TV: American Gods.

• Position: Television program review - Brief article

In an age of televised weirdness, American Gods (Starz) might be the weirdest show on television. Surreal and sensual, with an intense and dreamlike vibe, it's a contemporary fantasy series that demonstrates how ambitious prestige television has become. Showrunner Bryan Fuller uses the show as a platform to explore the evolution of the American idea--and the ways that the nation's eccentricities and passions have shifted and conflicted over time.

Based on Neil Gaiman's Hugo- and Nebula-winning 2001 novel of the same name, American Gods tells the story of Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), a man who is released from jail and finds himself on an unlikely cross-country road trip in the employ of a mysterious con man named Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). The pair make stops throughout the country, encountering a cast of ancient oddballs. At the same time, Moon is contacted through magical means by a number of other, younger operators, each with their own agenda.

Each episode, meanwhile, begins with a flashback to a...