The end of the world: all the updates for Amazon’s Good Omens

An extended pre-credits sequence in one episode of Amazon’s Good Omens displays the best part of the six-episode miniseries based on the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The segment traces the 6,000-year relationship between prissy angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen of The Queen and Frost/Nixon) and swaggering demon Crowley (Doctor Who star David Tennant), who have known each other since the Garden of Eden was a going concern. The sequence is an entertaining romp through myth and history, with the two popping up as knights in Arthurian England, as part of a goofy spy drama during the Blitz, and going out for crepes during the Reign of Terror. Even though they technically stand on opposing sides of a cosmic conflict for the souls of mankind, they form a deep mutual respect driven by witty banter, and their odd-couple chemistry forms the heart and soul of the series.

That sequence also exposes Good Omens’ greatest weakness. The scenes are joyous when Crowley and Aziraphale are sparring, commiserating, or teaming up to stop the apocalypse their bosses have been waiting for since the dawn of humanity. Scenes with just one of them still tend to be strong, particularly as Crowley gleefully outsmarts everyone around him. But when neither of them are on-screen, Good Omens grinds to a halt. The supporting cast members are necessary to move the plot forward or provide needed exposition about the series’ complicated mythology. But no one else has enough development or agency to make their scenes feel worthwhile unless they’re playing off one of the protagonists.

Fantasy author Neil Gaiman has been talking about managing the Amazon / BBC production of Good Omens for months now. Even so, he still gets emotional about Terry Pratchett, his co-author on the 1990 novel that the series adapts. “All I wanted to do was to make something Terry would have liked,” Gaiman says. “That was the only rule.”

Gaiman is no stranger to working in television. Many of his comics and novels have been adapted for the screen, from the 1996 BBC miniseries Neverwhere to the Starz adaptation of his novel American Gods, which he produced. But Good Omens, which he scripted and produced, represented a new level of commitment for him. As the showrunner, he personally oversaw every step of production, per Pratchett’s dying wish that he make sure an adaptation was done right. Good Omens is Gaiman’s extremely faithful adaptation of the apocalyptic tale he and Pratchett wrote together. It follows the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant) as they attempt to prevent the end times.

At its press brief before the Television Critics Association today, Amazon announced that its adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s classic fantasy novel Good Omens will begin streaming on May 31st, 2019.

The limited six-episode series follows Aziraphale, an angel (Michael Sheen), and Crowley, a demon (David Tennant). They struck up an unlikely friendship over the millennia and must work together to stave off the upcoming apocalypse because they’ve grown fond of Earth.

Amazon and BBC Studios’ upcoming adaptation of the Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman novel Good Omens has cast its lead roles of Aziraphale and Crowley with actors Michael Sheen and David Tennant, respectively.

Sheen, recently seen in Masters of Sex, seems like a fine choice for the angel Aziraphale, who often serves as the straight man to Crowley’s more sly and conniving character. (Prachett and Gaiman delightfully describe Crowley as “An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards.”) And as someone who is a particular fan of Tennant’s work in shows like Doctor Who and Netflix’s Jessica Jones, I can’t help but think that the morally grey elements of the smug and sardonic fallen angel will play to the actor’s strengths perfectly. In particular, if you’ve seen any of Tennant’s work as the Tenth Doctor, you’ll already know how he’s perfected the casual “clever than everyone else in the room” attitude that’s such an integral part of Crowley’s character, while also displaying both the comedic and dramatic chops that Good Omens would require.

Starz will be releasing its long-awaited adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods in April, but it might soon have some competition. Amazon Studios announced this morning that it has greenlit a limited series based on Gaiman’s novel Good Omens.

The novel was originally published in 1990, and was written by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, also known for the Discworld series. According to Variety, Gaiman wrote all six episodes for the show, and will serve as showrunner. The show is expected to stream in 2018. The comedic fantasy novel takes place in 2018 with the coming of the End Times, and follows an Angel, Aziraphale, and a demon, Crowley, who are trying to track down the Antichrist.

Neil Gaiman has announced that he is adapting Good Omens — the novel he wrote with Terry Pratchett — into a six-part TV series. The author revealed the news during a memorial event for Pratchett in London last night, reports The Guardian, explaining that he had previously been against adapting the 1990 work by himself as the whole novel had been a collaboration between the two writers.

“Terry and I had a deal that we would only work on Good Omens things together,” said Gaiman of an initial proposal to adapt the work. “Everything that was ever written — bookmarks and tiny little things — we would always collaborate, everything was a collaboration. So, obviously, no.”

Beloved fantasy author Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66, according to a message from his publishers. Best known for the Discworld novels, Pratchett wrote more than 70 books, blending fantasy elements with cutting and humane satire. “The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds,” said Larry Finlay, who worked with Pratchett at Finlay Publishers. “My sympathies go out to Terry’s wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him.”

Pratchett’s family made the announcement through a series of tweets on the author’s official Twitter account. The tweets describe an encounter between Pratchett and the personification of Death, who was a frequent and beloved character in the Discworld novels.

The book that’s now being serialized by BBC Radio 4 could have had an all-star cast if its planned film adaptation had been realized. Director Terry Gilliam was all set to helm the project nearly a decade ago, but funding woes prevented us from seeing Robin Williams and Johnny Depp bringing Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s mythical characters to life. For shame.

The end of the world is coming soon...to radio. The BBC announced today that it has begun production on an audio drama adaptation of Good Omens, the hit 1990 comedic fantasy novel about the apocalypse from celebrated authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Both authors are onboard to help develop the miniseries, which has already begun recording in a secret location in London, for a scheduled airing on BBC Radio 4 sometime in December. It will span five half-hour-long episodes and one hour-long finale.

Dirk Maggs is directing, a natural choice given he was also the director of the BBC’s well-received radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere last year. The BBC also released a full voice cast list for Good Omens today, noting that Gaiman and Pratchett will appear in cameo roles, along with surprise guests. If this is indeed how the world ends, it’s not a bad way to go.