Good Omens - First episode

Well then, welcome to the end times – Aziraphale

What if since the beginning of time an angel and a demon have been friends? What if those two would try to stop the Apocalypse? What if it seems they are failing miserably? Welcome to Good Omens.

David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Frances McDormand…and with this list I could easily end this review. This is not just any list of names, this is part of the cast of the new Amazon Prime series Good Omens. Even for one of those four I would be willing to try this series, but for all four of them?! The story of Good Omens is about the angel Aziraphale played by Michael Sheen. This angel who does everything according to the biblical rules because it's the right thing to do is the perfect counterpart to demon Crowley with his punk-rock yellow eyes played by David Tennant.

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My expectations were sky-high. Partly because of the cast – be honest, David Tennant, enough said-
but also partly because it's based on the book written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, just like that other Amazon series American Gods. Let's start with the actors: both Sheen as Tennant are perfect in their roles. They complement each other perfectly and their silly banter is a joy to watch. It's even more admirable considering the script is a bit weak at times. Even the most obvious jokes, and there are many, are hilarious when uttered by these two giants.

But, and you probably see it coming, it is not enough for this pilot to rise to great heights.
The acting of the two is, besides some reasonable visual effects and once in a while a magnificent cinematographic shot, about the only aspect that is of really remarkable quality. Jon Hamm is not able to convince at all and even his vain jokes are not really funny and the story is now so slow and complicated that I fear for the remainder of the first season, and the script. O boy, the script...



I can't fathom how this script came to be, especially when you keep in mind that Neil Gaiman himself was involved. Sometimes it reminds me a bit of a CW series. No offence, those series can be great, but in a completely different way, if you know what I mean. Predictable, extremely staccato and sometimes completely illogical. So yes, it's even more remarkable that those two are still able to shine.

We're doomed - Crowley

I will definitely watch the rest of the season and I recommend you to do the same. Hopefully the script will improve and consequently the story. If it will improve, it could be a really amazing show. And with these incredible actors it shouldn't be a problem.

So I genuinely have difficulty grading this pilot. On the one hand, the acting of Tennant and Sheen is worth a nine, but the script is not worth more than a five.
So an average of seven then.