'American Gods' | TV Show Review

Most TV shows I watch they are normally adaptations of books that I've read and enjoyed. 100 percent of the time, this is what inspires me to watch the countless TV shows and movie adaptations of Neil Gaiman's books. As an avid reader and lover of Gaiman's books, I'll always get very excited when it is announced another of his books is being adapted—which is what just happened, when American Gods was announced for Amazon Prime subscribers.

Season 1

It was during the marketing run for this series that I actually gained interest in eventually reading the book. After reading and really enjoying the book, I really needed to watch the show as well; thankfully, we got Amazon Prime just in time.

Just like the book, I really enjoyed this series—It showcased the intricate details of the various Old Gods, which made for a really interesting look into how they would look or be worshipped in present day. A particular favourite of mine was Easter (played by the amazing Kristin Chenoweth); she dominated the final episode with the sheer hilarity of how her holiday has been changed, while also showing the reality of how religion has changed with the modern world.

When it came to the new Gods, it was really interesting to see how the modern world would've spawned a whole new God to worship. Herein lies the brilliance of Gillian Anderson as Media: a star-spangled God of the modern televised era. She appears in the form of famous stars like David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe, and that just makes her all the more entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, both Anderson and Media are absent from the second season.

Overall, it gave me the same sense of intrigue and entertainment as with the original book. With spectacular visuals and interesting mythology, I was ready for more.

Season 2

Now, this is where it fell apart for me. After the success of the first season I really wanted to see what else they had in store. I couldn't even make it past the first episode—I couldn't even tell what it was; the characters just didn't seem to pop anymore.

I think where it fell flat was that the first season worked by building up the mythology of the Gods (both old and new) to help move the story forward. As the Gods had all been introduced, the second season had to rely on continuing the story from the first season—which, as it turns out, wasn't that interesting to begin with.

What does continue from the first season is the absolutely superb camera work used to shoot such beautiful scenes. The Gods are always lit with a brilliantly golden light that just makes them seem so ethereal. Annoyingly, there was so much walking around and waiting for something to happen that eventually it just felt like nothing was happening.

By the end of the first episode, I just entirely clocked out and didn't want to continue. One day, I may get around to finishing this season—but for now, I don't see that happening.

In the end...

I loved the first season; it showcased a brilliant cast of interesting characters that I couldn't wait to see the show explores, as well as beautifully shot scenes. However, the second season soon become an absolute let down, suddenly making such an interesting plot seem slow and unfulfilling compared to the first.

Unfortunately, because of this, it doesn't look like this is one of those shows that I'll continue to watch. It is a shame, because I have really enjoyed past adaptions of Neil Gaiman's work. I'll always have the enjoyment of the first season, but the second season just ruined it for me.