''Good Omens'' is a
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
series created and written by
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
based on his and
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels.
Pratchett's first nov ...
's
1990 novel of the same name. A six-episode coproduction between
Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
and
BBC Studios
BBC Studios is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Worldwide. ...
, the series was directed by
Douglas Mackinnon
Douglas Mackinnon is a Scottish film and television director from Portree, Isle of Skye.
He has directed many episodes of television drama and at least three television films. His work includes '' Bodies'', ''Gentlemen's Relish'', ''Robin Ho ...
, with Gaiman also serving as
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
.
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...
and
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
lead a large
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
that also includes
Adria Arjona
Adria Arjona Torres (born April 25, 1992) is an actress based in the United States. She played Dorothy Gale in the Oz book adaptation ''Emerald City'' (2017), Anathema Device in the TV adaptation of ''Good Omens'' (2019), and Bix Caleen in '' ...
,
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...
,
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...
,
Jack Whitehall
Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. He is known for starring as JP in the series ''Fresh Meat (TV series), Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016) and Alfie Wickers in the series ''Bad Educat ...
,
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
,
Brian Cox,
Mireille Enos
Mireille Enos (; born September 22, 1975) is an American actress. Drawn to acting from a young age, she graduated in performing arts from Brigham Young University, where she was awarded the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Having made her acting ...
,
Jon Hamm
Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
, and
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Em ...
as the voice of
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
, who
narrates the series.
Like the novel, ''Good Omens'' features various
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
themes and figures and follows various characters all trying to either encourage or prevent an imminent
Armageddon
According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
, seen through the eyes of the
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
Aziraphale and the
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
Crowley.
All episodes of the first season were released on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
on May 31, 2019, and aired weekly on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
in the UK between January 15 and February 19, 2020. Although the show's first season was conceived and marketed as a
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
, it was renewed for a second series in June 2021; Sheen and Tennant are returning, along with most of the crew.
Premise
Set in 2018, the series follows the demon Crowley (
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
) and the angel Aziraphale (
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...
), longtime acquaintances who, having grown accustomed to life on Earth as representatives of
Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
and
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
, seek to prevent the coming of the
Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form) 1 John ; . 2 John . ...
and with it
Armageddon
According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
, the final battle between Heaven and Hell.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...
as Aziraphale, an angel who has lived on Earth since the dawn of creation. He guarded the East gate entrance to the
Garden of Eden
In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
with a flaming sword, which he gave to Adam and Eve on their expulsion from the Garden out of concern for their well-being. He has grown to love the finer things of human life, enjoys
haute cuisine
''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pri ...
and owns an antiquarian bookshop in London.
*
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
as Crowley, a demon who has lived on Earth since the dawn of creation. Originally called "Crawly", he is the
Serpent
Serpent or The Serpent may refer to:
* Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes
Mythology and religion
* Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature
* Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts
* Serp ...
who tempted
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
with the apple from the
tree of knowledge of good and evil
In Judaism and Christianity, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( he, עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע, ʿêṣ had-daʿaṯ ṭōḇ wā-rāʿ, label=Tiberian Hebrew, ) is one of two specific trees in the story of the Garden ...
.
*
Daniel Mays
Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor.
Early life
Born in Epping, Essex, the third of four boys, Mays was brought up in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother. He attended the Italia Conti Acad ...
as Arthur Young, father of Adam
*
Sian Brooke
Sian Brooke (born Sian Elizabeth Phillips; born 1980) is a British actress. Her television work includes '' Cape Wrath'' (2007), '' Sherlock'' (2017), '' Doctor Foster'' (2017), ''Good Omens'' (2019), ''Guilt'' (2019), and '' Trying'' (2020–). ...
as Deirdre Young, mother of Adam
*
Ned Dennehy
Ned Dennehy (born 8 December 1965) is an Irish actor who has appeared in multiple films and television programmes. He is best known for his role as Mider in ''The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog''. He also appeared in ''Blitz'', ''Harry Potter and t ...
as
Hastur
Hastur (The Unspeakable One, The King in Yellow, Him Who Is Not to be Named, Assatur, Xastur, H'aaztre, or Kaiwan) is an entity of cosmic horror.
Hastur first appeared in Ambrose Bierce's short story "Haïta the Shepherd" (1893) as a benign go ...
, a demon
*
Ariyon Bakare
Ariyon Bakare () is an English actor. He has appeared in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' (2001–2005) as Ben Kwarme, the Amazon Prime series ''Good Omens'' and ''Carnival Row'' (2019), and the BBC series ''His Dark Materials''. Prior to this, ...
as Ligur, a demon
*
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
as Thaddeus Dowling, the US Ambassador to the UK and father of Warlock
*
Anna Maxwell Martin
Anna Maxwell Martin (born Anna Charlotte Martin; 27 May 1977),Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2006 listed birth name as ''Anna Charlotte Martin''; Registration year 1977; Registration District Beverley, Yorkshire som ...
as
Beelzebub
Beelzebub ( ; he, ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ'') or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name ''Beelzebub'' is associated with the Cana ...
, the leader of the forces of Hell
*
Nina Sosanya
Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya (born 6 June 1969) is an English stage, television, film, radio actress and narrator. She is most notable for her roles in ''Teachers'', ''W1A'' and ''Last Tango in Halifax''.
Early life and education
Sosanya was born in ...
as Sister Mary Loquacious, a nun of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl, a satanic order of nuns who had to switch a human baby with the Antichrist. After the convent burns down, she becomes manager of the business management centre established on the same site
*
Doon Mackichan
Sarah Doon Mackichan (; born August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double Emmy award winning ''Smack the Pony''. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, ha ...
as
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
, an archangel
* Sam Taylor Buck as Adam Young, the reluctant Antichrist accidentally placed in the custody of the Young family
*
Jon Hamm
Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
as
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
, the leader of the forces of Heaven. While Gabriel was only mentioned once in the original novel, his role was meant to be expanded in the unfinished sequel to ''Good Omens''; Gaiman incorporated parts of the planned sequel into the TV series's plot.
In the novel, the leader of the forces of Heaven was the
Metatron
Metatron ( ''Meṭāṭrōn'', ''Məṭaṭrōn'', ''Mēṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭaṭrōn'', ''Meṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭṭaṭrōn'') or Mattatron ( ''Maṭṭaṭrōn'') is an angel in Judaism mentioned three times in the Talmud in a few br ...
.
*
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Em ...
as the voice of
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
, the narrator of the series
*
Adria Arjona
Adria Arjona Torres (born April 25, 1992) is an actress based in the United States. She played Dorothy Gale in the Oz book adaptation ''Emerald City'' (2017), Anathema Device in the TV adaptation of ''Good Omens'' (2019), and Bix Caleen in '' ...
as Anathema Device, Agnes Nutter's last descendant and an occultist who eventually teams up with Newton Pulsifer to try and stop the end of the world
*
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...
as Madame Tracy, a part-time medium and courtesan
*
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...
as Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell, the last officer of the once-proud witchfinder army
*
Jack Whitehall
Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. He is known for starring as JP in the series ''Fresh Meat (TV series), Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016) and Alfie Wickers in the series ''Bad Educat ...
as Newton Pulsifer, a struggling computer engineer and descendant of witchfinder Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer.
** Whitehall also portrays Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer, the witchfinder who
burned Agnes Nutter at the stake
*
Mireille Enos
Mireille Enos (; born September 22, 1975) is an American actress. Drawn to acting from a young age, she graduated in performing arts from Brigham Young University, where she was awarded the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Having made her acting ...
as War, one of the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos.
Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...
that appears in the form of war correspondent Carmine "Red" Zingiber
*
Bill Paterson as R.P. Tyler, a member of the Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch and neighbour of the Young family
*
Yusuf Gatewood
Yusuf Gatewood (born September 12, 1982, Hillsborough, North Carolina) is an American actor best known for playing Vincent Griffith in '' The Originals'' and Doug in the 2005 film ''The Interpreter''. His television work includes guest roles on t ...
as Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who appears in the form of dietician and entrepreneur Raven Sable
*
Lourdes Faberes
Lourdes Faberes (born ) is a Philippines-born actress based in the United Kingdom. She is best known for her work in television, theatre, and film. She played Pollution in the Amazon series ''Good Omens'', the assassin Altani on History Channel ...
as Pollution: one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and appears in the place of Pestilence who has retired as a Horseman upon the discovery of penicillin
*
Brian Cox as Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Jamie Hill physically performs the character while Cox voices him
Featured
Actors credited in the opening titles of episodes in which they play a significant role.
*
Steve Pemberton
Steven James Pemberton (born 1 September 1967) is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He is best known as a member of ''The League of Gentlemen'' with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also co- ...
and
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...
as Glozier and Harmony respectively, book-buyers for ''
der Führer'' during World War II
*
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of ''The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he lat ...
as
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
*
David Morrissey
David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. Described by the British Film Institute as "one of the most versatile English actors of his generation", he is noted for the meticulous preparation and research h ...
as Captain Vincent, the captain of the cruise ship that runs aground on
Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
*
Simon Merrells
Simon Merrells is an English film, television and stage actor best known for his portrayal of Marcus Licinius Crassus in '' Spartacus: War of the Damned''.
Early life
Merrells was born in London, three years before his brother Jason Merrells. H ...
as Leslie the International Express Man, a man who helps summon the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos.
Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...
*
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', ''The Tempest'', ''King ...
as
Metatron
Metatron ( ''Meṭāṭrōn'', ''Məṭaṭrōn'', ''Mēṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭaṭrōn'', ''Meṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭṭaṭrōn'') or Mattatron ( ''Maṭṭaṭrōn'') is an angel in Judaism mentioned three times in the Talmud in a few br ...
, the spokesperson for God
*
Johnny Vegas
Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, overweight appearance, angry comedic rants, and us ...
as Ron Ormerod
*
Andy Hamilton
Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor.
Early life and education
Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He ...
as the voice of Hell's Usher
*
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence O ...
as Satan, the ruler of Hell; Niall Greig Fulton performs motion-capture for the character while Cumberbatch voices him
Recurring and guest
* Samson Marraccino as Warlock Dowling: the son of the Dowlings, mistakenly thought to be the Antichrist; he's actually Arthur and Deirdre Young's birth son.
* Jill Winternitz as Harriet Dowling: wife of Thaddeus and mother of Warlock
*
Paul Chahidi
Paul Chahidi (born August 22, 1969) is a British actor.
An associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Chahidi appeared at Shakespeare's Globe and appeared on Broadway in all-male productions of ''Twelfth Night'' and ''Richard III''. Chahi ...
as
Sandalphon
Sandalphon (Hebrew: סַנְדַּלְפוֹן ''Sandalp̄ōn''; el, Σανδαλφών ''Sandalfón'') is an archangel in Jewish and Christian writings, although not in scripture. Sandalphon figures prominently in the mystical literary traditio ...
*
Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence (born Wendy Lawrence; 6 June 1959) is an English actress and comedian. She is best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' and as Manda Best in '' ...
as Agnes Nutter, the last true witch in England. Lawrence reprises her role from the
radio adaptation
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
.
* Amma Ris as Pepper: one of Adam's friends
* Ilan Galkoff as Brian: one of Adam's friends
* Alfie Taylor as Wensleydale: one of Adam's friends
* Gloria Obianyo as
Uriel
Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...
*
Nicholas Parsons
Christopher Nicholas Parsons (10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show '' Just a Minute'' and hosted the game show '' ...
and
Elizabeth Berrington
Elizabeth Berrington (born 3 August 1970) is an English actress and graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art; she is best known for her roles as Ruby Fry in '' Waterloo Road'', Paula Kosh in '' Stella'', Mel Debrou in ''Moving Wall ...
as
Dagon
Dagon ( he, דָּגוֹן, ''Dāgōn'') or Dagan ( sux, 2= dda-gan, ; phn, 𐤃𐤂𐤍, Dāgān) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attes ...
. Parsons voices him in episode 1 while Berrington portrays Dagon in episodes 5 and 6.
Jonathan Aris
Jonathan Aris is a British actor who has appeared in films, television and the theatre. He has narrated three TV documentaries produced and aired by the National Geographic Channel, and appears as Philip Anderson in the BBC television series ...
appears as the Quartermaster Angel: an angel who gears up the angels for Armageddon.
Adam Bond portrays
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, whose crucifixion is witnessed by Crowley and Aziraphale.
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom '' The Kumars at No. 42''. ...
portrays Giles Baddicombe, a lawyer.
Steve Oram
Stephen John Oram is an English actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He is known for his role in the 2012 film ''Sightseers'', which he also co-wrote.
Life and career
Oram was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England.
He started as a ...
plays Horace, a motorist on the M25 hypnotised and burned alive by Crowley's
sigil
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...
.
Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye (born 15 December 1964) is an English comedian and actor. He is known for his portrayals of shock interviewer Dennis Pennis on ''The Sunday Show'', New York lawyer Mike Strutter on MTV's ''Strutter'', Thoros of Myr in HBO's ''Game of ...
and Ben Crowe make vocal cameos: Kaye as a spokesman for an electricity board (impersonating the voice of Terry Pratchett) and Crowe as
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...
.
Jayde Adams
Jayde Pricilla Gail Adams (born 26 November 1984) is a British comedian, actress, writer and opera singer from Bristol. She is the winner of the 2014 Funny Women Award.
Career
Adams started performing stand-up comedy in 2011, following the pr ...
and
Jenny Galloway
Jenny Galloway is a British actress, and singer best known for her stage career which includes Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables.
She has received numerous awards and nominations, winning the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress ...
play participants at Madame Tracy's seance.
Dan Starkey plays a passerby comforting Aziraphale. Alistair Findley and
Jim Meskimen
James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist, who is best known for his voice-over work in video games.
Early life
James Ross Meskimen was born in Santa Monica, California on September 10, 1959 ...
cameo as
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
with Findley physically portraying Bush and Meskimen voicing him.
Kirsty Wark
Kirsteen Anne "Kirsty" Wark FRSE (born 3 February 1955) is a Scottish television presenter with a long career at the BBC.
Starting on Radio Scotland, where she became a producer, Wark switched to television, presenting The Late Show and Newsnig ...
,
Paul Gambaccini
Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author in the United Kingdom. He has dual United States and British nationality, having become a British citizen in 2005.
Known as "The Grea ...
and
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq (; born 17 July 1975) is a British television and radio presenter, screenwriter and children's author. She became the longest-serving female presenter of the British children's television programme ''Blue Peter'', prese ...
cameo as TV presenters.
James Naughtie
Alexander James Naughtie FRSE (surname pronounced ; born 9 August 1951) is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC.
Between 1994 and 2015, he was one of the main presenters of Radio 4's the ''Today programme''. In his 21-plus years on ...
cameos as a radio presenter.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
cameos as a sleeping man in the cinema.
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels.
Pratchett's first nov ...
's iconic hat and scarf appear in Aziraphale's bookshop.
Episodes
Production
Development
Pratchett and Gaiman had planned to adapt ''Good Omens'' as a movie for years, with various directors and writers attached to the project along the way. In 2011, a television series, written by
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team.
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...
and
Gavin Scott
Gavin Duncan Scott (born 1950) is an English novelist, broadcaster and writer of the Emmy-winning mini-series ''The Mists of Avalon'', '' Small Soldiers'', ''The Borrowers'' and ''Legend of Earthsea''. He spent ten years making films for British ...
, was first reported to be in the works but no further plans were announced. After Pratchett's death, Gaiman refused to ever consider working on the adaptation alone but changed his mind when he received a letter from Pratchett, written to be sent after his death, urging him to finish the project.
On January 19, 2017, it was announced that
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
had given a green-light to a television series adaptation of the novel to be co-produced with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
in the United Kingdom. Executive producers were set to include Gaiman, Caroline Skinner, Chris Sussman, Rob Wilkins, and Rod Brown. Gaiman was also set to adapt the novel for the screen and serve as showrunner for the series. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of
BBC Studios
BBC Studios is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Worldwide. ...
, Narrativia, and The Blank Corporation. Distribution of the series was to be handled by
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
.
On June 29, 2021, the series was renewed for a second season consisting of six episodes.
Casting
On August 14, 2017, it was announced that
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...
and
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
had been cast in the lead roles of Aziraphale and Crowley, respectively. On September 14, 2017, Gaiman revealed on Twitter that
Nina Sosanya
Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya (born 6 June 1969) is an English stage, television, film, radio actress and narrator. She is most notable for her roles in ''Teachers'', ''W1A'' and ''Last Tango in Halifax''.
Early life and education
Sosanya was born in ...
,
Ned Dennehy
Ned Dennehy (born 8 December 1965) is an Irish actor who has appeared in multiple films and television programmes. He is best known for his role as Mider in ''The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog''. He also appeared in ''Blitz'', ''Harry Potter and t ...
, and
Ariyon Bakare
Ariyon Bakare () is an English actor. He has appeared in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' (2001–2005) as Ben Kwarme, the Amazon Prime series ''Good Omens'' and ''Carnival Row'' (2019), and the BBC series ''His Dark Materials''. Prior to this, ...
had joined the main cast. A day later,
Jack Whitehall
Jack Peter Benedict Whitehall (born 7 July 1988) is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. He is known for starring as JP in the series ''Fresh Meat (TV series), Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016) and Alfie Wickers in the series ''Bad Educat ...
,
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...
,
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...
, and
Adria Arjona
Adria Arjona Torres (born April 25, 1992) is an actress based in the United States. She played Dorothy Gale in the Oz book adaptation ''Emerald City'' (2017), Anathema Device in the TV adaptation of ''Good Omens'' (2019), and Bix Caleen in '' ...
were announced as series regulars. A week after that, Sam Taylor Buck, Amma Ris, Ilan Galkoff, Alfie Taylor,
Daniel Mays
Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor.
Early life
Born in Epping, Essex, the third of four boys, Mays was brought up in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother. He attended the Italia Conti Acad ...
, and
Sian Brooke
Sian Brooke (born Sian Elizabeth Phillips; born 1980) is a British actress. Her television work includes '' Cape Wrath'' (2007), '' Sherlock'' (2017), '' Doctor Foster'' (2017), ''Good Omens'' (2019), ''Guilt'' (2019), and '' Trying'' (2020–). ...
were also cast. In October 2017, it was reported that
Jon Hamm
Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
,
Anna Maxwell Martin
Anna Maxwell Martin (born Anna Charlotte Martin; 27 May 1977),Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2006 listed birth name as ''Anna Charlotte Martin''; Registration year 1977; Registration District Beverley, Yorkshire som ...
,
Mireille Enos
Mireille Enos (; born September 22, 1975) is an American actress. Drawn to acting from a young age, she graduated in performing arts from Brigham Young University, where she was awarded the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Having made her acting ...
, Lourdes Faberes, and
Yusuf Gatewood
Yusuf Gatewood (born September 12, 1982, Hillsborough, North Carolina) is an American actor best known for playing Vincent Griffith in '' The Originals'' and Doug in the 2005 film ''The Interpreter''. His television work includes guest roles on t ...
had joined the main cast. In November 2017, it was reported that
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of ''The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he lat ...
and
Nicholas Parsons
Christopher Nicholas Parsons (10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show '' Just a Minute'' and hosted the game show '' ...
had also been cast. On 15 December 2017 it was reported that
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', ''The Tempest'', ''King ...
would voice the Metatron.
On 9 February 2018 it was announced that
Steve Pemberton
Steven James Pemberton (born 1 September 1967) is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He is best known as a member of ''The League of Gentlemen'' with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also co- ...
and
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...
had joined the series. On 6 March 2018, it was announced that
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
had been cast in a series regular role. On 20 July 2018, it was announced during Amazon's
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
panel that
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Em ...
had been cast as the voice of God as well as the series' narrator. On 13 February 2019, Neil Gaiman announced that
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence O ...
will voice Satan with the character itself being a
CGI creation.
Filming
The 109 days of
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
for the series took place over a six-month period beginning September 18, 2017 and ending in early March 2018.
Shooting began throughout the UK with subsequent filming taking place in and around
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
In October 2017, the production was spotted filming in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. The series also filmed in
St James's Park
St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous c ...
and
Tavistock Square
Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden.
History
Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Francis Russell, 5th Duke ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Hambleden
Hambleden is a small village and civil parish in south-west Buckinghamshire, England. The village is around west of Marlow, and around north-east of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.
The civil parish also includes the villages of Fingest and ...
. The
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
area of London representing the street and Aziraphale's bookshop was created and shot in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
at
Bovingdon Airbase.
A vacant building in
Weybridge
Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...
, Surrey served as Heaven's corporate headquarters, and Hogback Wood, the location for Adam and his friends, was also filmed in Surrey.
Bulstrode Park
Bulstrode is an English country house and its large park, located to the southwest of Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. The estate spreads across Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross and Fulmer, and predates the Norman conquest. Its name may origina ...
, just outside
Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a town and civil parish in south Buckinghamshire, England, separated from the London Borough of Hillingdon at Harefield by Denham, south of Chalfont St Peter and north bordering villages of Fulmer, Hedgerley, Iver Heath and St ...
in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, with its mansion and grounds, was used for the satanic convent/hospital and later the corporate training center. The American Army base was located and filmed in
Upper Heyford, in Oxfordshire. The
Weald and Downland Living Museum
The Weald and Downland Living Museum (formerly known as the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum until January 2017) is an open-air museum in Singleton, West Sussex. The museum is a registered charity.
The museum covers , with over 50 historic bu ...
in
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
was used to film Agnes Nutter's burning at the stake. It was shot over a two-day period in October 2017.
The car in the novel is a 1926 Bentley, but neither Gaiman nor Pratchett really knew what a 1926 model looked like when they wrote ''Good Omens''. For the television series, a 1933 model which had more of the look Gaiman had in mind was used.
The Bentley used in filming is valued at £250,000.
The second season began filming in later 2021 in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Title sequence
''Good Omens'' opening title sequence was created by the Peter Anderson Studio, based in London and features music by David Arnold. When Douglas Mackinnon approached Anderson about the title sequence, Mackinnon stated that he wanted something "over the top". MacKinnon's idea was to communicate the coming of Armageddon while also showing the humor and "fantastical tone", Crowley and Aziraphale's friendship, and the idea that good and evil are in everyone.
The project was a new style of design by Anderson and his studio, as well as a unique design for a television series. Anderson described the final result as "a totally bonkers mishmash of all animation styles in a way where they feel as if they belong together".
The actual production used physical props, animation, illustration, 3D and some live-action motion, to depict the approaching apocalypse and clash between Heaven and Hell.
The goal was to include the same spirit from the show into the title sequence. Characters in the title represent "real" live-action persons from the series accomplished by dressing studio employees in the costumes from the show, filmed on green screen, and then later cutting them out and creating animations.
Each of the animated characters has either Crowley's or Aziraphale's face.
The title sequence incorporates all the characters from the series as they move towards the Apocalypse.
Included are Crowley's Bentley in front of Aziraphale's bookshop, the Chattering Order of St. Beryl's nuns, Shadwell and Madame Tracy, the hellhound, flying saucers, the appearance of Death, and members of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Crowley's work on London's M25 is featured in the parade along with various towns and areas of the world. In the end characters fall from earth, landing either in Heaven or Hell,
leading into the ''Good Omens'' title artwork.
The entire title sequence runs for a minute and 40 seconds (1:40).
Costumes
Claire Anderson was
costume designer
A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...
for ''Good Omens''. She found working on the project a unique experience.
Anderson received a 2019 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes for Episode 3, ''Hard Times''. Early design centered on main characters Aziraphale and Crowley. Anderson worked closely with actors Michael Sheen and David Tennant to design their modern-day looks.
Once created, they served as an important influence on everything else they wore in flashbacks throughout history.
Crowley's look reflects his transformation into human form from a serpent. The costume is modern, black, almost "goth like" in style, including a "snake head" belt buckle. He often wears dark glasses to conceal his serpent eyes.
Crowley's outfits always have a hint of red, including red soles on his shoes or red lining on his gloves representing his demon snake's red belly. His jackets had a red lining on the underside of the collar.
Aziraphale's outfits were the opposite of Crowley's, reflecting an ethereal nature.
His angel-inspired costumes included cuff-links, a signet ring, and a pocket watch, all containing angel wings.
Aziraphale's off-white color palette and style maintained a
Victorian Era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
look through modern times with oversized lapels and shoulders representing his Angel wings.
Other costume inspirations came from the pages of the Pratchett/Gaiman 1990 book, itself. Details described throughout were incorporated into costumes. The modern-day character, Anathema Device, distantly related to prophetess Agnes Nutter, wears a Victorian "witchy look." Actor Jack Whitehall, playing would be witch-hunter, Newt Pulsifer was dressed with coat badges and epaulets and the accent color mustard, merging modern geeky Newt with his 17th-century ancestor.
Whitehall also wanted the "odd socks" from the book incorporated into his costume.
Claire Anderson's idea for Jon Hamm, as Angel Gabriel was to look perfect. The designer found the material on Bond Street. It was "light, ethereal" and ephemeral."
The suits were cashmere and made by Italian label,
Zegna
Zegna () is an Italian luxury fashion house. It was founded in 1910 by Ermenegildo Zegna in Trivero, Biella of the Piedmont region of Northern Italy.
As of 2021, the Group is a public company. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
His ...
. Hamm wore lilac contact lenses to emphasize the lilac in his "pearl gray" suit.
The Satanic Nuns of the Chattering Order's costumes were created to look like regular nuns except with a demonic undertone. Anderson looked at nuns through the years and chose to use "peaky hats" which had a more witch-like feeling rather than an evil one.
The costumes included a luciferian pendant and symbolic watches.
The demons from Hell, Lord Beelzebub, Duke Hastur, and Ligur, wore carefully blackened clothing with shredded hems to appear as if scorched in Hell.
Mr and Mrs. Young, the Antichrist Adam's parents, were dressed in a nostalgic, "timeless and comforting" 1950s look to represent their dependability. Anderson used her own parents' friends as inspiration.
Sergeant Shadwell is "grubby", wearing drab colors that reflect this. His defining look is a jacket with elements of a uniform to represent his witchfinder army role.
Madame Tracy, wore costumes to reflect her dual jobs as psychic reader and sex worker. "Flowing gowns" and colours reflecting "kookiness" were used for her mystic persona while an ostentatious kimono represented her "lady of the night" role.
Many costumes had visual effects which required putting small tape markers in the shape of green crosses on people's bodies.
The cold opening, featuring a flashback through history in Episode 3, required costumes to represent the various historical periods, ranging from the Garden of Eden in 4004 BC up to Soho, London in 1967.
Anderson took Inspiration from pre-Raphaelite paintings as well as hippie clothes from the movie ''
Serpico
''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by Peter ...
''.
Throughout the epochs each costume reflected the period as well as the Angel/Demon aspect of their characters. The scene with Crowley and Aziraphale in armor has black throughout Crowley's armor while Aziraphale's is silvery and light.
A "snake-like" skin texture is part of Crowley's costume when wearing a robe or gown in ancient times.
Special effects
London-based Milk VFX was chosen to create all the visual effects for ''Good Omens''. Jean-Claude Deguara, co-founder, began work in the pre-production, pre-script stage of the series. During pre-production the six scripts were broken down to work out how the VFX could interact effectively with the story in each episode.
Neil Gaiman was a constant source of help as he could quote from the book to help with creative decisions.
The goal was to use an "in-camera" shot whenever possible.
The
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...
scene in Episode 3 used "live-action" elements whenever possible, including the smaller animals. Larger animals were added in post-production.
Special effects were to be used as part of the scene and "grounded in reality" for the world and characters created, not stand out on their own. Sixty visual effects specialists, the most Milk had used on a single project, worked over a two-year period to create a wide range of effects.
650 CG shots were created for the six episodes of ''Good Omens''. Post Production turnaround time was five months.
Deguara and his crew created a wide range of effects including creatures, environments and fire.
Among the environments created was a penthouse for Heaven with "ever-changing" views of the famous landmarks of the world.
The escalator to Hell was filmed in a modern office building in London, using "real time cinematography" as well as a green screen for special effects depicting Crowley's descent from the lobby to Hell.
The Soho site for Aziraphale's bookshop, built at Bovington Airfield, used a green screen to extend the streets in post-production. The site was built because Aziraphale's bookshop had to burn down with real fire, not just visual effects, something not possible to do in Soho.
The opening scene of Episode 1 at the Garden of Eden, filmed in South Africa, included "many green screen and interactive VFX" to create a big visual effects scene. Episode 4 featured a visual effect of Crowley (David Tennant) flying through the Internet, chased by Hastur, the Duke of Hell (Ned Dennehy).
Tennant was in a rig that allowed him to "twist and roll at speed" while Dennehy used a wire. To make Tennant's part look realistic and hide the rig, digitally created "glitch-type movements" were created.
Crowley's Bentley is almost a "character" itself in the series and is often seen racing through London at speeds above 100 mph.
The Bentley had to look authentic, but no real Bentley would have been able to drive at 100 mph.
The filming of the car through the streets of London was one of the first effects Milk VFX learned about. After locating a real Bentley, CG assets were created for the scenes on the street as well as inside the Bentley.
The car used is actually a combination of five different CG, real, and built versions. The Bentley that blew up in Episode 6 is real. The interior was removed and the exterior blown up.
Rather than using digital effects to create the scenery as Crowley is driving, the Bentley, Gavin Finney, Director of Photography, used an older technique called "back projection" which first films passing scenery from all the sides of a moving vehicle. On the set, the filmed scenes are projected onto a screen. Finney explains: "It means you see the footage as well as reflections on the glass or the driver's face, say as the vehicle goes under trees, while it also works as a lighting source."
The Hellhound was created by using, as a model for the Hellhound, a
Great Dane
The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...
dog with similar coloring to the small dog that was used later.
Using a
blue screen, the Great Dane was filmed, then partially enlarged in CG to create the head and neck of a Hellhound. The Hellhound visual effect was used for a couple of scenes, but the transformation to a small dog used a real dog.
The final episode featured a confrontation between Adam Young, the child Antichrist, and Satan, his "father who is no longer in Heaven". The original concept of Satan was a much more "hellish" version. However, Neil Gaiman wanted a more human form of the 500-foot-tall creature, rather than including "hellfire" and over-the-top demonic action.
Certain effects were scaled back in the rise of Satan from Hell, so that the focus became the more "human" interaction between a "father" and rebellious son who rejects him as his father.
Sound effects such as body sounds, rocks and moving earth were used to emphasize Satan's size and power.
Other visual effects included a short demon named Usher, sacrificed to test holy water, a kraken rising in the sea, wings for Crowley and Aziraphale, as well as maggots overwhelming a call center when Hastur escapes after being trapped in Crowley's voicemail.
Crowley's snake eyes were created using contact lenses for the most part but were digitally enhanced when a greater effect was needed.
Music
''Good Omens'' features music written by Emmy winning composer David Arnold, along with quite a few
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
songs throughout the series. Arnold received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Main Title theme and for the episode "In the Beginning."
Arnold's work on ''Good Omens'' was unlike any project he had done before.
The composer said, "...it might be the hardest I've worked on anything."
Arnold describes the series as "universe-sized show in need of a universe-sized score."
According to the composer, the opening theme is a "kind of wicked, slightly, devilish, Mephistophelean waltz-- it has a feeling of twirling, out-of-control-ness" He re-wrote the main theme for each episode to reflect what happened in the episode.
Arnold used instrumentation in creating a particular theme for an episode/scene.
Among instruments used are lutes, and lyres, bass brass and drums, harps and more depending on the "imagery" or "emotion" of the scene.
In composing the music, Arnold wanted to combine "heavenly" and "satanic" elements so that when something sounded good, there would also be an element of bad as well. He says, "Whenever there was a sweet violin, there would be its nasty brother lurking alongside it.
The usage of Queen's music, reflecting a running gag of the novel where every tape Crowley put on this car stereo turned out to be of said band, included a
brass band arrangement of "
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon". Arnold was a fan of Queen's music as a teenager, studying their records and how they played sounds,
and said the choirs and a chorale sound in certain parts of the series reflected this influence at times.
Release
![Good Omens panel at NYCC (60959)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Good_Omens_panel_at_NYCC_%2860959%29.jpg)
The six episodes of the series were released on Amazon Prime Video on May 31, 2019,
and aired weekly on BBC Two between January 15 and February 19, 2020.
David Tennant and Michael Sheen reprised their respective roles in voice-only form for a 3-minute short titled "Good Omens: Lockdown" which was released on YouTube on May 1, 2020. The short imagines how their characters might be doing in isolation during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Marketing
On October 6, 2018, the series held a panel at the annual
New York Comic Con
The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006.
History
The New York Comic Con is a f ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. The panel was moderated by
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
and featured creator
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
, director
Douglas Mackinnon
Douglas Mackinnon is a Scottish film and television director from Portree, Isle of Skye.
He has directed many episodes of television drama and at least three television films. His work includes '' Bodies'', ''Gentlemen's Relish'', ''Robin Ho ...
, and cast members
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...
,
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
,
Jon Hamm
Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
, and
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...
. During the panel, the first trailer for the series was premiered and subsequently released online.
During
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
2019,
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
hosted a ''Good Omens'' "Garden of Eden" Party in Austin, Texas during the entire week of the festival. The party was hosted by performers dressed as angels and demons, respectively, with free food, hair & nail services, and a full complimentary bar.
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
,
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage role ...
,
Jon Hamm
Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
,
Douglas Mackinnon
Douglas Mackinnon is a Scottish film and television director from Portree, Isle of Skye.
He has directed many episodes of television drama and at least three television films. His work includes '' Bodies'', ''Gentlemen's Relish'', ''Robin Ho ...
, and
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
made a guest appearance at the Garden of Eden briefly before showing an episode of the series for an early screening at
Zach Theatre
ZACH Theatre (the Zachary Scott Theatre Center) is a professional theatre company located in Austin, Texas, as well as its associated complex of theatre facilities. The company is the oldest continuously active theatre company in Texas, and one of ...
. A party hosted at the Garden by ''Entertainment Weekly'' featured a fire-breather and a
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
cover band. ''Good Omens''-branded umbrellas and tote bags were handed out at the pop-up experience, and the Garden featured a petting zoo full of local puppies called "
Hell Hounds".
Reception
''Good Omens'' has received generally positive reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, it has an approval rating of 84% based on 97 reviews with an average score of 7.28 out of 10. The site's critical consensus is, "A smörgåsbord of heavenly imagery and irreverent hilarity, ''Good Omens'' works thanks to Michael Sheen and David Tennant's very-nearly-holy (or maybe unholy?) chemistry – though, at only six episodes long, it's a rare adaptation that may have benefited from being a little less faithful to the good book." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
it has a score of 66% based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Petition for cancellation
An online petition that erroneously requested
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
cancel ''Good Omens'' had reportedly received more than 20,000 signatures from people objecting to the show's content, perhaps unaware that the show was actually on Amazon and had already been released in full. The petition, posted as part of a campaign by the US religious organization,
Return to Order
The return to order ( French: ''retour à l'ordre'') was a European art movement that followed the First World War, rejecting the extreme avant-garde art of the years up to 1918 and taking its inspiration from classical art instead. The movement ...
, criticizes the show's irreverent treatment of topics relating to satanism and the devil, and the use of a female voice for God. The original petition was removed from the site, corrected and reposted.
Accolades
See also
*
List of films about angels
This is a list of films where angels appear.
Angels
* ''The Christmas Angel'' (1904)
* ''The Passing of the Third Floor Back'' (1935)
* ''The Green Pastures'' (1936)
* '' Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941)
* ''I Married an Angel'' (1942)
* ''A Guy Na ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Amazon Video original series
2019 American television series debuts
2019 British television series debuts
2010s American comedy television series
2010s British comedy television series
2020s American comedy television series
2020s British comedy television series
Adaptations of works by Terry Pratchett
Amazon Prime Video original programming
American fantasy television series
Angels in television
Bookstores in fiction
British fantasy television series
Cultural depictions of William Shakespeare
Demons in television
Fantasy comedy television series
Fictional depictions of the Antichrist
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in popular culture
Fiction about God
Heaven in popular culture
Hell in popular culture
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form winning works
Religious comedy television series
Television series based on works by Neil Gaiman
Television series by Amazon Studios
Television series by BBC Studios
Television series set in 2018
Television shows about precognition
Television shows filmed in South Africa
Television shows filmed in England
Television shows filmed in Scotland
Television shows set in London
Television shows set in Oxfordshire
Witch hunting in fiction
Witchcraft in television