Good Omens, the Amazon adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s classic 1990 novel, is back for a second season. It stars Michael Sheen as conflicted angel Aziraphale and David Tennant as a conflicted demon named Crowley. The duo, thus, forms an unlikely pair who combine forces to protect humanity. The series’ 2019 debut earned a cult following. But one must ask, would Good Omens have been better off as a limited series?

In recent years, hit shows that seemed intended to be limited series (cough, The Flight Attendant, cough) have been all but ruined when they attempted a sophomore run. Good Omens 2 isn’t terrible. However, its fairly slight plot about the disappearance of the archangel Gabriel is a bit slight. And all those jokes about how it’s hard to tell whether angels are indeed worse than demons? They landed like Simone Biles in Season One, but four years later, they feel clumsier…

The series’ cheeky exploration of morality’s murkiness and the redemptive nature of friendship remain its core. But for a series that did so well mining those topics in 2019, episodes that provide elaborate satires of The Book of Job or the creation of the universe feel redundant. I kept genuinely asking myself whether I had seen these scenes before, which isn’t a sign of innovative television…

Good Omens 2 isn’t entirely without merit. Its production design remains colourful and campy – If Aziraphale’s sumptuous London bookshop existed in real life, it would be a paradise! Jon Hamm is also comedic gold as the arrogant himbo Angel Gabriel (the performance is actually reminiscent of his work in those iconic Skip The Dishes commercials). And of course, many fans will be delighted to find writers taking the abundant queer subtext between Crowley and Aziraphale and actually exploring it. But despite those highlights, there isn’t enough there to make a worthy successor to a beloved season of TV.

Neil Gaiman himself wrote for Good Omens‘ second season. But it’s worth noting he and Pratchett never published a sequel to the Good Omens novel. The novel, by the way, serves as the basis of the show. Knowing when not to ruin a good thing by shoehorning it into a series is an impressive act of restraint TV should embrace more often. You have a talented group of people who produce a delightful limited series. Perhaps, just pay them to develop new ideas rather than resurrecting the old ones. The alternative is turning art into mere IP….