Is Good Omens season 2 based on a book? What happened to planned Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novel

The first season of Good Omens, released in 2019, was based on the 1990 novel of the same name by fantasy authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. 

Gaiman spent decades trying to get the series adapted for the screen, with plans for series starring Johnny Depp falling through in 2002. A series written by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott was announced in 2011 but also came to nothing.  

The series was finally greenlit by Amazon in early 2017 by which time Pratchett had died. Following Pratchett’s death Gaiman announced that he would not work on the adaptation without him, but when he received a letter from Pratchett, arranged to be sent posthumously, urging him to follow through with the project, he changed his mind.

The first season was a faithful adaptation of the source material, with Gaiman’s footnotes even included as Easter eggs - for instance the Best of Queen soundtrack playing in Crowley’s car.

Is Good Omens season 2 based on a book?

Gaiman and Pratchett began planning a second Good Omens novel as early as 1989, before the first book was even published. However, Gaiman later moved to the US whilst Pratchett remained in England, and the pair worked on separate novels and never got round to writing their sequel which would have been called 668—The Neighbour of the Beast.

Gaiman later said that the pair had planned out more of the sequel and that it would feature more angels. He also revealed that he and Pratchett had agreed on a plot, but he was not sure if the sequel would ever be written.

The second season is therefore not based on a published novel and follows on from where the 1990 book left off. Season two will further explore the relationship between the angel Aziraphel and demon Crowley, who began the first series as frenemies but ended it as very close friends.

It is expected that elements from season two will be based on the ideas for the novel that was never written. The angel Gabriel, played by Jon Hamm in the first season, is actually only mentioned in the book and was planned to be properly introduced in the sequel.

Gabriel will be a driving force in the sequel series, disrupting Aziraphel and Crowley's lives by turning up naked on their doorstep in Soho with no idea of who he is or how he got there.

Gaiman has written season two with comedy writer John Finnemore whose work includes sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look and Hugh Laurie sci-fi comedy Avenue 5.

When is Good Omens season 2 out?

The second season of Good Omens was released on Amazon Prime on Friday 28 July. There are six episodes in the series and they were all released in one go.