GOOD OMENS
Apocalypse? Nooooo!
UK/US Amazon Prime, 31 May Showrunner Neil Gaiman Cast David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Miranda Richardson, Adria Arjona, Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall
episodes 1.01-1.06 Anyone who’s been waiting nearly 40 years for a TV sequel to The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, your prayers (or, perhaps, demonic incantations) have finally been answered. Good Omens opens with a witty monologue from God and some frenetic animated graphics that are straight out of The Book.
But these words are lifted directly from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s much-loved 1990 novel about an angel and a demon joining forces to prevent the apocalypse, which Gaiman himself has adapted. Deciding to recast God (voiced by Coen Brothers favourite Frances McDormand) as, basically, The Book turns out to be a stroke of genius. The novel itself is only about 40% plot; most of the humour doesn’t come from the characters or dialogue but from the two authors indulging in literary jamming sessions, creating passages of self-contained prose riffing off everything from religion and war to Japanese car manufacturing. Simply adapting the story would’ve left no place for some of the novel’s most celebrated moments of comedy gold, so co-opting God as a narrator retains much of its flavour. Plus, some of the set-pieces are hilarious, especially an exploration of how many angels could actually dance on the head of a pin.
There is some plot here too, though. David Tennant and Michael Sheen have a whale of a time overacting as the cocky demon Crowley and the effete angel Aziraphale, who have – in secret from their bosses – been colluding for centuries to maintain their cushy lives on Earth. But with the End Of Days coming they need to find a way to prevent the apocalypse, a feat made more difficult by the fact that the son of Satan has been mislaid...
Narratively, it’s a bit of a mess. While the voice of God is a clever conceit, there’s the nagging feeling it’s also an excuse not to have to dramatise things properly at times. But such problems are piffling in a series that exudes such an infectiously manic comic energy. Gaiman’s additions for the TV version, including Jon Hamm’s pompous Gabriel (“The Earth isn’t just going to end itself”) and a montage chronicling Crowley and Aziraphale’s friendship through the millennia, mesh perfectly, and open out the story’s universe. The child actors are a tad ’70s BBC classic serial, but they’re eclipsed by a conveyor belt of cult TV and comedy faves (Michael McKean, Josie Lawrence, Derek Jakobi, Johnny Vegas), all camping it up with aplomb.
While the serviceable effects aren’t quite what you’d call cinematic, the elegant production design, stylised direction, absurd make-up (lizard toupees!) and quirky costumes all add to the exquisite silliness, and there’s a hummable theme tune from David Arnold too. A heavenly delight, and devilishly good. Dave Golder
Among the many Easter eggs, look out for a copy of Gaiman’s American Gods and a clip from the film Witchfinder General.