Starz announced American Gods season 3 will debut on January 10, and teases a key plot point from the book. The show was adapted from Neil Gaiman's cult classic book of the same name, released two decades ago. Blending elements of myth into modern-day America, the book was hailed for the way it dealt with America's history from an outsider perspective, as well as for the inventive way Gaiman dealt with the more fantastic elements of the plot.
The show, with Gaiman on board as a writer and advisor, debuted in 2017. Hannibal and Pushing Daisies showrunner Bryan Fuller created the show with Michael Green and the pair were showrunners for season 1. However, despite American Gods season 1 earning plaudits for its visual tone and production values, Starz fired Fuller and Green, replacing them with Jesse Alexander. However, Alexander was fired just a few months later, and season 2 continued without an official showrunner. Charles Eglee has been hired as showrunner for season 3, though there was further controversy when star Orlando Jones revealed he'd been fired, after playing Mr. Nancy in seasons 1 and 2, and made it clear he believed it was because of Eglee wanting to portray only one kind of black character on the show.
Now, Starz is hoping to put the controversy aside after revealing that American Gods season 3 will premiere on Sunday, January 10. The announcement was made using a prop from season 3 of the show, which fans of the book will recognize as Hinzelmann's clunker board, which the residents of the town of Lakeside use in a yearly raffle. In addition, Gaiman has released his own update on the show, promising that season 3 will get the story "back on track" following season 2's divergent plot. You can see both tweets below:
The most intriguing part of the announcement isn't actually the date, it's Gaiman's tacit acknowledgement that American Gods season 2 fell well short of audience expectations. Clearly, the author feels that without a proper showrunner, season 2 went off the rails a bit, something that was felt by audiences and critics alike. Gaiman's letter should also be a sign to fans that by finally ending up at Lakeside, which Shadow does halfway through the book, the show is finally going to dovetail with the original plot again.
Many of season 2's plot additions didn't work, and hopefully by focusing on Shadow's story in Lakeside, Gaiman and Eglee are able to make the story a little easier to follow this time around. Fans of the book will know that Lakeside becomes a central location for some of the most shocking revelations in Gaiman's book, and hopefully season 3 is able to build some momentum around the new characters from the town and produce better episodes than season 2 did. If not, American Gods season 3 is likely to drop in ratings even more and may not last until season 4.
American Gods season 3 premieres Sunday, January 10 on Starz.
Source: American Gods, Neil Gaiman/Twitter