Series Hellishly Divine
(Note: this review will be written for those who have already read the book Good Omens, as that's the best way I can review it.)
It is in many ways a toss-up whether this or the book it was adapted from is the better portrayal of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's quasi-satirical Christian apocalypse romp; the book contains just a few descriptions and scenes not present in the show for time and presentation reasons, but the show brings the rest to life in a way I've very rarely seen literature media do.
The casting for the characters is truly inspired: I had my doubts about Tennant as Crowley, and I did not recognize the man cast as Aziraphale, but both put their all into their roles as the sauntered-vaguely-downward demon and the misplacer-of-flaming-swords angel. Michael Mc Kean as Inspector Shadwell is a riot, Jon Hamm as the Archangel fucking Gabriel brings so much to what I thought would be a one-note role, Mireille Enos is everything I expected from the Horsewoman War - really, every single casting choice was the best it could be in this production, far as I'm concerned.
The story and events thereof are a very faithful adaptation of the book's plot and dialogue - far as I can tell, they cut less than 2% of the original story, mostly narrator descriptions and very minor scenes, so what we're left with is pure Gaiman and Pratchett goodness, every line delivered with utmost conviction and every scene played to the hilt regarding the very serious silliness of the premise. On top of what was kept, there were a few things changed or added in, like additional emphasis on the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley, that work to the benefit of the story told. Just about all the effects and prosthetics for the supernatural characters and crazy happenings brought about by the Antichrist being given to the wrong family are great, especially what they do with the eyes - a personal favorite is Gabriel's subtly violet eyes in the final episode. On top of that, the production value of the sets is phenomenal - not many series, even short ones, have scenes set in over a dozen wildly varying locations and time periods, but Good Omens pulls it off with aplomb.
Now, is it absolutely 100% perfect with no flaws? Of course not. The child acting isn't always up to par, the special effects (with a TV show budget) aren't always MCU Thanos levels of convincing, the aforementioned content cutting did take out a couple of my favorite bits (like the description of Mr. Young as he arrives at the airfield), they don't play Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" as Crowley hurtles through the infernal M25 motorway - it's not exactly as I envisioned it while reading the book. But you know what? Who gives a damn, it's got heart and talent and effort, and even if it's not for everyone, I know for certain it's exactly what Terry would've wanted - and that's what matters.
Series Old Hat
It's the end of the World as we know it, and Aziraphale and Crowley, representatives of Heaven and Hell, aren't pleased. They've had a cosy 6000 years lounging around on Earth and don't want to see the Doomsday take it all away. It is up to them to track down and stop the Anti-Christ, who due to a mix up, is living in a picturesque Oxfordshire village and has no idea of his own Satanic lineage.
My initial feeling on watching the Amazon series Good Omens is that I'd already seen this. A lot of the conceits of the show are familiar to anyone who saw the 1999 film Dogma, which is unfortunate because a lot of the humour and appeal of Omens seems to rest on the novelty of the situation. Another point of similarity is that Dogma presents bible figures as black and God as female. Its funny to see that people are still bothered about this sort of thing, even 20 years later.
Terry Pratchett's stuff is hit and miss in translation. I enjoyed The Hogfather and Going Postal, but The Colour of Magic was a major misstep, taking one of his worst aged and weakest novels and keeping all the same jokes: "I've got a wizard, and I'm not afraid to use him!" - Puh. I'm reminded of that at some points in Omens, such as when Crowley starts threatening a Demon with a "do you feel lucky?" routine and a spray bottle of Holy water. Really, a Dirty Harry bit? Some things don't stay fresh after 30 years, but some things do. For instance, I will always be charmed by Pratchett's insistence on giving his characters silly names, and Omens gives us the likes of "Anathema Device" and "Newton Pulsifer". Also, the role the M25 road plays in the story is comedy gold.
It's shame I didn't enjoy the show more, because its not like this was an unloved or underfunded production. This had a star studded (at least by tv standards) cast. They're serviceable enough, except for David Tennant (I'm sorry but I'm never convinced by him; he doesn't play characters, he plays an actor who plays characters). I think I would have liked Good Omens more if it came out decades ago. At six episodes, its not a major investment of your time to try out, but there are plenty of better magical realism and urban fantasy shows that have been out over the last few years and are streets ahead.