History Literature / GoodOmens

** War, who can [[HeroesWantRedheads make men fight over her]]. To be more exact, fight ''through'' her, they were going to execute her for disrupting a four-way battle. [[spoiler:[[LudicrousGibs Well, you get the idea]].]]

* TokenGoodTeammate: While not as affable as his Literature/{{Discworld}} counterpart, Death never does anything that could actually be described as evil, in stark contrast to the other Horsepersons of the Apocalypse. Although Famine at one point considers that Death is something BeyondGoodAndEvil in a way that even the other Horsemen are spooked by. He doesn't need to ''do'' anything, good or bad, he just needs to ''be''.

Amazon and the BBC greenlit a [[Series/GoodOmens2019 miniseries]], which was written by Gaiman (with Pratchett's blessing). Creator/DavidTennant plays Crowley, while the role of Aziraphale is filled by Creator/MichaelSheen. The full production began in September 2017, and the series was released on May 31, 2019, on Amazon Prime. Playing other roles are Anna Maxwell-Martin (Beelzebub), Creator/MichaelMcKean (Sgt. Shadwell), Creator/MirandaRichardson (Madame Tracy), and Creator/JonHamm (ArchangelGabriel). Please put tropes for that series [[Series/GoodOmens2019 here]].

** Shakespeare's three "lost plays": ''The Comedie of Robin Hoode, or The Forest of Sherwoode'', ''The Trapping of the Mouse'', and ''[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Golde Diggers of 1589]]''. (Two of these are actually references to specific theatrical or cinematic productions; the second is a reference to Creator/AgathaChristie's ''Theatre/TheMousetrap'', while ''Golde Diggers'' is a reference to a series of similarly named movie musicals from [[Film/GoldDiggersOf1933 1933]], [[Film/GoldDiggersOf1935 1935]], and [[Film/GoldDiggersOf1937 1937]]. However, it is unlikely any attested usages of the idiom exist from as early as Shakespeare's day.)

* TokenGoodTeammate: While not as affable as his Literature/{{Discworld}} counterpart, Death never does anything that could actually be described as evil, in stark contrast to the other Horsepersons of the Apocalypse.

* NonHumanNonBinary: Angels and demons, including main characters Aziraphale and Crowley, are described as "sexless unless they really want to make an effort". Co-writer Neil Gaiman considers them all to be nonbinary.

* DivinelyAppearingDemons: Crowley notes that there's "not that much difference" in appearance between angels and demons, except [[EvilIsSexy the demons are better groomed]]. One of the running themes of the book is that angels and demons are not so different.

** Crowley, having already crossed the demonic MoralEventHorizon by [[spoiler: using holy water on Ligur]], considers [[spoiler: putting the tape in which Hastur is trapped into his car until it turns into a Queen album]], then decides it would be too cruel.

* EvilIsSexy: InUniverse. Demons are fallen angels, so (as Crowley mentions) they ''look'' pretty much like angels, but take better care of their appearances.

** Downplayed; there is little difference between the wings of angels and demons ([[EvilIsSexy though the wings of demons tend to be better groomed]]).

** Famine is first encountered in a restaurant called "Top of the Sixes" at 666 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. [[AluminumChristmasTrees Which is a real building, by the way.]]

26 And the Angel said, I had ''it'' here only a moment ago, I must have put it down some where, forget my own head next.\\

* ScrewDestiny: The entire book is about breaking away from destiny and people's expectations of you, and finding your own path. At the end, [[spoiler:Newton Pulsifer even convinces Anathema Device not to live her life trying to interpret prophecies left to her by a distant ancestor]]. Also, [[spoiler:the Antichrist averts Armageddon.]] However, [[spoiler:Agnes may have seen it all coming.]] Hilarious that the plot to Screw Destiny is actually orchestrated by God, and everything might have gone just as His [[MagicFranchiseWord ineffable]] plan intended; even the angels and devils really have no idea.

* YouWereTryingTooHard: Anathema [[GenreSavvy tries]] and [[WrongGenreSavvy fails]] to invoke this trope.

* ActionGirl: Pepper, [[FieryRedhead War]], and Anathema (she carries a bread knife).

** Other bikers are ''literally'' Hell's Angels.

** Newt's Wasabi.

* AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering: "Listen, do you know what eternity is?"

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Hastur and Ligur, Dukes of Hell... and then there's Lucifer.
* BabyTalk (or possibly, given that she's a Satanist, CutenessProximity): Sister Mary Loquacious, getting distracted by the baby Antichrist and his little hoofie-woofies. [[spoiler:Which he hasn't got]].

* BeingGoodSucks[=/=]BeingEvilSucks: Aziraphale and Crowley commiserate while drinking.

* BurnTheWitch: On Agnes Nutter. It doesn't work [[StuffBlowingUp entirely as planned.]]

* ColourfulThemeNaming and/or ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: Three of the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Bikers of the Apocalypse]] have names that reference the colors of the horses that, according to biblical texts, they ride out on.

* CoolOldGuy: Shadwell is one, for a given value of "cool."

* CoolShades: Crowley has some, which he wears ''[[SunglassesAtNight all the time]]''.

* DarkActionGirl: War.
* DarkIsNotEvil[=/=]LightIsNotGood[=/=]GoodIsNotNice: See Not So Different below.
** "...stretching off to infinity, were the hosts of Heaven and Hell, wingtip to wingtip. If you looked really closely, and had been specially trained, you could tell the difference." Incidentally, this is also a shout-out to a very famous series of pictures by MC Escher depicting... you guessed it: geometrically-spaced angels dovetailing perfectly with geometrically-spaced devils.
* DeadlyPrank: The bucket over the door trick. Holy water + demons. Bad combination. At least, for the demon.

** To Dog's chagrin (and initial confusion), his standard issue, weapons-grade hellhound stare of doom and death... stops being anywhere as effective after, you know, he's been cutified and shrunk. He gets over it.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Crowley is something of a speed demon.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Anathema. She is a witch.

* {{Foil}}: Crowley and Aziraphale, Shadwell and Tracey, Newton and Anathema, etc. See GeodesicCast, below.

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Adam is Sanguine, Pepper is Choleric, Wensleydale is Melancholic, and Brian is Phlegmatic.

* FriendlyEnemy: See the OddCouple entry.

* FunnyForeigner[=/=]EagleLand: [[spoiler:Sister Mary mistakes Mr. Young for the American diplomat.]] HilarityEnsues.

** See {{Foil}}, above.
** Each of the Them corresponds to one of the the Horsepersons of the Apocalypse. Adam is Death, Pepper is War, Brian is Pollution, and Wensleydale is Famine.

* IGaveMyWord: Crowley is a demon of his word.

* KnightInSourArmor: Aziraphale and Crowley.
* KnightTemplar:

* LouisCypher: Ubiquitous, especially among the Horsepersons.

* MagiciansAreWizards: Defied. Aziraphale refuses to use his actual powers during his magic act, because it would be cheating.

* MultitaskedConversation
* MundaneUtility: The divine / infernal powers are nice for miracling up vintage wines into existence and keeping your car dent-free.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution

* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling[=/=]SpiderSense
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch

** Aziraphale and Crowley, who are nominally on opposite sides but are {{Mirror Character}}s and spend a lot of time [[GoKartingWithBowser hanging out together]].

* OurAngelsAreDifferent

* PostApocalypticTrafficJam: one of these starts to form on the M25 London orbital motorway thanks to Crowley reshaping it into an Infernal glyph meaning "all hail the great beast, devourer of worlds." This proves an inconvenience for him as he's trying to leave London and stop the Apocalypse, especially as it comes to be ringed with fire.
* PosthumousCharacter: Agnes Nutter, 17th Centuy Wytche.

* ProperlyParanoid: At one point, it's mentioned that Hastur is paranoid, which is in fact a very reasonable thing since he's grown up in Hell, where everyone really ''is'' out to get you.

* PsychoactivePowers: The Antichrist's powers are triggered when he gets upset.

** FightingAShadow

* SuspiciouslyCleanCriminalRecord: Aziraphale is an angel, and so scrupulously good that he's been audited five times on the basis that anyone who turns in accurate tax forms on time has something to hide.

* SweetTooth: Aziraphale has a great liking for sweets.

* TalkingToPlants: Crowley's habit of talking to his houseplants does make them grow better, but that's because he intimidates them with death threats if they don't.

* TallDarkAndSnarky: Crowley.

** War takes such names as Scarlett or Carmine, and even the last name Zuigiber (latin for ginger, well nearly;technically that would be Zingiber).

** War takes such names as Scarlett or Carmine, and even the last name Zuigiber (latin for ginger).

Pratchett and Gaiman considered working on a sequel, but aside from the potential title ''668: The Neighbour of the Beast'' nothing ever came of it. With the death of Pratchett, it is a near-certainty that the book will never see the light of day.

* TakeThatUs: Despite all the jabs against Americans, the British get one when it's pointed out their [=McLordy=] restaurants manage to take every positive aspect of the American version and remove it: taking the "fast" out of "fast food", serve it at room temperature, and the only way to differentiate between the bun and the patty is that there's lettuce between them.

* LongTitle: The full title of the book, as shown on the cover is ''Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch''. The version printed above the Dramatis Personae is even longer, in keeping with common eighteenth- and nineteenth-century practice for book titles:
--> GOOD OMENS\\
A Narrative of Certain Events occurring in the last eleven years of human history, in strict accordance as shall be shewn with:\\
The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter\\
Compiled and edited, with Footnotes of an Educational Nature, and Precepts for the Wise, by Creator/NeilGaiman and Creator/TerryPratchett.

** Anathema's warm woolen cloak and reliable bicycle may be a shout-out to Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of the medium Madame Arcati in the 1945 movie version of ''Theatre/BlitheSpirit''.

* TheChainOfHarm: Crowley takes full advantage of it to maximize his efforts in making human lives miserable: he calls it "thinking wide", such as tying up all the phone lines in Central London for less than an hour, which caused the people inconvenienced to trigger expanding waves of bad temper and abuse. Other, more traditional demons frown at this.

* {{Metatron}}: Shows up when Aziraphale reports on the location of the Anti christ, deciding not yo do anything about it. Also shows up in the finale when Adam decides not to end the world, mentioned to look almost indistinguishable from his EvilCounterpart {{Beelzebub}} excepting a PaletteSwap.

* TheChainOfHarm: Crowley takes full advantage of it to maximize his efforts in making human lives miserable: he calls it "thinking wide". Other, more traditional demons frown at this.

** "Human beings mostly aren't [particularly evil]. They just get carried away by new ideas, like [[ThoseWackyNazis dressing up in jackboots]] and shooting people, or dressing up in white sheets and lynching people, or dressing up in tie-dye denims and playing guitars at people".

* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The year in which the modern plotline is set is never given, only that it is eleven years after the screwup with the babies at the hospital.

-->[[AC:I am Azrael, created to be creation's shadow. You cannot destroy me. That would destroy the world.]]

* AchievementsInIgnorance: Adam pulls this off by combining godlike powers with a child's view of the world. For example, he doesn't like nuclear power, so he makes the local nuclear reactor go away. But since he never considered the implications of the core of a power plant suddenly disappearing, they don't happen, and as a result the plant is still generating power even though there is no generator.

* DreamTeam: Creator/TerryPratchett and Creator/NeilGaiman working together. Of course, this was before either of them was particularly well-known.