Good Omens is bigger than Neil Gaiman – it belongs to its fans

But, for reasons that everyone knows, that hasn’t happened. Following accusations of sexual assault and abuse from five women (which he has strongly denied), Neil Gaiman has exited the series and, while he contributed to the finale, he won’t be working on the production. A new writer is set to come in and finish the work, with the show ending in a shorter space of time than we all had anticipated.

Obviously, the most important thing is that the allegations are taken seriously. At the same time, it’s OK for fans of the show to still be sad that they won’t get the full ending they were hoping for.

But it’s worth remembering that Good Omens is so much bigger than any one person. From the off, the novel was written in partnership between Gaiman and the late Sir Terry Pratchett, with everyone, most prominently the author’s daughter Rhianna and Rob Wilkins, who looks after his estate, ensuring that Pratchett’s legacy is honoured at every turn. On the Good Omens set, Pratchett is felt everywhere, from his hatstand that’s always in shot in Aziraphale’s bookshop to the actual portrait of him looming over customers in the Dirty Donkey pub.

While Pratchett tragically passed away before Good Omens made it to screen, he’s played no small part in the finale episode either, with the plot set to bring to life a conversation he and Gaiman had decades ago about what would happen next to Crowley and Aziraphale.

As Wilkins told RadioTimes.com previously: “Neil and Terry, they plotted out in a hotel room in Seattle in the early 1990s, they shared a room together and they talked about what would happen next…there’s a definite story arc for Aziraphale and Crowley and we’ve got to see that to the end. We have to.”

Nothing has been confirmed about the conversations that went on behind the scenes about the future of Good Omens, but I would hazard a guess that Rhianna Pratchett and Rob Wilkins played a huge role in ensuring that the series wasn’t cancelled entirely after season 2, continuing Pratchett’s legacy once more. With one final episode, fans will see the vision that Pratchett had for these characters that were as much his as Gaiman’s almost 10 years after his death – and there’s definitely some magic in that.

Then there are the cast who have worked tirelessly on the series. Listening to Tennant and Sheen speak about Good Omens, it’s not difficult to hear how much love they have for the show. Sheen previously touched on the “extraordinary” reaction that fans have had to the show, and especially to the season 2 finale, which saw Aziraphale and Crowley admit their feelings to each other. It’s so clearly a labour of love for the pair and it’s a semblance of relief that they’ll get to reach some closure for the characters in the finale episode.

As for the crew and creatives, who must have faced a minefield of uncertainty when production was paused earlier this year? As with any production, there are countless people behind the scenes that make the magic come to life, but Good Omens always feels a league above any other show in terms of the level of care, detail, and attention.

To name just a couple, costume designer Kate Currin stopped at nothing to bring flamboyance, inspiration, and a touch of magic to the outfits in season 2. Set designer Michael Ralph added beautiful hidden meanings into Aziraphale’s bookshop. Oh and that bookshop? It was genuinely burnt down at the end of season 1, only to be meticulously rebuilt for season 2. So many of the crew have gone above and beyond to bring the magic to live, and the series belongs to them too.

And then, of course, there are the fans, without whom the series never would have continued in the first place. A 90-minute episode is undoubtedly a bit of a blow to many of us but it’s one saving grace that the series is actually getting an ending (something that’s all too rare in the current age of streaming).

It would have been easy for Prime Video to cancel the series entirely after season 2, with our angel and demon canonically left apart forever more. But, I have no doubt that, no matter what comes of the 90-minute finale, the community of Good Omens fans will help the story to live on – in watch parties, in fan art, in fan fiction, in cosplays and more.

From its very conception, Good Omens has always been bigger than one person and this final chapter will be a lasting reminder of that. The show has, does and always will belong to its fans and, after this finale episode, it’ll be in their hands.