Produced by Fremantle North America and distributed by Lionsgate Television, the first season premiered on April 30, 2017.
In a grand plan to combat this deadly threat, Mr. Wednesday attempts to unite the Old Gods to defend their existence and rebuild the influence they have lost, leaving Shadow struggling to accept this new world and his place in it.
In 2011, American Gods author Neil Gaiman stated at the Edinburgh International Book Festival that HBO had expressed an interest in adapting the novel into a television series.
[59] In 2014, HBO's president of programming Michael Lombardo revealed that the project had been abandoned because they could not get the script right: "We tried three different writers, we put a lot of effort into it.
[3] On March 23, 2016, it was announced that Sean Harris, Yetide Badaki and Bruce Langley would play the respective roles of Mad Sweeney, Bilquis and Technical Boy.
[5] On May 6, 2016, it was announced that Sean Harris had departed the series after a week of filming for personal reasons and the role of Mad Sweeney was being recast.
He alleged that the new showrunner, Charles Eglee, decided that his character, Mr. Nancy, sends "the wrong message for black America".
[81] In response, a spokesperson for the series stated that Jones' contract was not renewed because Mr. Nancy does not appear in the part of the book on which the season 3 episodes are based.
[82] The opening sequence was created by production studio Elastic and depicts a totem pole covered with the juxtaposition of symbols, icons, and forms from religions, modern life, and pop culture.
The overall aesthetic aimed for the "really modern, occasionally very tacky, vision of the underbelly of America", with the designers taking reference from strip club decoration and making the backgrounds using textures of vinyl, fake leather, and concrete surfaces.
Brian Reitzell composed the theme music, which according to Fuller, represented "male and female energy coming in at different places as part of representations of divinity".
On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 92% rating with an average score of 8.15 out of 10 based on 272 reviews with the consensus stating: "American Gods opens with a series of wildly ambitious gambits – and rewards viewers' faith with a promising first season whose visual riches are matched by its narrative impact.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 61% rating with an average score of 6.05 of 10 based on 106 reviews, with the consensus stating: "American Gods retains its bombastic style but loses its divine inspiration in a derivative second season that, after a change in show-runners and even some crucial cast members, feels like a false idol.
[90] On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a 79% rating with an average score of 6.9 out of 10 based on 19 reviews, with the critical consensus stating, "Though it's unlikely to bring anyone back into the fold, American Gods' tighter focus and strong performances may be enough for fans still holding out hope for a solid finish.