I like Bryan Fuller’s take on things, and I have approached “American Gods” with the best intentions. The show's premise intrigued me with its fresh take on fantasy and mythology infused with a bit of country flair. While the special effects weren't always top-notch, they somehow contributed to the show's charismatic and distinctive aesthetic.
Regrettably, the distinctive visual style was rarely complemented by a cohesive storyline. The episodes were filled with over-stylized vignettes and set pieces that introduced gods and characters who hardly directly impacted the main plot. As someone who hadn't read the novel, it took most of the first season to get a sense of where the characters were heading (and by the end of the third season, I'm still wondering). At times, it felt like an anthology series, while other times, it was just a slow-moving show that wasn't going anywhere.
Production troubles led to changes in showrunners for both the second and third seasons. Although the show maintained its consistent visual style (including the poor special effects), the writing issues worsened with each episode. Both seasons felt like fillers that added and removed characters without any real purpose, maintaining the status quo and stretching the source material to its limits. You could easily skip to the last episode of each season without missing much.
Review by manicureVIP 4BlockedParent2023-03-26T10:19:16Z
I like Bryan Fuller’s take on things, and I have approached “American Gods” with the best intentions.
The show's premise intrigued me with its fresh take on fantasy and mythology infused with a bit of country flair. While the special effects weren't always top-notch, they somehow contributed to the show's charismatic and distinctive aesthetic.
Regrettably, the distinctive visual style was rarely complemented by a cohesive storyline. The episodes were filled with over-stylized vignettes and set pieces that introduced gods and characters who hardly directly impacted the main plot. As someone who hadn't read the novel, it took most of the first season to get a sense of where the characters were heading (and by the end of the third season, I'm still wondering). At times, it felt like an anthology series, while other times, it was just a slow-moving show that wasn't going anywhere.
Production troubles led to changes in showrunners for both the second and third seasons. Although the show maintained its consistent visual style (including the poor special effects), the writing issues worsened with each episode. Both seasons felt like fillers that added and removed characters without any real purpose, maintaining the status quo and stretching the source material to its limits. You could easily skip to the last episode of each season without missing much.