The recent Good Omens renewal announcement, confirming that the hit miniseries will get a second season on Amazon Prime, came as a big surprise to many fans. While the news evoked widespread excitement, it’s understandable that some people have mixed feelings—there is no shortage of disappointing sequels, of course, and given that the first season covered everything in the original novel (and then some), a little healthy skepticism of taking it any further makes sense.
On the other hand, what if the second season is better?
I realize that will probably sound controversial to diehard fans, but hear me out: I think season 2 presents a golden opportunity for the writers/showrunners to capitalize on the show’s main strength—possibly even making it the rare second season that improves upon the first.
While the plot of season 2 largely remains a mystery (beyond the premise shared in Amazon’s press release), I’m glad we’ll get to see the story of Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant) continue—and I’m hopeful that the second season will focus more heavily on the two of them.
The best parts of season 1 are when Aziraphale and Crowley interact, full stop. Whether they’re working together in secret, hatching a (flawed) plan to save the world, or just out to lunch, their companionship is easily the high point of the show. The plot is fun, and the other characters are charming, but the oft-bantering angel and demon at the center of the story are the reason to watch (and rewatch).
And there simply isn’t enough of them! For one thing, they spend large portions of the story apart, sometimes only communicating briefly by phone. For another, the first season has a lot to establish in just six episodes: Agnes Nutter’s all-important prophecy book, the missing antiChrist and his ice cream-loving friends, and the world-building of Heaven and Hell, all culminating in a showdown with Satan himself. It’s solid storytelling, but it also means that screen time is limited for our favorite angel and demon—and their time together even more so.
When we see Aziraphale and Crowley in season 1, they’re often at maximum stress levels, each trying to appease their “head offices” while attempting to subvert the coming apocalypse and striving to avoid anyone discovering that they’re working together. Aziraphale is paranoid and nervous, Crowley is frustrated, and it’s not until the final minutes of the finale, “The First Day of the Rest of Their Lives,” that they’re able to relax and enjoy each other’s company—and openly admit that they enjoy each other’s company.
The cold open on episode 3, “Hard Times,” is widely considered a fan-favorite, thanks to the flashback sequence of Aziraphale and Crowley bumping into each other over their six thousand years on Earth. This glimpse into their history makes it impossible not to love their dynamic, and it lets both Tennant and Sheen shine more than any other portion of the show. They have a unique and addictive chemistry—even outside of these characters, as evidenced by their performance as versions of themselves in the BBC’s webcam-based lockdown comedy Staged.
In season 2, I’m looking forward to new flashbacks that reveal more of Aziraphale and Crowley’s centuries-long friendship, but I’m hopeful for even more this time. The first season laid the groundwork for both characters to end up “on their own side,” as Crowley put it post-non-apocalypse. Going forward, these two should remain exactly where they’ve always wanted to be: together. With their newfound ability to stop worrying about being discovered, and no need to report back to the higher-ups and lower-downs, I’m ready to see them living and working side-by-side, no matter where their upcoming adventures take them.
Few character duos enjoy the level of fandom celebration that is still going strong for this pair, even two years after season 1 aired; it’s safe to say that a lot of viewers came away from the show eager to see more of Aziraphale and Crowley, specifically. Many fans, myself included, have hypothesized ideas about how “the rest of their lives” might unfold after they helped each other dodge execution. With the head honchos at Heaven and Hell no longer looming over their shoulders, would they find new hobbies? Would they spend more time relaxing in Aziraphale’s beloved bookshop and/or out in the world, enjoying meals in lavish restaurants? And, perhaps most pressing, would Crowley let his hair grow out again?
Prior to the renewal news, the only solid clues we’ve had about what their post-canon life might look like have come from a few comments by novel coauthor and series cocreator Neil Gaiman that, in the world of the book, he’d imagined the two characters eventually sharing a cottage in the South Downs. That concept clearly resonated, inspiring numerous fan works depicting the two in a cozy coastal home. On the popular fanfiction hub Archive of Our Own, the tag “South Downs Cottage (Good Omens)” brings up more than 1,500 fanfics, despite never actually appearing in the show. (Yet?!) Regardless of the events of season 2, it’s hard to imagine a better conclusion than one that cements the legendary cottage as canon, since it would give these characters the happy ending they truly deserve.
It won’t be possible for season 2 to please everyone, of course, and some fans will undoubtedly prefer the first no matter what happens. For now, though, I’m taking the pretty promo poster as a positive sign—a reassurance of what’s to come. A good omen, if you will.
What are your hopes (or wildest dreams) for Good Omens season 2?
(images: BBC/Amazon)
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