Good Omens is a series about an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant) who must work together to save the world from the antichrist.
On paper the premise sounds like some Z-grade movie you’d find randomly on demand, or a forgettable series heading to SyFy in the dead of a summer. Simply put — it all sounds rather dreadful.
Fortunately, Good Omens takes literally every great beat from the history of British comedy, and science fiction and melded them perfectly in a delightful series of apocalyptic events. Simply put — it’s a must-binge.
Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet, Omens’ premiere uses the backdrop of the Apocalypse as the perfect way to introduce us to the reason we’re all watching this series — the team of David Tennant and Michael Sheen. From the moment we saw the first press photo of these two it was wildly apparent that these two would be a perfect onscreen tandem. Spoilers — they absolutely are.
Tennant goes “full Tennant” in the premiere. Sauntering through scenes with unabashed blend of Mick Jagger swagger undercut by that signature frenetic and kinetic Tennant charisma. Sheen, on the other hand, is marvelous as the twitchily fastidious, and constantly put upon angel. In fact, in the premiere, it’s Sheen and not Tennant who’s given the juiciest lines, and comedic moments — a bit of surprise, for sure.
However, the moment these two get together it’s an instantaneous Oscar and Felix relationship — expect if Oscar and Felix were other worldly creatures, and British, of course. The lovingly antagonistic bond these two have is just a joy to behold, and it’s positioned rather cleverly. Tennant’s demon character is the “tempter” of the two, but it’s quite apparent that both characters have rubbed off on each after all these centuries. Tennant’s Crowley isn’t afraid to do the ring thing, while Sheen’s Aziraphale isn’t opposed to indulgence, and looking the other way when Crowley does something bad.
Good Omens’ premiere isn’t just the Tennant and Sheen Show. No, it’s got a lot of really great things going on. From the Monty Python meets Masterpiece Theater opening animation to Jon Hamm’s super douchey portrayal of the Angel Gabriel, to Frances McDormand’s literal voice of God narration, to the comedic mishap that fuels the plot of the premiere — Good Omens has started off on the best foot possible.
Good Omens is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUJoR4vlIIs
