Having won numerous awards and sold over one million copies, Neil Gaiman’s 2001 fantasy novel “American Gods” has finally been adapted for the screen in the form of a new drama series on the premium cable network Starz. The eight-episode first season covers the first third of the book. Click through our photo gallery above to see screenshots from the first four episodes to familiarize yourself with 27 major and minor characters of the television show, complete with official character descriptions and iconic quotes.
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Leading the cast is Ricky Whittle (“The 100,” “Hollyoaks”) as Shadow Moon. Emily Browning (“Sucker Punch,” “A Series of Unfortunate Events”) plays his wife Laura. The series depicts gods living in present-day America, hence the title. Key ones are played by Crispin Glover (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Back to the Future”) and newcomers Yetide Badaki and Bruce Langley.
Pablo Schreiber (“13 Hours,” “Orange is the New Black”) receives the “with” credit for his role as a leprechaun; Ian McShane (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Deadwood”) rounds out the main cast as the con artist employer of Shadow and is billed with the “and” credit.
Emmy voters, take notice of Starz’s stylish new drama ‘American Gods’
Find the official descriptions for the first half of the season below. These four episodes — which were been provided to the press — were written by showrunners Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “Pushing Daisies”) and Michael Green (“Logan,” “Kings”). The first three were directed by executive producer David Slade (“Hannibal,” “Eclipse”); the fourth was by guest director Craig Zobel (“The Leftovers,” “Compliance”).
“The Bone Orchard” (episode 1, aired April 30): When Shadow Moon is released from prison a few days early, following the death of his wife, he meets the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday and is conscripted into his employ as bodyguard. Attacked his first day on the job, Shadow quickly discovers that this role may be more than he bargained for.
“The Secret of Spoon” (episode 2, airing May 7): As Mr. Wednesday begins recruitment for the coming battle, Shadow Moon travels with him to Chicago, and agrees to a very high stakes game of checkers with the old Slavic god, Czernobog.
“Head Full of Sorrow” (episode 3, airing May 14): Shadow questions the terms of his employment when Mr. Wednesday informs him of his plan to rob a bank (because, naturally, every army needs a source of funding). And just when Shadow thought his life couldn’t get any more complicated, he returns to his motel room to a surprising discovery.
“Git Gone” (episode 4, airing May 21): Alternating between the past and the present, Laura’s life and death are explored — how she met Shadow, how she died, and how exactly she came to be sitting on the edge of his motel room bed.
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