Neil Gaiman on Not ‘Compromising’ for ‘American Gods’ Season 2

By Elizabeth Taylor

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “American Gods” is still eyeing a 2019 second season premiere, despite multiple behind-the-scenes changes to its writers’ room.

But Neil Gaiman, who wrote the books on which the Starz drama is based and serves as executive producer on the show, expressed confidence that nothing different behind-the-scenes would affect what the audience experienced while watching the new season.

“The cast made sure the integrity of the characters was never compromised,” Gaiman said at New York Comic-Con Friday. “We have world-class actors who love and understand what they are playing. I am not prepared to compromise and that for me has been huge all the way down the line.”

The show has been plagued with staff firings, actor resignations and conflicts since the inception of the pilot, and Gaiman did confirm that the second season writers “were a whole new set of writers.”

Gaiman also shared that he will be dedicating more time to the series to further maintain the integrity of the content.

“One of the things I am looking forward to a lot and in future seasons is that I won’t be full time on ‘Good Omens’ anymore. That is finite and that is done,” he said.

Orlando Jones, who plays Mr. Nancy in the show, express passion for the platform the show has given him and expressed his belief that the stories they are telling transcend the controversy that has come with showrunner swaps.

Citing the scene in which Mr. Nancy is on a slave ship, Jones said, “When you read something like that you think, ‘There is no way in hell they are going to let me do this. This is never going to happen. Someone will come to their senses and say he cannot do that.’ I am really grateful for the opportunity to be able to do it. … It is impossible to do a show like this and not see how Neil’s work 17 years ago so perfectly becomes a corollary for the world we are looking at today. That is power and why we love these characters. It is what we fight for everyday.”

Watch a new second season trailer for “” below: