This year there was a petition for Netflix to cancel ‘Good Omens‘ because it was “another step to make Satanism appear normal, light and acceptable.” Anyone who has seen ‘Good Omens’ knows that it wasn’t on Netflix but on Amazon Prime and didn’t color Satanism in any light, good or bad. Yet, over 20,000 people signed the petition which also said that the series “mocks God’s wisdom.” Neil Gaiman has now shared his thoughts on the petition and those who signed it:
“I really would’ve loved to have sent a box of chocolates to whoever organized it – they probably would have thought that I was being sarcastic, but it was the best thing in the world.”
The reason why? Marketing!
“It demonstrated that the people who sign petitions to get shows removed don’t actually watch those shows – if anybody at any point involved in that petition had seen Good Omens, they would’ve known how silly their petition was, but also if anybody had seen Good Omens, they would’ve known it was on Amazon Prime!
But what it did for us was become the most amazing and effective promotional tool I could’ve imagined, because everywhere in the world where they have the kind of news show where they ask you questions about what’s in the newspapers, there would be a Good Omens question, which would mention that it was an Amazon Prime show and told people it existed and told people where to go and watch it.”
RELATED: Neil Gaiman Is A Great Guy But Was “Less Amiable” When Working On ‘Good Omens’
We all know that the show was a hit and how much the marketing helped is debatable. While Gaiman is thankful for those who questioned the series, he does have some thoughts about who they are as people:
“I thought that was honestly quite marvelous. And the truth is, if anybody is actually going to petition because Frances McDormand is the voice of God, or because Adam and Eve are black, I think that tells you more about the people who are petitioning than it does about the show.”
I can’t even imagine how you could argue that one.
Did you love ‘Good Omens’ as much as we did? Are you glad that this petition helped give free marketing to the show? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Radio Times
