Amazon's Good Omens series includes one of the show's most important characters as its narrator, but who is it? While David Tennant and Michael Sheen take on the show's lead roles as the demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale, respectively, the narrator detailing the events of the series isn't just recognizable, but crucial to the plot.
Based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's novel of the same name, Good Omens follows the existential journey of a demon and angel whose sole responsibility is biding their time until duty calls to bring about the apocalypse. Only, due to one simple mistake, the demon Crowley misplaces the Antichrist, thus putting a snag in the war between Heaven and Hell. Along with Tennant and Sheen, the series also stars Jack Whitehall, Adria Arjona, Jon Hamm, Michael McKeen, Miranda Richardson, and Benedict Cumberbatch as the Devil, but there's one role that begins the series solely as a voice; or, more significantly, the Voice of God.
When the new Good Omens series begins, it starts with a narration - which is appropriate, considering how much the source material has to say. And, though there are plenty key, celestial characters capable of taking on the task, Good Omens hands that duty of narrator to none other than God herself, who, in the show, is voiced by two-time Academy Award winner Frances McDormand. Though she doesn't make a physical appearance, she alone introduces Gaiman and Pratchett's series into the visual medium.
Though McDormand's casting was no secret, with her role having been revealed back in July 2018, her vocal identity might not be especially obvious to some. When the first episode of Good Omens begins, it kicks off like a bat out of hell, discussing "current theories on the creation of the universe," which are as dense and complicated as they are unlikely or unexpected. So, as well spoken and recognizable as McDormand may be, it's too easy to get lost in the illogical minutiae to even bother comprehending who's talking.
While it shouldn't come as any surprise, God's role in Good Omens is vital. Not only is she the creator of the universe, but she also puts all the chaos of the story into perspective, even though she never physically shows up on-screen. Over the years, plenty of actors have graced the screen with their own interpretations of God, like Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty and Alanis Morissette in Dogma, but Frances McDormand brings her own grace and clout to Good Omens that allows her to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best.
Good Omens is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.