Hey! Hallie here!
Well, this was the last news I was expecting when I woke up this morning. Neil Gaiman has said plenty of times that a season two wasn’t his priority for ‘Good Omens’. After the release of the first season, he was clear that he missed writing books and he wanted to go back to that. And while he had thrown a few ideas around with Terry Pratchett when they discussed creating a sequel to the original book, a sequel was never made. Because of this, Gaiman was understandably hesitant to move forward with the story of Aziraphale and Crowley without his close friend and collaborator. But it seems that Gaiman has decided on a new story for the angel and demon based on his discussions with Pratchett. He’s officially working on season two of the series! We don’t know much about it so far, but let’s go through what we do know.
Terry Pratchett:
The first thing we should talk about is the full letter Neil Gaiman released along with the announcement that season two is on the way. This letter talks a lot about Terry Pratchett, which is good because there are many ‘Good Omens’ fans who are wary of a potential story without his influence. After all, Terry Pratchett was co-writer of the original book and his passing largely affected many. But for those who are worried about a lack of Pratchett’s influence in season two, know that that very much won’t be the case. Neil Gaiman starts out his letter by talking about a convention he and Pratchett attended right after selling ‘Good Omens’ to publishers and before the book was actually published. They both had to share a hotel room because neither had a lot of money at the time, and jet lag caused the both of them to lay awake in their beds for the entirety of their first night. While they lay awake, they planned a potential sequel to ‘Good Omens’. Neil Gaiman noted that the both of them were very satisfied with what they planned that night and had every intention to write it. But their major successes that came right after ‘Good Omens’ gave them both incredibly busy schedules. So busy that they never ended up putting the sequel on paper. However, Neil Gaiman admits in the letter that he’s using those plans now for season two. Some of the plans were already used for season one, such as the appearance of angels like Gabriel. But a lot has remained unused. Meaning there’s plenty to pull from for this upcoming season. On top of all of this, Neil also put in his letter that, when he and Pratchett had discussed making the book a television series, Pratchett had said he wanted the story to continue if the initial story went over well. Not only is Terry Pratchett’s hand in this upcoming season, but his wishes are being honored.
Who’s Involved and What We’ll See:
From what Neil Gaiman has said we know a few things. We know Neil Gaiman is working with John Finnemore, a good friend of his and a comedic writer, to write season two. We know that he will be heading the project with Douglas Mackinnon, who is returning to direct this season. We also know that everyone is incredibly enthusiastic about it. This includes Michael Sheen and David Tennant, who are obviously returning to the series as well. We’re sure to see some new faces and surprises along the way. Possibly sooner rather than later considering the fact that sets are already going up and filming is just around the corner. Neil Gaiman was nice enough to give us a little bit of a synopsis for season two to end off all of this information. According to him we’ll be back in Soho, though time and space will also be explored in the new season. There, a mystery will begin with an angel walking through a Soho street market without any memory of who they are. This angel winds up in Aziraphale’s bookshop. As for the very beginning of this story, we’ll be going back to the very beginning of the universe. And there’s a cardboard box involved. What is there not to be excited about?
What I Hope For:
‘Good Omens’ is a major love of mine. There isn’t much I don’t love about the first season of this show. But there are a few things I’m hoping for. For one, I want to see Aziraphale and Crowley’s relationship further explored. With the amount of times those who have worked on the show have admitted that Aziraphale and Crowley do love each other in a romantic way, I want to see that. I’m not saying it isn’t present in season one. It is. But I want it to be more blatant. In other words, I don’t want them to leave season two without fully admitting that Aziraphale and Crowley are part of the LGBTQ+ community. There isn’t any reason for them to be vague about Aziraphale and Crowley’s identities. Representation is important and ‘Good Omens’ has done all but make it official. I’m not asking for anything big. But I don’t want to see queer baiting here. And yes, maybe their genders aren’t exact considering they’re both spiritual beings. But isn’t that even more of a reason to explore LGBTQ+ themes? Along with this, I want to see more female representation. Season one had strong characters like Anathema, Pepper, and even God. But they were still outnumbered amongst the main characters. Just as important is a more diverse cast. There was some diversity in season one, but not nearly enough. There’s so much potential for better representation here.
I’m so excited for the next season of this show! The first season was so incredibly good that I watched it about three times in a row when it was first released. And though I know that the content from the first book was used up in season one, I trust Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s ideas for the continuation of the story. And Michael Sheen and David Tennant are some of my favorite actors of all time. It’s a joy to see them come together for this project once again. I hope the new season addresses the representation it should address and gives us something just as hilariously thoughtful as we’ve come to expect from ‘Good Omens’!
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 