The latest Amazon Prime original series that is catching everyone’s attention
I’ve been a casual fan of the collaborative works of Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman ever since I stumbled upon a reading of the first few pages of American Gods. I read that book for myself, and enjoyed it quite a bit, and enjoyed their other team-up effort, Good Omens, even more. It seems that, in the translation to the visual medium, that dynamic has remained the same, albeit to a more extreme degree; American Gods was a pretty lousy show, while Good Omens is an absolute delight.
I enjoy the precepts of contemporary fantasy; angels and demons living among us, putting up with the same annoying little hardships of life. I empathize a lot with the characters of Crowley and Aziraphale; they both have some grand role to play in a big game they’re not permitted to know the rules of, so instead of going along with that frankly unreasonable line of thinking, they just do what they want. They understand what makes humanity fun, that we’re just kind of weird and lazy, and we make good food and music. They don’t want to lose that stuff, because it’s sure as heck more interesting than anything going on in their respective departments.
David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and the rest of cast turned in fantastic performances that really brought these characters to life. Crowley can switch on a dime between bored disinterest and being utterly terrifying while still being funny and clever in either scenario, and Aziraphale is generally good, but with a streak of mischievousness that makes him more fun and relatable than his angelic kin.
The mini-series is only six episodes long, but it goes on exactly as long as it needs to, and pretty effectively wraps up its loose ends. It’d be nice if it was longer, but doesn’t really need to be. If you’re looking for a fun time, watch Good Omens. And read the book while you’re at it; it gives an explanation for why Crowley’s car stereo is always playing Queen songs.