With ‘American Gods’ Season 2’s premiere just around the corner in March, the marketing continues for the embattled series, which has the tough job of convincing audiences to stick with them despite all the changes behind the scenes after Season 1. Losing the original show-runners and creatives is a very tough loss for any series, and when that loss also includes losing a major actor from the series, they have an uphill battle of not only maintaining the quality of the show, but also convincing fans to come back. Hence teaser trailers like the one below, asking audiences to ‘believe’ in the various gods of the series, which has the double effect of both re-introducing returning viewers and newcomers to major and minor characters like Mr. Wednesday and Laura Moon, and also literally asking all viewers to “believe” that the show still can be good, and come back and give it a chance.
The teaser itself shows off almost all of the major characters in the series (minus Media, who was recast when Gillian Anderson left after Season 1), showing them in their current forms and also in their more powerful forms, hinting at the kinds of abilities and strength they still have, and what kind of battles we may see in the coming war between the new and old gods. It is the potential to see those kinds of battles, and have the gods really show off their abilities, that I find the most exciting for Season 2. Season 1 was really more about the build-up and did not have the gods use their powers all that much, which was acceptable only because I believe they would do a lot more with them in Season 2. And while a lot of the footage from the teaser is from Season 1, there are some intriguing new shots from Season 2, including Mad Sweeney with a spear fighting what appears to be a giant at some point in the past, that warrant a second viewing of the trailer in case you missed some of those moments and want to theorize about what they could mean for those characters.
Are you going to tune in when ‘American Gods’ Season 2 premieres? Or have you given up on the show, and lack any faith that the quality will be the same when they return? Could it still be worth it knowing what is in Neil Gaiman’s source book and wanting to see some of those scenes come to life? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
