Good Omens: Neil Gaiman to adapt Terry Pratchett collaboration for TV

VincentHanna said:
Never read a Pratchett book in my life, started watching episode 1 last night but me and my wife found it a struggle.

If I didn't find anything in episode 1 funny, should I persevere?
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If episode 1 doesn't sell it I doubt you will be into this material but episode two better represents the overall show IMO. If episode 2 doesn't do it then it is downhill from there really as you are almost to the peak of the show.
 
Rroff said:
If episode 1 doesn't sell it I doubt you will be into this material but episode two better represents the overall show IMO. If episode 2 doesn't do it then it is downhill from there really as you are almost to the peak of the show.
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I found the books better than the TV adaptations of Pratchett's work.. only one that matched was Going Postal.
 
VincentHanna said:
Never read a Pratchett book in my life, started watching episode 1 last night but me and my wife found it a struggle.

If I didn't find anything in episode 1 funny, should I persevere?
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Probably not.
The source material is not as funny as the Discworld novels but there are a lot of amusing scenes. It does stay very close to the book despite it being published in 1990.
You have Pratchett's humour combined with Gaiman's take on horror (to a degree).
 
I loved this. Almost perfect casting throughout and pefect casting for Crowley and Aziraphale. Some bits felt a little convoluted and shoehorned in - particularly the first episode - but that's forgivable given how epic in scope and ideas the book is. Good Omens is one of my favourite books and this didn't disappoint.
 
VincentHanna said:
Never read a Pratchett book in my life, blah blah blah blah blah blah
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I switched off after that opening statement, you're a disgrace and can leave the room now ;) :p

I loved the job they did with this, anything Pratchett is going to be hard to bring to a small or big screen because most of the nuance is contained in his descriptive comedy but this came damn close and using Sheen and Tennent was enlightened.
 
I really didn't like the first episode, it felt forced and there was barely a laugh.... then it got brilliant. Hit the nail on the head for the tone (I could imagine Sir Terry being happy with it) and there were plenty of laughs throughout.

Great series and I hope they don't try and shoehorn in a follow up because of its popularity, though I remember reading an interview with Gaiman when he pretty said that would never happen as Sir T couldn't be involved.
 
No1newts said:
I really didn't like the first episode, it felt forced and there was barely a laugh....
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I think that's the failing of tv vs. a book. Good Omens is so well written and full of ideas I was sceptical the series could work at all without being a convoluted, disjoined mess. And the first episode half reinforced that (it could have been two or three episodes given what was crammed in). Then thingss settled down and I agree it was excellent. No small feat translating that kind of book to tv!
 
Warbie said:
I think that's the failing of tv vs. a book. Good Omens is so well written and full of ideas I was sceptical the series could work at all without being a convoluted, disjoined mess. And the first episode half reinforced that (it could have been two or three episodes given what was crammed in). Then thingss settled down and I agree it was excellent. No small feat translating that kind of book to tv!
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The middle really nails it but I felt the first and last episode were kind of weak and what worked in a book there didn't really translate to TV. Stretching out the first bit into 2-3 episodes would have significantly changed the nature of the show and not really been particularly interesting watching unless they'd developed an entire story arch of its own within it and made it an entire season itself and that would have been a huge gamble.
 
Rroff said:
Stretching out the first bit into 2-3 episodes would have significantly changed the nature of the show and not really been particularly interesting watching unless they'd developed an entire story arch of its own within it and made it an entire season itself and that would have been a huge gamble.
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Agreed. I wasn't suggesting that btw - more that this is an area where books can do what you can't on a screen and that they did a great job considering.
 
Never read his books but enjoyed the show. Only negatives were Aziraphale and Pulsifer. But to much “cringe” style acting from them, Pulsifer especially, who just seems like the actor can’t act in most of the scenes he’s in.
 
Amp34 said:
Never read his books but enjoyed the show. Only negatives were Aziraphale and Pulsifer. But to much “cringe” style acting from them, Pulsifer especially, who just seems like the actor can’t act in most of the scenes he’s in.
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Jack Whitehall, despite having been in a few roles he isnt really an actor imo, he's more a stand up comedian.
 
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