“American Gods” has been renewed for a third season at Starz, with Charles “Chic” Eglee named as the new showrunner.
The second season, based on Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, debuted this past Sunday.
“Audiences continue to worship at the altar of ‘American Gods’ and we are excited to be able to announce to all the true believers that there is more of this fantastical series to come,” said Carmi Zlotnik, president of programming for Starz. “With Chic at the helm, the invaluable insight and contributions of Neil Gaiman and the undeniable talent of this dedicated cast and crew, we know that the show will continue to deliver on the vision and promise laid out in the novel.”
Eglee has previously worked on series including “Hemlock Grove,” “The Walking Dead,” “Dexter” and “The Shield.”
The renewal comes after “American Gods” underwent numerous changes both in front of and behind the scenes, which resulted in extensive delays in getting season 2 to the airwaves. Michael Green and Bryan Fuller, who originally adapted Gaiman’s 2001 novel for Starz, left the series after the first season, with Jesse Alexander taking their place.
But then last fall, it was reported that Alexander was no longer working on the show. At the time, Starz and the show’s studio Fremantle declined to comment on Alexander’s status.
During a conversation about the production troubles last month, Gaiman told TheWrap that Alexander was brought in simply to be a bridge to make sure the season was finished. He added that, despite all the troubles, he was confident about a third season.
Along with the showrunner shakeup, “American Gods” saw casting changes going into its sophomore year, with Gillian Anderson (who played Media) replaced by Kahyun Kim (who plays New Media), and the additions of Dean Winters as Mr. Town and Devery Jacobs as Sam Black Crow. Kristin Chenoweth, who played the god Easter in the first season, also departed the series.
“I’m thrilled ‘American Gods’ has been renewed for a third season, and even more thrilled that I’m getting to work on it with Chic Eglee,” said Gaiman, who serves as an executive producer, in a statement. “Chic is the best partner-in-crime. We’ve been working for weeks now on the shape of the season and I’m delighted that he gets to carry the American Gods torch on to glory. Thank you to Fremantle, Starz and Amazon for having faith in the series, to Bryan, Michael and Jesse for bringing it this far, to all the cast and crew, and most of all to the viewers. It’s their love of the characters that took us to this point, and will take us on to the next chapter.”
“American Gods” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Starz