‘Good Omens’ Season 3 Is an Unfortunate Finale for One of Prime Video’s Best Shows | Review

When Good Omens first aired on Prime Video, it became a surprise hit, one that lovers of fantasy gravitated toward for its quirky humor, irreverent tone, and strong performances. Yet it would take four years before fans got another taste of the heavenly series. Season 2 brought more divine antics, new cameos and guest stars, and more praise for the series based on the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Since that 2023 release, however, things have taken a sharp turn for any project associated with Gaiman. In 2024, Gaiman was accused of sexual assault and misconduct by five women. To spare you the details of these allegations, suffice it to say that the author had a sudden fall from grace, and any film or TV show adapted from Gaiman's work came to a halt as studios debated over how to handle production.

Good Omens, which featured incredibly strong involvement from Gaiman (who acted as showrunner, writer, and executive producer), had begun production on Season 3 before he left the project entirely. The resulting finale for the beloved series has been reduced to one 90-minute episode rather than a batch of six like previous seasons. If it feels like there's a lot to wrap up for that one episode, you'd be right, and unfortunately, the final chapter of Good Omens just can't reach the same heights that its predecessors did.

'Good Omens' Can't Escape Neil Gaiman's Shadow, No Matter How Hard It Tries

The fact of the matter is that Gaiman's fingerprints are all over this series, more so than any of his previously adapted works. His voice, his themes, and his storytelling style were key elements of what made Good Omens the success it was. Unfortunately, that means that with his departure, it's more obvious than ever that something is missing. That's not to say the show made a mistake by separating from Gaiman, but the change in creative parties is impossible to miss.

Gaiman's name is still listed in the show's credits, but now also includes Michael Marshall Smith and Peter Atkins as co-writers of the teleplay. If the latter two were brought in to mimic Gaiman's style, then that attempt hasn't quite cleared the bar. The 90-minute runtime does no favors for Good Omens as well, but there is a lot of tonal inconsistency in this final episode compared to the 12 before it, making the overall viewing experience jarring, especially if you've just caught up with a rewatch of the prior season.

It's not clear which creative decisions were Gaiman's and which were made by Smith, Atkins, and the rest of the creative team, but the first third of the episode feels much slower than the rest. It meanders to the point where you might wonder how the show could possibly wrap up such an expansive story in a single finale, all while introducing pivotal new characters. Since much of the runtime is spent laying the foundation for a story that feels half-formed, the episode haphazardly barrels toward the end, trying to tie up loose ends while still delivering the same quality of storytelling as before.

Michael Sheen and David Tennant Save 'Good Omens' Season 3

The saving grace of Good Omens' inconsistent finale is the fact that Michael Sheen and David Tennant are still firing on all cylinders, able to keep the ship afloat as they bounce effortlessly off of one another. Whatever its faults, the final moments of the episode are some of the sweetest of the entire series. Though it feels a bit too neatly wrapped up, lovers of Crowley and Aziraphale's romance have little to complain about. Tennant, in particular, is a delight as Crowley, playing all the different facets of the character. His natural chemistry with Sheen feels so effortless, you might even miss some of the episode's shakiest parts. The only issue is that the two characters don't even properly reunite until about a third of the way into the episode.

Unfortunately, Season 3 also brings in some new faces for the finale that don't quite land, even with the talent on the screen. Sean Pertwee steps in as Brian Cameron, a gangster who has swooped in to take Crowley's beloved Bentley after a bad game of chance. Pertwee feels like a fully-formed Guy Ritchie character, one who could have been a delightful new addition to the show, but is ultimately made to feel redundant given how insignificant he is by the halfway point. Mark Addy also pops in as Harry the Fish, a hustler and someone who befriends Bilal Hasna's Jesus. (Yes, that Jesus.) The two have some light-hearted and entertaining moments, but again fall victim to the episode's pacing. What might have been two inspired new additions to the universe now feel like an aside that could have been cut for time.

'Good Omens' Final Farewell Isn't a Total Loss, but It Should've Been Grander

The shame in all of this is that Good Omens was easily one of Prime Video's most unique and exciting shows. The concept might be a difficult one to grasp if you're going in blind, but thanks to the cast, the witty dialogue, and the fun play on Judeo-Christian mythology, it is by far one of the most refreshing stories to come from the streamer. When compared to shows like Sandman or American Gods — both original shows based on stories by Gaiman — Good Omens had the strongest consistency and has, undeniably, delivered the largest impact.

To reassure fans, the Good Omens series finale is still enjoyable. There's a lot to love, and it's generally impressive that the show has managed to wrap up in such a short amount of time. The problem is that when compared to previous episodes, the finale loses a lot of the nuance that the series has become so well known for. Much of that is given to Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship, which is definitely a good thing, but I can't help but wonder why the series even bothered to introduce new characters or storylines when there was already so much to do. It's a shame that after all of this time, this is the ending that Good Omens gets, as it most certainly should have had a grander farewell. However, it's not a complete loss, and giving the main pairing a chance at a happily ever after is still better than nothing. At the very least, after Gaiman's controversies and a rushed series finale, the heart of Good Omens is still beating.

Good Omens' final episode premieres May 13 on Prime Video.