Summary
- Good Omens Season 2 took a long time to be renewed, possibly due to backlash from religious groups objecting to its content.
- Season 2 needed an entirely new story because the original novel only covered the events of Season 1.
- Talks about a potential Season 3 have already begun, with plans to focus on the friendship between Aziraphale and Crowley. The future of the series will depend on the reception of Season 2.
Good Omens is finally returning with its second season, but why did it take Amazon four years to bring Aziraphale and Crowley back? Back in 2019, Amazon Prime brought Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's novel Good Omens to life, with Michael Sheen as angel Aziraphale and David Tennant as the demon Crowley. Good Omens follows Aziraphale and Crowley on Earth, where they have been working separately and together for centuries, and season 1 was all about their efforts to stop the apocalypse triggered by the Antichrist.
With the help of old prophecies by a witch, a descendant of said witch, and the Antichrist himself, the apocalypse was stopped, and after surviving their deaths by switching places, Heaven and Hell decided to leave Aziraphale and Crowley alone on Earth. Now, four years after saving the world, Aziraphale and Crowley are back in Good Omens season 2, where they will have to solve a major mystery involving Heaven and the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm), but a big question remains: why did it take Amazon so long to bring Good Omens back?
Good Omens Season 2 Wasn't Renewed Until 2021 (& Needed An Entirely New Story)
Although Good Omens was well-received by critics and viewers, it took it a long time to be renewed. As mentioned above, Good Omens was released in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2021 that Amazon finally greenlit season 2. Of course, given its religious themes and portrayal of Heaven and Hell, Good Omens wasn’t safe from backlash from religious groups, which tried to get the series canceled. A petition by the US religious organization Return to Order was launched online but erroneously addressed to Netflix (via Variety), and the people behind the petition objected to the series’ content, criticizing its irreverent treatment of topics like Satanism and the use of a female voice for God (that of s McDormand).
Luckily (but unfortunately for those protesting against it), Good Omens is now returning with its second season, and the reason why it took it two years to return after its renewal was announced is that season 2 is going beyond the source material. The novel only covers the events shown in Good Omens season 1, so the crew behind the TV series needed more time to get together an original story with Aziraphale and Crowley that can also separate itself from the events of the first season.
Will Good Omens Season 3 Happen? What The Cast & Crew Have Said
Although Good Omens is preparing for the release of its second season on July 28, 2023, talks about a third season have already begun. Speaking with Gaiman explained that he and co-writer Terry Pratchett had made notes on what a sequel to Good Omens could be about, but these are not the ones seen in season 2. Instead, Good Omens season 2 is the link between season 1 and the theoretical season 3 that Gaiman and Pratchett planned.
Even though Gaiman already has a good idea of what Good Omens season 3 could be about, the future of the series will most likely depend on how well-received season 2 is, as is the case with pretty much any TV series. Good Omens surely has more to tell about Aziraphale and Crowley, and if a third season happens, hopefully it won’t take another four years for it to be released.
