Starz's most anticipated series in recent memory — a kaleidoscopic adaptation of Neil Gaiman's epic novel American Gods — is also among the rockiest productions on TV right now. Plagued by constant delays, shifting leadership, and budget issues, fans are rightly wondering when American Gods Season 2 will premiere, if ever. The good news is, their long wait is over. Starz finally announced, with the release of its Season 2 poster, that the series returns on Mar. 10, 2019. Teasing the tagline "We all need a savior," the Season 2 poster features Shadow Moon posing as if on a crucifix with vultures circling overhead, suggesting that this season focuses on his death, trip to the land of the dead, and resurrection.
The sweeping series features stunning visuals and an all-star cast, but all that TV magic has left production running behind schedule time and again. Written and produced by Pushing Daisies alum Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, American Gods was initially slated to debut in late 2016, according to Entertainment Weekly. Unfortunately, delays in production pushed the over-budget Season 1 premiere to April of 2017. The series was renewed for Season 2 a month later, thanks largely to its critical acclaim. But by November, production got gummed up yet again.
That month, Starz confirmed that Fuller and Green were both exiting the show, leaving the series showrunner-less. "We're having some trouble getting the second season underway," Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said in a TCA press tour last year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "It has faced many of the challenges that terrific, complex, premium shows face when trying to get successive seasons, especially when art comes before commerce."
Albrecht clarified that Fuller and Green weren't fired, per se, but also didn't exactly quit. He promised they would continue to be involved "as much as they can be" while Gaiman himself took over showrunning duties. (The author has plenty of TV writing and producing credits to his name outside of American Gods, so it wouldn't be completely new territory for him.) Following news of Fuller and Green's departure, it was announced that two of the series' biggest stars, Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth, would also be leaving the show. In Chenoweth's case, it was reported that she left specifically in solidarity with Fuller. "I couldn’t come back without him," the singer-actress told TVLine last October. "It wouldn’t be right."
A new showrunner who also worked on Hannibal alongside Fuller was appointed in February of 2018: Jesse Alexander. You'll never guess what happened next. (If you guessed that he got downgraded from the job seven months later, then congrats! You win a prize, and that prize is an interminable length of time lapsed between Seasons 1 and 2 of this cursed show.) At the same time Alexander's shift in responsibilities was announced, Starz revealed that they'd be cutting the planned 10-episode Season 2 down to eight episodes to get a better handle on the budget. At this point, I'm not sure how the on-screen drama and intrigue could possibly beat what's going on behind the scenes, but at least fans don't have much longer to wait for it to find out.
