Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett’s adaption of their book Good Omens lit up Prime Video when it landed back in 2019. Overflowing with the same devilishly delightful wit and imagination that are the hallmarks of the authors, it’s no surprise that the series is back again for Season Two.
This time around, there is no source material to work from, instead Gaiman has created a new tale for the unlikely duo of Michael Sheen’s fussy fallen angel, Aziraphale and David Tennant’s callous and carefree Crowley, an exiled demon. Having narrowly thwarted the apocalypse in Season One, Aziraphale and Crowley are enjoying a well-earned rest living among the mortals of London’s Soho.
Their tranquil existence is interrupted, however, when a familiar face (accompanied by the rest of a very naked body) appears at Aziraphale’s door. It would appear that heaven is missing an angel, the archangel Gabriel in fact and the amnesiac Jon Hamm at Aziraphale’s door might just be at the centre of it all.
Aziraphale does his dandiest best (in amongst organising the shopkeepers’ council meeting to discuss the Christmas lights) to try and set things right. But with a war between heaven and hell ever on the horizon, Aziraphale enlists the help of a reluctant Crowley to try and get the job done.
There’s something charmingly Paddington-eque about the way with which the show treats the miraculous and the magically mundane. Be that the bureaucracy of hell or just how many Lazarus’ worth of miracles it takes to fall in love.
Although there is a high-stakes plot that drives the series, the real joy comes from watching the many cutaway stories that fill in the history of how an angel and a demon could ever become friends in the first place. From the dawn of time, through to Job’s old testament trials and even grave robbing in Victorian Edinburgh (where Tennant gets to flex his native Scottish accent), each minisode that maps their unlikely friendship is a delight anchored by the two brilliant leads.
Speaking of which, Sheen and Tennant are having the best time reuniting to portray old frenemies with such ease and charm that we just want to be part of the gang, but we’ll have to settle for being a fly on the wall.
Sadly Pratchett is no longer with us and it’s fallen to Gaiman to try and carry the tone of the original story in this new adventure. But even from the opening episode, it’s undeniable that more than a little Discworld deviance has rubbed off on the old Sandman, as the humour, inventiveness and general tomfoolery of the story bounce you jovially along with the same madcap magic that has been so sorely missed from the modern fantasy ourve.
Season Two of Good Omens gives us more of what we loved from Season One and Sheen and Tennant are clearly relishing stepping back into their celestial shoes. Supported by a roster of superstar British talent and some Pinterest-worthy production design, you can see the passion behind the creation of the series. The love for this world and these characters quickly rubs off on the audience, leaving us hoping for the Season Three already planned out by Gaiman and Pratchett.
Good Omens Season Two will land on Prime Video on 28 July