Fantasy drama American Gods finally returns to our screens this week and executive producer Neil Gaiman has promised fans the third season is quite different to what came before.

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The series is based upon Gaiman's hugely popular novel of the same name, exploring a world where an epic war is brewing between a line of Old Gods and their modern counterparts.

Former Hollyoaks and Strictly Come Dancing star Ricky Whittle plays the lead role of Shadow Moon, a demigod who finds himself at the centre of the conflict.

The upcoming third season adapts a beloved part of Gaiman's novel titled Lakeside, in which Moon moves to a remote Wisconsin town, allowing the show to substantially shift gears.

Speaking to Radio Times, Gaiman said that fans can expect a “much smaller and more personal than the previous seasons, which have tended to be huge and bombastic".

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"If you watch episode one [of this season], you’re going to watch the whole thing. You’re sat on the rollercoaster in a way that I don’t think either of the previous two seasons managed," he added.

This change might be just what the series needs after a second season that suffered mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, with Whittle himself also promising a "massive return to form" in the third outing.

Gaiman went on to say American Gods – both the book and the television adaptation – has taken on added meaning over the past year, in light of recent surge in support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It just felt like everything was more relevant," he said. "It felt like we were actually talking about and inhabiting a world in which it was really important to be having a mixed-race lead, who actually gets into trouble in a small American town for being Black."

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Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times, on sale tomorrow. American Gods season three premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Sunday 10th January. While you're waiting, check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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