviss, the King of the Dwarves who is a builder and a forger.
  • Jeremy Raymond as Dvalinn, the runemaster of the Dwarves.
  • Derek Theler as Donar Odinson, the son of Mr. Wednesday, and the Norse god of thunder, Thor.
  • Laura Bell Bundy as Columbia, the female embodiment of Manifest destiny and the Spirit of America before the Statue of Liberty came and took her fame. Wednesday persuades her to promote the upcoming war.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byTeleplay byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
91"House on the Rock"Christopher J. ByrneJesse Alexander & Neil GaimanMarch 10, 2019 (2019-03-10)0.520[14]
102"The Beguiling Man"Frederick E.O. ToyeTyler Dinucci & Andres Fischer-CentenoMarch 17, 2019 (2019-03-17)0.348[15]
113"Muninn"Deborah ChowHeather BellsonMarch 24, 2019 (2019-03-24)0.329[16]
124"The Greatest Story Ever Told"Stacie PassonPeter Calloway & Aditi Brennan KapilMarch 31, 2019 (2019-03-31)0.336[17]
135"The Ways of the Dead"Salli Richardson-WhitfieldRodney BarnesApril 7, 2019 (2019-04-07)0.306[18]
146"Donar the Great"Rachel TalalayAdria LangApril 14, 2019 (2019-04-14)0.240[19]
157"Treasure of the Sun"Paco CabezasHeather BellsonApril 21, 2019 (2019-04-21)0.318[20]
168"Moon Shadow"Christopher J. ByrneAditi Brennan Kapil & Jim Danger GrayApril 28, 2019 (2019-04-28)0.272[21]

Production

Development

On May 10, 2017, the series was renewed for a second season.[22] On November 29, 2017, it was announced that Fuller and Green were departing the show and were to be replaced as showrunners for season two after having completed writing roughly half of the season's scripts.[23] On January 12, 2018, Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht clarified the ongoing struggle with mounting a second season, including Gillian Anderson's and Kristin Chenoweth's involvement, Fuller and Green's continued involvement – stressing that they were never fired, nor did they quit – given their schedules, and showrunner and budget concerns, while stressing the difficulty of adaptation and the network and Fremantle Media's continued commitment to the series.[24] On February 2, 2018, Jesse Alexander, writer for Fuller's Hannibal and Star Trek: Discovery, was announced as co-showrunner for the second season alongside Gaiman.[25]

In September 2018, it was reported that Alexander had been removed as showrunner from the series by Starz and Fremantle. The series was also six weeks behind schedule and was forced to go on hiatus due to having an unfinished script for the season finale; Alexander submitted multiple drafts for the finale, but they were all rejected. Fuller and Green had scripted the first six episodes of season two, but they were thrown out once Alexander was hired to rewrite them. The season two episode order was trimmed from ten to eight episodes, similar to season one, in an attempt to trim the budget. The first season was $30 million over budget. Cast members were unhappy with the new scripts and they were often rewritten on set, including Ian McShane improvising dialogue. Starz was unhappy with Alexander's direction of the material, which was more "conventional", different from Fuller and Green's more "atmospheric, hypnotic" tone. With no showrunner, producing director Chris Byrne and line producer Lisa Kussner were left in charge.[26]

Filming

Production began on the second season in April 2018, and with the season premiering on March 10, 2019.[27][28]

Writing

During an interview with Neil Gaiman on June 24, 2016, he discussed plans for future seasons of the show beyond the first, should it be continued, and noting that the first season only covers the first third of the novel. The second season was intended to cover the Lakeside section of the novel, and "a big pivotal thing that happens to Mr. Wednesday" was likely to be a season finale for either the second or third season.[29] However, the Lakeside arc was later pushed back to a potential third season.[30][31]

Casting

On June 4, 2018, it was announced that Dean Winters, Devery Jacobs and Kahyun Kim would join the cast in the second season as Mr. Town, Sam Black Crow and Media; with the latter now known as New Media after the departure of Gillian Anderson in the role.[12] It was also confirmed that Kristin Chenoweth would not be making an appearance in the season due to scheduling conflicts.[26]

Reception

Critical response

The second season has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 60% rating with an average score of 6.11 out of 10 based on 27 reviews with the consensus stating: "American Gods retains its bombastic style but loses its divine inspiration in a derivative second season that, after a change in show-runners and even some crucial cast members, feels like a false idol."[32] On Metacritic, it has a score of 45 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[33] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone gave it 2 out of 5 stars, calling it "aimless" and despite having a "talented cast", Sepinwall ultimately felt "the whole thing is hollow and dull."[34]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of American Gods season 2
No. Title Air date Rating
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "House on the Rock" March 10, 2019 0.2 0.520[14] 0.202 0.722[35][a]
2 "The Beguiling Man" March 17, 2019 0.1 0.348[15] 0.412 0.760[36]
3 "Muninn" March 24, 2019 0.1 0.329[16] 0.412 0.742[37]
4 "The Greatest Story Ever Told" March 31, 2019 0.1 0.336[17] 0.436 0.772[38]
5 "The Ways of the Dead" April 7, 2019 0.1 0.306[18] 0.354 0.660[39]
6 "Donar the Great" April 14, 2019 0.1 0.240[19] 0.434 0.674[40]
7 "Treasure of the Sun" April 21, 2019 0.1 0.318[20] 0.321 0.639[41]
8 "Moon Shadow" April 28, 2019 0.1 0.272[21] 0.354 0.626[42]
  1. ^ Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Joanna (January 28, 2016). "American Gods Author Neil Gaiman on Why Casting The 100s Ricky Whittle as Shadow Is So Vital". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (March 3, 2016). "Ian McShane to Star in 'American Gods' for Starz". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Bley Griffiths, Eleanor. "When is American Gods season two released? What will happen and who is in the cast?". Radio Times. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  4. ^ Stephens, Emily L. (March 17, 2019). "Whoa, American Gods has a backstory, bam-ba-lam". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 17, 2016). "Starz's 'American Gods' Casts Its Laura Moon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (April 14, 2016). "'American Gods': Jonathan Tucker & Crispin Glover Cast In Starz Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Stanhope, Kate (June 15, 2016). "Starz' 'American Gods' Adds 'Sleepy Hollow' Alum Orlando Jones". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Petski, Denise (March 23, 2016). "Starz's 'American Gods' Casts Sean Harris As Mad Sweeney, Yetide Badaki As Bilquis & Bruce Langley As Technical Boy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c "Cameras roll as Starz and FMNA bring "American Gods" to life". Fremantle Media. April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 15, 2016). "'American Gods': Omid Abtahi Joins Cast Of Starz Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 11, 2016). "Pablo Schreiber To Play Mad Sweeney In 'American Gods' Starz Series, Joins Indie 'Thumper'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d Andreeva, Nellie; Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 4, 2018). "'American Gods' Casts Mr. Town, Sam Black Crow & New Media Roles For Season 2 On Starz". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (May 10, 2018). "'American Gods': Sakina Jaffrey Joins Season 2; Casting Search Underway For New Character". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 12, 2019). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.10.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 19, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.17.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 26, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.24.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 2, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.31.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 9, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.7.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 16, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.14.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 23, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.21.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 30, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.28.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  22. ^ Snetiker, Marc (March 11, 2017). "American Gods renewed for season 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  23. ^ Patten, Dominic; Andreeva, Nellie (November 29, 2017). "'American Gods': Michael Green & Bryan Fuller Exit As Showrunners Of Starz Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  24. ^ Keene, Allison (January 12, 2018). "'American Gods': Starz Boss Offers Update; Admits "Trouble" Getting Season 2 Off the Ground". Collider. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  25. ^ Petski, Denise (February 2, 2018). "'American Gods' Hires New Showrunner For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley; Ryan, Maureen (September 12, 2018). "'American Gods' Sidelines New Showrunner Amid Delays and Frustrations (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  27. ^ Holub, Christian (April 30, 2018). "American Gods season 2 is coming in 2019". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  28. ^ Hibberd, James (December 5, 2018). "American Gods finally gets a season 2 premiere date". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  29. ^ Schwartz, Dana (July 13, 2016). "Everything* Neil Gaiman Knows About 'Good Omens' and 'American Gods'". Observer. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  30. ^ Husband, Andrew (October 10, 2018). "Neil Gaiman Has A Plan For At Least Five Seasons Of American Gods". Den of Geek. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  31. ^ Robinson, Joanna (January 30, 2019). "American Gods Debuts Four Flashy New Character Posters". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  32. ^ "American Gods: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  33. ^ "American Gods: Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  34. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 5, 2019). "'American Gods' Season 2 Review: A Cosmic Mess". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  35. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 15, 2019). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'Shameless' Season Finale (Emmy Rossum's Last Episode) Runner-Up in Demo Lifts Among Scripted Cable". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  36. ^ Welch, Alex (April 1, 2019). "'Deadly Class' earns biggest 18-49 percentage gain in cable Live +7 ratings for March 11–17". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  37. ^ Welch, Alex (April 8, 2019). "'The Walking Dead' dominates the cable Live +7 ratings for March 18–24". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  38. ^ Welch, Alex (April 11, 2019). "'The Walking Dead' finale leads in 18-49 and viewer gains: Cable Live +7 ratings for March 25–31". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  39. ^ Welch, Alex (April 23, 2019). "'Teen Mom 2' earns biggest 18-49 boost in the cable Live +7 ratings for April 1–7". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  40. ^ Welch, Alex (May 6, 2019). "'Game of Thrones' premiere (predictably) dominates the cable Live +7 ratings for April 8–14". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  41. ^ Welch, Alex (May 8, 2019). "'Game of Thrones,' 'Teen Mom 2' score largest 18-49 boosts in cable Live +7 ratings for April 15–21". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  42. ^ Welch, Alex (May 9, 2019). "'Game of Thrones,' 'What We Do in the Shadows' lead the cable Live +7 ratings for April 22–28". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Gods_season_2&oldid=999838329"