American Gods has had a tough time of it over its short lifespan thus far. If you’ll recall, Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller and Michael Green initially headed up the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s best-selling fantasy book, but they departed after just one season due to disagreements with execs at Starz. Jesse Alexander then took over for the next run, with Gaiman himself helping out as well and season 3, meanwhile, was led by former Walking Dead writer Chic Eglee.
Though it’s far from a perfect show, it’s certainly kept us entertained throughout the years and while it’s had its fair share of hurdles to overcome – even beyond what was mentioned above – American Gods has always managed to pull through. But now, it seems that it’s the end of the line for the series, with Deadline reporting tonight that it’s been cancelled at Starz, with season 4 not happening anymore.
Admittedly, it’s a surprise that the show has even hung in there this long given how many setbacks it’s faced, but fans were hopeful that they’d get at least a little bit more. And though a proper fourth season may not be on the cards now, Deadline does note that the story could continue via a TV movie or perhaps an event series. Though that’s far from a sure thing at this stage.
“Everyone at Starz is grateful to the dedicated cast and crew, and our partners at Fremantle who brought author and executive producer Neil Gaiman’s ever-relevant story to life that speaks to the cultural climate of our country,” a network spokesperson told Deadline today.
Sad news, then, and there are sure to be many people left disappointed by it. But at least there’s a silver lining with the mention of some sort of continuation and we’re happy that American Gods lasted as long as it did. It more often than not did justice to the source material – even if it stumbled here and there – and will surely live on as a cult favorite in the years to come.