With Good Omens, the other author, Gaiman, was both extremely invested in preserving Pratchett’s intent/ideas and had a depth of understanding what made the book work because he’d helped create it. Add that to experience in writing for genre tv (Doctor Who), and you have a really strong support for getting it right. I don’t think Discworld has an equivalent.

I think it was one of the most successful adaptations, but that's for some "perfect storm" reasons...many of which boil down to "Neil Gaiman" Like, when the guy who co-wrote is it making decisions its a lot harder to argue with them.

I do think the miniseries is the right length for adaptations generally.

And I don't know that it's possible to get rid of the narrator without getting REAL creative (hovering text, using camera and editing as a sort of "silent narrator" with flashbacks and whatnot). It reminds me of the Muppet Christmas Carol essay. Without Dickens as a character, you lose the whole vibe.

With Good Omens, the other author, Gaiman, was both extremely invested in preserving Pratchett’s intent/ideas and had a depth of understanding what made the book work because he’d helped create it.

He wrote the cold open of episode 3 for the miniseries, and it fit so well that I really thought I forgot a huge chunk of the book. But, nope. When one of the authors of the book is the showrunner, he can add stuff that fits seamlessly.

I think it was one of the most successful adaptations, but that's for some "perfect storm" reasons...many of which boil down to "Neil Gaiman" Like, when the guy who co-wrote is it making decisions its a lot harder to argue with them.

Honestly, this. I read an interview with him where he said that he hated being the showrunner, but he felt like the series ended up being something that Terry would have loved, which was his (Gaiman's) only real goal.

The narrator seemed OK to me in general, but I thought the way they did the bit where the babies are switched made it LESS comprehensible than the book.

I think Gaiman succeeded far more at keeping Good Omens both delightful and true to its source than he appears to be doing with American Gods. Perhaps trying to preserve *another* author's vision rather than his own is what did the trick.

I think w/rt Discworld, the problem for me is that a huge part of what makes Discworld so charming is Pratchett's voice. The sly asides, the footnotes, the brilliant sentences that work so perfectly and make you laugh out loud on the bus.

It's just so difficult to pull that off in a filmed adaptation, and the only way to do it would be with an equally-brilliant script writer. Of which there are very few indeed.

I mean, the characters and the world and the themes are all wonderful, but my favorite bit is the voice and I think it's un-recreatable in any other medium.

I'm pretty sure Neil didn't show-run American Gods

He was co-showrunner in the second season. It was not an improvement on the first.

Has anyone seen the trailer for the new Syfy series, Resident Alien, starring Alan Tudyk? I'm all in. I went out and got the comics the series is based on and I think it has so much potential. I don't know who's writing, or running the show, but I'm curious now.

Oh, I think I saw an ad for that but then I forgot about it. Will check out the trailer when I have a minute...the description sounds right up my alley