Why Jon Hamm’s Gabriel Didn’t Return In Good Omens Season 3 Explained By Director

Prime Video’s Good Omens has come to an end, but the finale missed the chance to feature one of the TV show’s most prestigious actors one more time.

Good Omens is a three-season fantasy series based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, starring Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale and David Tennant as the demon Crowley. Good Omens ended in 2026 with season 3’s single 90-minute episode, comprising the series finale, with cast member Jon Hamm notably absent.

Hamm portrays the archangel Gabriel in Good Omens seasons 1 and 2, and director and executive producer Rachel Talalay explained in an interview with comicbook.com that he didn’t make it into the finale in part because of the screen time reduction. “In the six-episode version, there was a little moment with him. Just the idea we could bring back absolutely everybody, he was one of absolutely everybody coming back for a moment.”

Gaiman was heavily involved with the production of Good Omens and the development of storylines beyond the source material; however, the fantasy author left the show following accusations of sexual misconduct and assault being made against him in 2024. After this, plans for Good Omens’ final season to be six episodes were downsized to a single special episode.

“A lot of the choices of who came back, outside of the heart of it, was availability and timing and financial,” continues Talalay. “As the story compressed and compressed, this was the concentration of our story, and these are the people we needed. I was disappointed, though, because I had worked with Jon Hamm twice before he became Jon Hamm.“

However, Gabriel’s story is effectively over by Good Omens season 2’s ending. The second outing revolves around the mystery of how Gabriel lost his memory and stumbled upon Aziraphale’s bookshop. In the end, it is discovered that Gabriel had fallen in love with Beelzebub (Shelley Conn), and the two leave their respective positions in Heaven and Hell to be together.

Aziraphale is subsequently promoted to Gabriel’s former role in Heaven, causing a falling out between him and Crowley just as they realize their own romantic feelings for one another. This is where things pick up in Good Omens season 3, with Aziraphale preparing for the Second Coming and Crowley not doing nearly as well since they parted on such bad terms.

Nick Bythrow essentially surmises in ScreenRant‘s review of Good Omens season 3 that the finale is charming but its time constraints are apparent, with the story moving ahead at a breakneck pace. Under these circumstances, it is perhaps not all that surprising that Jon Hamm ultimately did not return for the finale, but acceptable as his character’s arc was already given a satisfactory conclusion.

All episodes of Good Omens are available to stream on Prime Video.

Release Date

2019 – 2026-00-00

Network

Prime Video

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