American Gods has had a bit of a rough go. Despite Season 1 doing its job to an adequate degree, the series has seen a myriad of new showrunners in its short (going on) three season run. This behind-the-scenes pain became all the more evident in a rocky and disjointed Season 2, turning some fans off from the series all together and making others wonder if a Season 3 was ever really going to happen.
According to the novel's scribe himself - Neil Gaiman - the series will indeed be returning both to your televisions and to form. He wrote a full letter outlining just what that means below.
Season 3 will start in chapter nine of the acclaimed novel, following Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) as he runs from the New Gods to a frigid and dangerous town. Meanwhile, Odin (Ian McShane) prepares the Old Gods for war. The showrunner seat will, this time, be filled by Walking Dead executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee in the upcoming 10-episode season.
Gaiman's full letter:
When we embarked upon making Season Three of American Gods, we had no idea how timely it would turn out to be. We knew we wanted to return to what people loved and responded to in the book: that it was time for Shadow to go to the little town of Lakeside and try to lose himself in normality.
And at the same time, in Season Three, we wanted to focus on the characters and their journeys. To show Shadow forging a path guided by the Gods of his ancestors, becoming more himself while deciding who he is and what side he’s on — humanity’s or that of the Gods.
We knew also that we wanted to continue to root the show in the landscapes of America. To explore what “America” means to its people and to talk about immigrants — about the very different people who came to this remarkable land and brought their gods with them. The new gods of phone and app and glitter demand our attention and our love, and the old gods want to mean something again.
America must be for all of us, and American Gods must reflect that. This season truly feels as if it does. It’s full of drama and emotion, the very real and the utterly strange, and it features some of the finest performances the show has yet seen. It brings back favorite characters, some in remarkable new ways, and we will encounter people and gods we’ve never met before. I’m proud of our brilliant cast — of Ricky and Emily, of Yetide and Ian, Bruce, Demore, Omid and all the rest — and of what the writers have done to bring the story back on track.
The struggles of the gods and the people in Season Three of American Gods are the struggles of America. We didn’t think it would prove as timely when we plotted it, nor did I think the novel would still be relevant when I wrote it over 20 years ago. But I’m glad it’s happening now, in a year when it feels as though diverse stories are being heard, and honored, and allowed to change the future.
Thank you so much,
Neil Gaiman
