American Gods: Starz jumps ship and cancels the controversial series

American Gods canceled, Starz has opted not to move forward with another season of the controversial series plagued by behind-the-scenes drama.

Deadline reports that Starz is done with American Gods, the series adapted from Neil Gaiman’s novel. It’s not all that surprising, given the show was consistently battling bad press and troublesome reports from production throughout its run.

The Ricky Whittle and Ian McShane-led series started as a Bryan Fuller project with tons of promise in its first season and soon grew into a show better known for its difficulties than its content.

American Gods canceled: Season 3 was the last

Fans of the show have seen the last episode of the show, at least for now. American Gods recently wrapped its third season on March  21 with Shadow Moon “seemingly killed after a vigil at the mythical Tree of Life for his seemingly deceased and estranged father, Mr. Wednesday/Odin.”

According to Deadline, the moment was a pivotal one in Gaiman’s book, and that ending scene would have led to a significant battle in the fourth season. Moving forward, we would have seen Wednesday’s “resurgence in the battle against the New Gods.”

When American Gods first came to screens in 2017, it was seen as a breath of fresh air with critics and audiences raving over the show’s bold creative direction. But come time to start Season 2, original creators Bryan Fuller and Michael Green exited the show and were replaced by Jesse Alexander. Gaiman also came on-board in partial capacity.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan as the show dealt with a litany of troubles. Several actors departed the show, like Gillian Anderson and Kristen Chenoweth, were among the biggest stars to leave between Season 1 and 2, and the show suffered several delays.

Between Seasons 2 and 3, things got even worse with Mousa Kraish, Pablo Schreiber and Orlando Jones exiting the series. Jones was very public about his problems with the series, alleging that he was “screwed over” and that several actors were forced to write for their own characters.

By the time the third season premiered this past January, it was too a significantly smaller audience.

A Starz spokesperson told Deadline, “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.”

American Gods canceled: Is this really the end?

When it comes to television, it seems like nothing is ever officially dead. And while the series adaption of Gaiman’s book might not be popular anymore, Gaiman himself is still a renowned writer. The publication reports there are rumblings that Starz might let the series wrap via a mini-event series or made-for-TV film, but it’s hard to say if that will come to fruition any time soon.

In the meantime, Gaiman has is working on the long-awaited Netflix adaptation of his comic book series The Sandman. Let’s hope things don’t go haywire on this one.

Are you disappointed that American Gods is canceled? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.