Two Wrongs Make A Right: Canceled Shows That Led to ‘American Gods’

In every television career, some cancellation must fall. Networks are known for ending good shows much too early. Thankfully, this doesn’t always stop the creators from making more programs for us to watch. Yet, there are always elements from their past that follow them into their new endeavors.

The creators of American Gods, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, have both created television shows that couldn’t get past their first season. Some of the similarities are that they were both difficult to explain easily, stylized, well-reviewed, and stacked with amazing casts.

Waiting for the next gods fix? Check out these two shows which are currently available to stream on Amazon.

Michael Green’s ‘Kings‘ (NBC – 2009)

IMDB.com describes: “A modern day, alternate-reality drama about a hero who rises to become the King of his nation, based on the biblical story of King David.”

This is a terrible description which is one of the many problems it faces with trying to get people to watch it. A better description would be: if monarchs appointed by God existed in a modern setting and Ian McShane was that monarch.

San Francisco Gate reviewer, Tim Goodman, explains best how hard this is to describe in his review:

If ‘Kings’ wants to mine the Bible for more stories or continue on the David and Goliath path, that might be interesting. So are the Shakespearean elements. So is the odd clash of ‘Gossip Girl’ meets ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ moments. There are quirky bits of humor in ‘Kings.’ It’s visually engrossing. Then it goes oddly flat in parts, only to kick-start itself with another clash of tones.

You can see how hard this is to explain and yet, everything about the series itself is great. The characters are well written, the plot lines are thought out, sub-plots are topical, the actors are fantastic, and the cinematography is gorgeous to watch. The failure was entirely the fault of the lack of marketing and support from the network. Thankfully, Starz has been fully supporting American Gods every step of the way.

Bryan Fuller’s ‘Wonderfalls‘ (FOX – 2004)

IMDB.com describes: “Jaye Tyler is a loner living in Niagara Falls who, after graduating college, has fallen into a care-free comfortable rut living in a trailer park and working as a retail clerk in the Falls souvenir shop of Wonderfalls – that is until the souvenirs, and anything in the world with an anthropomorphic face, starts talking to her, insisting she do things in cryptic single sentence messages or there will be dire consequences (or at least lack of sleep).”

This series was so odd and quirky that the official trailer for the series is a music video set to the theme song. This just makes it seem even odder and quirkier.

The main character had a pretty normal life until thrown into situations that are explainable without either thinking their crazy or accepting that it is supernatural. The tone is lighter, the main character is female, and the messages she is getting are leading her to help others instead of helping gods. Aside from that, it is a very similar path to acceptance the main character takes to the situation at hand.

Teaming Up These Two Creators Makes Sense

The sensibilities of both Fuller and Green play well together. Fuller has a past of quirky characters and very stylized visuals from not only Wonderfalls but Pushing Daisies and Hannibal. Green has worked with great casts and solid writing from not only Kings but his writing on Logan and Alien: Covenant.

While they both have come from shows canceled too soon, they have continued to work which has lead them to their current venture. Unlike these shows, the hope is that American Gods will continue on to a Season Two.

Did you see either of these shows when they aired? Let us know in the comments your thoughts or check out the shows themselves on the links below.

Watch Kings and/or Wonderfalls on Amazon.

[Header Photo Credit: Starz]