STARZ takes on one of Neil Gaiman's most complex and beloved novels with style and great skill
While summer traditionally marks the beginning of blockbuster season for Hollywood, it also has come to mark something similar for television. It’s not just any television, though. Nothing as clumsy and random as a new sitcom. No, it seems late spring, early summer is the prime time for prestige television.
Prestige television, a term that has popped up here and there online, refers to a more cinematic experience for the episodic viewer, one where the writing and direction, the very look and feel of the show, are something outside the normal viewing experience. Its roots can likely be traced to HBO, with shows like The Sopranos or The Wire but has expanded beyond the subscription channels (though prestige television continues to be found there, as well), to cable channels like FX, AMC, and even in some cases, certain shows on traditional networks.
The traditional network shows are hamstrung some by their strict adherence to their censors, making their shows tougher to make and the audiences harder to satisfy, but on cable (and Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon) these shows are becoming more and more commonplace. Right now, there is a wealth of great episodic TV, from A Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, to Fargo on FX, to Better Call Saul on AMC. But one that might slip by is an exceptional adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods on STARZ.
The novel on which the show is based is an exploration of belief and tradition in America. The central conceit is that the various gods and goddesses and mythical creatures created by mankind exist in the physical world, simply due to man’s belief in them. Whenever man visits a new part of the earth, he brings his gods with him, where they reside to either flourish or wane based on the strength of their follower’s belief.
America, being the great melting pot that it is, has thousands of gods walking among its citizens. Old gods from old countries, eking out an existence on the fringes of society. Alongside these gods are new gods created by the American populace, the gods of Media, Technology, and the invisible Hand of the Market.
The story focuses on a brewing war between the old gods and new, and a man named Shadow who is trapped between the two worlds, trying make sense of himself and his choices in the supernatural world he finds himself in.
The novel is likely Gaiman’s most popular, and the show has been rumored for years. Gaiman’s work tends to be very rich and complex, which presents certain challenges when adapting them to the screen.
Another of Gaiman’s works, the sprawling and dense graphic novels in The Sandman series, have also been rumored for years, but so far has failed to materialize to simply to issues with transference from one medium to another.
But here, American Gods seems to fit perfectly on screen. Appropriate casting has something to do with this, as Ian McShane is flawless as Mr. Wednesday and all of the other gods seen so far are giving exquisite performances in their roles.
But more than that, it seems that the show runners have genuine respect for the source material, listening to the author for notes on character development and giving the series lived-in world that enhances the experience for book readers and opens doors for members of the audience that are experiencing the tale for the first time.
It helps that the series is based on a single novel rather than a multi-book series, a la Game of Thrones. If the series is successful, and there isn’t any indication given what’s been seen so far that it won’t be, multiple seasons will only serve to allow the show to dig deeply into the mythos built by Gaiman in the novel.
Already, the audience has been treated to several exceptional asides, exploring the nature of the gods found in the main story through coming to America tales or their encounters with humans.
Each of these feel authentic to what is found in the book, allowing the show to really develop this world.
At its best, American Gods is likely to be an enormously satisfying show for audiences that find the world as fascinating as I do. It’s certainly worth adding STARZ to your Amazon Prime channels.