'American Gods' Is Going To Be Unbelievable
Fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods have been clamoring for any details about the Starz adaptation of the novel, due to premiere on April 30th. The network and everyone associated with the show has been tight-lipped throughout production. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that we even found out when the show would premiere!
But over the weekend, at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Starz screened the first episode of the series. Reviews have been pouring in over Twitter and it seems that fans are in for something great. According to most of the 140 character reviews from those in the room for the screening, Episode one of the 10 part series lives up to all of the hype.
#AMERICANGODS is fan-freaking-tastic. @BryanFuller is BACK! Top notch cast + eye candy visuals. All in. Here's the giant ensemble at #SXSW. pic.twitter.com/tjvnSqCV51
— Scott Meisner (@scottmeiz) March 11, 2017
#AmericanGods is the real deal. Very faithful to the book with a good update to modern times. @ianmcshane is amazing #SXSW
— Chris Morris (@MorrisatLarge) March 11, 2017
#AmericanGods will be your new obsession! It was a blast moderating the #SXSW panel with these immensely talented people. April 30 on Starz! pic.twitter.com/AEBnXY8svI
— Laura Prudom (@LauInLA) March 11, 2017
wow, #AmericanGods: gorgeous, unsettling, irreverently funny, faithful to the open-road spirit of the book. #SXSW
— Melissa Leon (@MelissaHLeon) March 11, 2017
wow, #AmericanGods: gorgeous, unsettling, irreverently funny, faithful to the open-road spirit of the book. #SXSW
— Melissa Leon (@MelissaHLeon) March 11, 2017
The show's quality wasn't the only news to come out of the panel either. Showrunners Bryan Fuller (Hanibal, Star Trek: Discovery, Mockingbird Lane) went out of his way to comment on the political resonance of the show.
“Our first task of adapting is to make the show that we wanted to see as an audience member ...it’s definitely a different show than we set out to make because the political climate in America shat its pants ... We are now telling massive immigration stories in a climate that vilifies immigrants. And so we have a strange new platform to start a different kind of conversation.”
It makes sense that the show would be different to adapted for the current era. While the novel is incredible, it was released in 2001. Gaiman himself has said that there will need to changes in the show that account for the difference. With themes of race and immigration prevalent throughout the novel, it would feel unnatural to ignore those connections to the real world. Fellow showrunner Michael Green expanded on this at SXSW when he said
“The book is joyful, it celebrates a lot of things that we love about America, and have since become weirdly odd about America,”
As the show's premiere date inches ever closer, we're sure to be getting more reviews in over the next month and a half. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NerdItHereFirst to stay up to date on all the American Gods news until then. And check back to read our reviews of the episodes!