American Gods (2017–2021) User Reviews (563)

Loved Season 1, by Season 3 ep2 I'm bored.

[rochfordsimon · 5/10 · 22 January 2021]

Thoroughly enjoyed Season 1. So much going on and endless 'What If?" scenarios. So many religious & cultural backgrounds. Some brilliant characters too. They were all rallying together for the coming WAR.

Season 2. Their all rallying for the same upcoming War.

Season 3. The characters are STILL rallying for the SAME upcoming war.

Yawn. Come on, its season 3 and its the same template as season 1!! I might just skip episodes 3 throught to the penultimate episode and I'm sure I won't have missed much. Yawn.

Season 1 was good. Season 2 was a mess.

[PsychoBeard666 · 6/10 · 26 August 2020]

I just binged both seasons and if they don't make another season I'd be absolutely fine with that.

The cinematography is excellent and the performances are consistently brilliant.

The plot is weaker than a dead wife's fragile torso.

It tries to be sociopolitical instead of just telling a story.

It breaks off into so many unnecessary tangents that I found myself not caring what happened to most of the characters.

Just give me a Mad Sweeney and Dead Wife road story and bin everything else unless you plan to use Crispin Glover properly.

A mixed bag

[techfilz · 7/10 · 5 March 2021]

I agree with a number of other reviewers that Season 1 was stellar. It had some jaw dropping moments & made for a very interesting TV experience. Season 2 started losing its way & then Season 3 got lost in space. My recommendation is to watch the first season & then call it a day. Overall, I think that the book deserves a better vehicle & hopefully, in time, someone will reboot the series.

Thumbs Up to S1. S2 is a Downer

[arfdawg-1 · 5/10 · 29 October 2020]

Wow. Season One was so good. I'd give it an 8.

Then something bad happens.

Season Two takes a bad turn to the not so good. Lot's of identity politics. Whole episode about slavery for some reason. It just doesnt fit.

Silly performance episodes that look more like filler than part of the show.

It gets a 2.

I predict that if the keep this crap up for Season Three, there won't be a Four.

A Creative But Ultimately Bad Show

[isantistao · 3/10 · 29 May 2022]

When I saw the first episode of this show I was floored! It was astonishing, almost overwhelming, how much art and creativity went into the making of it. So I kept watching...

And nothing ever really seemed to happen in the show. And every episode got more and more boring, and worse and worse...Until halfway through season 2 I finally gave up.

I'm surprised I made it this far too. Because apart from the serious creativity and art that goes into the show....there's really not much likable about it. The story line is poorly written and dull. There is little to no character development and the characters are written to be narcissistic and unlikable. There is literally not a single likable character. All the dialogue between characters is a pissing contest that grows tiresome very quickly. And there was obviously no editing in this film as it's mostly made up of scenes that are inconsequential and should have been cut.

Each episode is an hour long, and very little happens in that time. The same amount of things happen in an entire season that you would expect to happen in a single episode of a normal show. The pacing issues are so extreme here that it makes it feel as if time is passing excruciatingly slowly.

The reason why this is is because each episode is mostly made up of flashbacks, tangeants and other alternate storylines. And most of these do not really support the primary story line much. You know how usually in a movie when you are taken away from teh main plot bya flashback or something like that, it is crucial and revelatory to the main story line? Thats not the case here. The writers are constantly taking you away from the story just to waste time. And then you come back to the main story line just in time for the episode to end without much ground having been covered at all. They are even often introducing characters that will play a huge role in the episode in which they appear and will seem like they are going to be an important role in the story, and yet who are never seen again, and their part of the story was actually inconsequential.

This show seems to occur in real time, or even slower. Each episode spans the time of just part of a day. Every season spans the time of about a week or so. And the big problem here is that the entire show is about these Gods getting ready for a war, which they cannot seem to make any progress towards. Every episode the main characters will have a certain goal they need to reach that day...and they usually don't. By the end of the episode they won't have, and you'll really want to watch the next one so you can at least see them get done what they were supposed to get done in the last episode. So you will watch another hour. Only to have to wait until the next episode to see them do it. And then the next. And so on.

I've watched almost two seasons and seen little progress be made towards this war. And I have spent around 15 hours watching a show take place with little to nothing actually happening. It's just a never ending buildup. In the end the primary feelings this show gives is boredom and frustration. I dont' recommend even starting it and giving it a chance. It will hook you in only to never actually deliver anything.

No comparison to season 1

[minnickmatt · 20 March 2019]

Season 2 is so horrible and slow. Just seem to drag every episode out.

It takes god-like stamina to keep watching this

[linkedin-12192 · 26 December 2020]

It seems that each episode is trying to out awe the last leaving the viewer just wondering where it is all going at such a pace. No surprise then that it all lost its steam later on. Yes, we get it with the mystery and suspense but that needs kindling and careful character development. Instead it looks like production team were split on how best to achieve this - did they all read the book?

They will not recover after season2

[hammer-20151 · 2/10 · 2 May 2019]

I understand the concepts about setting up a show but this is the biggest waste of a season on such talented actors they might as well cancel the show season three would have to be mind blowing right out of the gate for me to watch it again this is a whole lot about a whole Lotta nothing what a shame the writers are atrocious. Sad actually.

A Uniquely Bad Show (that could have been great)

[kierran89 · 5/10 · 27 March 2021]

Just finished season 3 and...I've come to the end of my tether with this show. I can't recall ever watching a show that willyfully wastes amazing potential season after season.

The premise of the show is amazing and there are some great characters but after 3 seasons we still have zero pay-offs!! I get it, you want to be abstract and mysterious, but for heaven's sake, you need to tie up storylines/events at some point!! At least give us a mini pay-off at the end of each season!! But no, the (much talked about) war still hasn't started yet and we still don't know who or what Shadow really is. But hey, at least we get an entire episode (season 3 episode 8) dedicated entirely to the LGBTQ community. Screw answering any questions about the storyline, we'll give you identity politics instead.

I really really wanted to like this show and there are some great elements (hence the 5 stars instead of 1), but I refuse to spend any more of my time on self-indulgent nonsense. American Gods is Lost version 2, without the good drama between.

Season 1 was 9/10 season 2 is 2/10

[dpugh-73430 · 4/10 · 14 January 2021]

Season 1 was absolutely incredible, it's a solid 9 in my book and could have moved to a 10 with the next season, but unfortunately after firing Bryan Fuller the show pretty much went down the toilet. First they lost 2 of my favorite characters, the great Gillian Anderson as Media, and Kristin Chenoweth as Easter who had a ton of potential! But apparently they left because Fuller was let go, so we didn't get to see either of them again. Plus this season is just super boring....I'm on episode 5 and feel like nothing has happened, like at all, it's been a complete waste thus far. The last episode all of a sudden turned into some weird race war of gods that came out of the blue with zero provocation or context. I don't even understand what they were trying to accomplish with that or how it made any sense. Honestly it's hard to stay awake watching this season, and the 1st literally had me glued to the TV. Major disappointment.

Just really boring

[confidential-67897 · 1/10 · 14 April 2019]

Nothing happened for 99% of each episode; it's extremely boring, how this show hasn't been cancelled is beyond me

What even was the point of season 2??

[misimester-58376 · 2/10 · 30 April 2019]

It never even tried to give an answer to the pre-existent questions and only really seemed to drag out, giving way to more questions that will, at the end of the day, not be answered....

What Happened to American Gods

[randyunseen · 1/10 · 7 May 2019]

I'm still in shock from watching Season 2 of American Gods. What happened. Did anybody at Stars, watch all the episodes before this was released to the waiting fans of Season 1. How can you ruin such a great Series like American Gods. I'm mad at the top echelon at Stars for letting this happen. Shame on you! You have a lot of competition out there. I hope you wake up and start putting out more entertaining media. I think I'm gonna cancel my Stars subscription....

Not enough for a series

[Kevin_Maness · 5/10 · 8 February 2021]

I love Neil Gaiman, but there are books and groups of books that need to be made into multiple seasons of TV episodes, and then there are books that might make a fine movie if handled very skillfully, and American Gods is definitely NOT the former. Consequently, the show's creators have produced a rambling, meandering mess that uses boobs, buckets of blood, and vintage pop songs to distract viewers from the fact that the entire show run is a single idea (old gods vs new gods) spread way too thin.

I finished season one, forced myself to watch half of season two, then practiced self-compassion by letting myself stop.

A weird concoction

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 10 August 2017]

Review of Season One:

American Gods is a brand spanking new fantasy TV show based on a novel by British author Neil Gaiman. It's an eight-part series which depicts a running battle between the old gods and new in modern-day America; former HOLLYOAKS actor Ricky Whittle headlines alongside Ian McShane. Truth be told, it's a difficult show to love; more interesting than entertaining, and very slow in parts. The film has way too many scenes dominated by CGI used to depict otherworldly beings, but which add to the story in no particular way; they're just there as general backdrop. It also tries a bit too hard to shock with explicit sex and violence unrelated to the story. It's a pity, as there are hints of greatness here, and some moments are a lot of fun. Surprisingly, it's the episodes centred around Emily Browning's character that turn out to be the best, because they're story-centred rather than just aimless.

Review of Seasons Two and Three

And so the premise is squandered as the whole thing goes to pot in the first episode of season two. It's just become a jumble of repetitive scenes, heavy CGI, and senseless plotting with annoying characters not doing very much at all. Even right to the end of season three, it never picks up the pace or mildly entertains as it once did. Awful!

Looks like its gonna be cancelled after season 3.

[rochfordsimon · 5/10 · 18 February 2021]

Season 1 = 0.28 rating in 18-49 yr olds & 714,000 viewers an episode. Season 3 (5 episodes in) = 0.04 rating in 18-49 yr olds & 176,000 viewers an episode.

Very sad news.

Season 1 Great... Season 2 Garbage...

[AbsentMinded256 · 1/10 · 22 April 2019]

Season 1 built up some great potential. I was really looking forward to season 2 and all the new gods that might be recruited and the ensuing battle(s) that might take place. But season 2 is just a bunch of boring babble that means nothing and takes the story nowhere. It's incredibly slow and unrelated to the first season's build up. Starz...You're nothing without good writers. Get a clue.

Shame

[DanyDanyShopper · 1/10 · 26 November 2020]

You lose your creator and biggest stars and replace them with woke bull crap.

Season 1 is epic. Recommended. Then go read the book, because the rest is junk

[flowirin · 3/10 · 28 January 2021]

This series is the prefect example of the 'woke' disease that is destroying entertainment media.

How many people have turned off? dropped subs, stopped paying to see movies?

I really don't need tedious whiteboy takes on past injustices, twisting everything to support a woke and destructive narrative that does nothing to promote harmonious, loving and progressive culture.

I need even less the myopic and marxist intersectionalism and oppression olympics being inserted into what was a cracking show about the nature of gods and worship.

Season 2 killed the show, now there is season 3, to dance on the grave.

Season 2 is just awful. If you are curious what happens just don't.

[mrbwiz422 · 4/10 · 17 June 2019]

If you are curious on what happens just don't.... It is not worth spending time on.

Husband and dead wife spend the season separated. Nothing really happens, everyone goes in circles and hangs out at the funeral home. A bit of backstory about the leprechaun. They repair a spear. Leprechaun dies.

Main character Shadowmoon gets even more questions and less answers. Main lines include "I want a straight answer" "Just tell me" "What's going on".

First season wasn't fantastic, but at least interesting. Season 2 belongs in the trash.

Slow as a snail

[juanquaglia · 2/10 · 18 March 2022]

One of the slowest TV shows I've forced myself to watch. For a bunch of gods, they don't do much beyond talking. Simple actions and dialogiues get extended inexplicably for minutes.

It wouldn't be so bad if at least the series were coherent and had a proper plot. But it's impossible to follow. According to comments and reviews I've seen online, most people who claim to understand American Gods are people who have read the book on which it is based, or have been searching for explanations on Google. The series, as it is, is incomprehensible.

It was funny that in an interview I watched Ricky Whittle -who plays Shadow Moon- admitted he couldn't understand what is going on in the series and that he had to read his lines many times to understand what his character is doing or what his motivation is. If the cast doesn't get it, imagine what's left to us.

Season 2

[purnendutudu · 1/10 · 15 April 2019]

Season 2 is a snoozefest. Nothing happens ever. Though season 1 was compelling, season 2 doesn't even further the storytelling. Season 2 might be the last straw that breaks the camels back. It's very much "meh".

Liked season 1, gave up in season 2

[cherold · 7/10 · 7 May 2019]

A lot of people raved about the first season of American Gods, but my response was more measured. I watched at first just because it's ponderous, mysterious style was unusual for TV. But I wasn't really engaged until a few episodes in when Emily Browning's Laura Moon burst in like a storm. She kept me going through the less entrancing parts of the show, which could be unpleasant and some tedious, *endless* sex scenes.

Since I wasn't a huge fan of season 1, it took me a while to realize I wasn't enjoying season 2. It seemed like pretty much the same thing, only I found myself less interested and more restless. Even Laura Moon seemed less fun. I found it harder to follow the story, and there were none of those really striking moments that peppered season 1.

I gave up at episode 4, which is basically groups of people having long, philosophical conversations interspersed with short scenes that carried the plot and that I couldn't make head or tail out of.

When I came here to write a review, I discovered my disenchantment with season 2 was not an isolated reaction. In fact, a lot of the people who adored season 1 hated season 2. My reaction to both seasons is more muted, but generally 1 is interesting and 2 isn't.

This is almost certainly because for some reason Bryan Fuller was replaced as showrunner. I like some Fuller shows better than others (my favorite is Pushing Daisies), but he is someone with a distinct vision, and I'm not convinced his replacement has one of those.

Check out season 1. Just be prepared to not have a worthwhile season 2 you can progress to.

Wonderful in its own way

[MissCzarChasm · 9/10 · 18 June 2017]

All I can say is that if you don't like it, find something you like instead.

I for one looooovvve it except for the episode about the god who kills the cows. That one was kind of dumb even though I like the actors.

The actors they have on here are all fantastic too but in my opinion they casted Emily Browning wrong. I like her size. She is petite, like me, but I don't find her attractive at all. In fact, nothing against the actress but it looks as if they aren't even trying to doll her up as they have the fantabulous Gillian Anderson. Miss Browning looks awful. Even though she is supposed to be you know - dead, you can still make her look better and more appealing to the audience.

I also love the cameos and seeing actors and actresses I haven't seen in a while in minor roles. Please keep doing that.

Canceled Starz

[gijack25 · 1/10 · 21 January 2021]

Loved season 1 and season 2 was good. The great characters and actors that made the show great changed. Watched two episodes and canceled my stars subscription. Thats how bad it was.