American Gods Sidelines Showrunner: Is The Starz Drama in Jeopardy?!

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The issues surrounding the production of American Gods Season 2 are mounting. 

In a stunning new report on The Hollywood Reporter, it has been revealed that showrunner, Jesse Alexander is no longer working on the Starz drama

The news comes seven months after Alexander took on the showrunner duties following the departures of both Michael Green and Bryan Fuller. 

Laura and Shadow — American Gods Season 1 Episode 4

While he has not been officially fired, he has been asked to stay away from the production of the show. The article states that he has been "fired but not fired."

This could suggest that the network is not ready to announce a replacement as of yet, or that there is some damage control to be done before a replacement is found. 

Related: American Gods Season 2: Who's Replacing Gillian Anderson?

When there are big overhauls behind the scenes, and they become common knowledge, and it can have a knock-on effect on the quality of the series. 

ABC's Designated Survivor is a prime example of that. Through two seasons, it had four showrunners and ABC cited the quality of the show as one of the decisions that went into canceling it. 

The behind the scenes drama is worrisome for any series, never mind one that has thus far aired just one season. 

American Gods Season 1 wrapped in June 2017 and the highly anticipated second season is not scheduled to premiere until 2019. 

The report in THR speaks about some of the issues, and much of it stems from the quality of the scripts. Ian McShane and other actors have not been all that enthused by the quality of the writing. 

Also, Jesse's first two drafts of the Season 2 finale script were allegedly not met with a positive response by Starz, and a seventh draft is currently in the works. 

The Boneyard - American Gods Season 1 Episode 1

Production is currently running six weeks behind, meaning the budget is continuing to balloon for this series which already came with a hefty price tag. 

“American Gods has a deep and complex mythology and a unique visual style that makes this series one of the most ambitious productions on television, and one that we remain committed to delivering for our audience,” Starz said in a statement to THR.

Related: American Gods Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Come to Jesus

“We are confident that when the fans get their first look at Season 2 in just a few weeks at New York Comic-Con, they will agree it was worth the wait.”

A New Low-Key on TV - American Gods Season 1 Episode 1

While Starz may be putting a positive spin on all of the drama, this news is very concerning. It would be a waste not to air the sophomore run, but anything beyond that is very much uncertain. 

What are your thoughts on this news? 

Hit the comments below. 

Remember you can watch American Gods online right here via TV Fanatic. Get caught up right now. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.

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American Gods Quotes

It's like one of those good/news bad news jokes, isn't it? The good news is, we'are lettin' you out early. The bad news is your wife's dead.

Guard

Shadow, we're going to be releasin' you later this afternoon. You'll be gettin' out a coupla days early. There's no good way to say this, so I'll put it plain. This came in from Johnson City Hospital from Eagle point. Your wife, she died in the early hours of this morning. It was ah, an automobile accident.

Warden