Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett created comedy gold when they wrote the novel Good Omens. The pair wove pop culture references, biblical humor, puns, and even a few slap-stick moments into a work of art. Terry Pratchett always envisioned bringing his creation to life on the screen. The iconic writer passed away before he could see that dream realized but his good friend Neil carries on their work.
Every adaptation requires edits. You can’t fit every detail of every page into 6 episodes. What changes were made from the book to the mini-series? Keep reading to find out.
Same: Queen
You may have noticed Crowley’s taste in music. Every time you see him in his iconic car he’s blasting the legendary band, Queen. This is a style choice that reflects an interesting quirk of the car. In the book, Crowley describes an interesting problem. Any album left in the Bently long enough will soon become an anthology of Queen’s greatest hits. In the novel, readers get a treat that isn’t included in the show. Each album retains some of its original styles. This leads to Crowley listening to Queen mashups with varying degrees of enthusiasm. That joke may be lost but the reference still gets a laugh.
Different: A Better Backstory
Good Omens opens with the longest cold opening in tv history. The first 30 minutes of the show is dedicated to exposition, establishing the friendship between Crowly and Aziraphale across all of human history. We see them help each other out from the Garden of Eden until the end times. The book establishes that the angel and demon are close but it asks the reader to just take its word for it. The added exposition makes the relationship between the two divine characters even more interesting. It’s a welcome change to an already fantastic buddy story.
Same: The King Is Alive
The book is full to the brim of clever pop culture references. There’s a popular conspiracy theory that Elvis was not of this earth and never died. Each year there are hundreds of reported sightings of the king of rock n roll. He’s spotted all over the globe by people from all walks of life. Some fans noticed a man at the diner with the four horsemen that looked a lot like Elvis. It may very well have been. In this universe the king is alive and crooning behind the grill, working fast food.
Different: Missing Horsemen
One change made to the story left fans particularly disappointed. When the four horsemen set upon the earth to torment humanity during the end times they make a pit stop. At a humble cafe called The Happy Porker, the apocalyptic crew meets up with some colorful bikers. They form an impromptu gang with the biblical horsemen. It proves to be one o the most memorable scenes in the book with many fans calling it their favorite. Gaimen made the decision to cut the scene for budgetary reasons. He refused to edit Terry Pratchett’s contributions out of the story and chose to sacrifice one of his own.
Same: Nasty Nursery
Crowley gets to keep some of his hobbies from the novel. He’s an avid horticulturist in both versions of the story. Believing that talking to plants helps them grow Crowley decides to try the practice out. The polite demon carries a lot of pent up aggression that he’s too kind to unleash onto humanity. Crowley rules his plants with an iron fist.
He relies on the power of fear as a motivator to get his greenery to grow. It’s a small detail but it speaks volumes about the demon’s values and personality. He wants to be good at being bad but he’s just too well rounded for his own job. yelling at his plants is the one evil thing he thrives at.
Different: Finally Ginger
In the book Good Omens, Crowley is described as having dark hair. The series makes a wild departure in this detail as the demon has firey red locks instead. The production team decided to go in a bit of a different direction. David Tennant approves. He says the color makes sense because Crowley comes from the flames of hell. Some fans suspect he’s just excited to finally be ginger on screen. When he played The Doctor, he had hoped one regeneration would eventually have beautiful coppery locks. The choice makes little difference to the story but it does provide a beautiful aesthetic.
Same: Restocking The World
Good Omens is a story about nature vs. nurture and the power of friendship. It happens to mostly take place in the days leading up to the apocalypse. Bibliophile angel Aziraphale has many reasons for not wanting the world to end. A large one is his obsession with books. As you might imagine, the end of the world is a messy affair. Aziraphale runs a bookstore full of books he tries not to seel. The collection means the world to him. After the apocalypse, Adam exercises his power for good and restores the angel’s shop
Different: Cold Cocoa
Aziraphale’s bibliomania is intense. The angel loves books and runs a book store as his human cover story. One title he’s searched for happens to be central to the plot of the story and finds its way into Crowley’s possession. The Nice And Accurate Prophecies Of Agnes Nutter, Witch is finally in his grasp. Aziraphale sits quietly reading his elusive prize and is shocked to find a prophecy about himself in his very chair. Agnes helpfully alerts him to his cocoa cup which is steadily growing colder. The scene is charming but it doesn’t appear in the novel.
Same: Cowboy Up
Fans who watched the series but didn’t read the book may wonder if Crowley really quoted John Wayne in the novel. Crowley still loves The Duke in the book but his interest in films expands way beyond the odd spaghetti western. Crowley is a total cinephile, one of his many favorite inventions of humanity. He quotes action films in the novel and performs Bruce Lee high kicks. Crowley’s love of film is so extreme he sent away for James Bond stickers for the Bentley. He also loves the TV show Golden Girls.
Different: Tire Swing Torture
Little Adam is the de facto leader of his little band of half-pint followers. They get up to all the usual kid hijinx you’d expect including pretend torture sessions. Pepper’s baby sister is volunteered to be the persecuted witch. In the novel, the kids build a makeshift ducking stool for the interrogation. The device is historically accurate for this kind of brutal scene. Gaiman made it clear that he wanted some changes made for safety reasons. He was worried any children watching the show might copy this scene. That could have potentially deadly consequences. The story suffers nothing for the change. It’s a small change to make in the name of safety.
