The gods must be crazy—crazy about the oversaturated TV market, that is! Netflix’s Kaos promises a new, modern spin on Greek mythology, which casts buzzy actors like Jeff Goldblum, Billie Piper, and Cliff Curtis as figures from the ancient pantheon of gods and myths. Prophecies, gender politics, and inter-god infighting will rule the eight-episode series set in contemporary times. Expect deities in tracksuits, neon-lit bacchanalia, and a budget large enough to honor the spectacular and gruesome exploits that proliferate Greek mythology.
But even though it’s pointedly contemporary, Kaos’ pitch doesn’t resonate as particularly ground-breaking—maybe because the streaming era is littered with smarmy, winking looks at the all-too-relatable ennui and insecurities of gods. Keen to make a postmodern stamp on whatever types of storytelling audiences think they’ve seen before, there are legions of miniseries and multi-season attempts to see the mythos of ancient societies and major religions in an irreverent, satirical light. Many of them share the same DNA: gods mirror the apathetic superrich; the afterlife is a fussy bureaucracy; angels and demons treat Earth-shattering events with a flippant dismissiveness.
Is there a way to unpack our modern relationship to gods and myth in a way that doesn’t feel reductive and glib? On the other end, what does it look like when a series grabs our attention with a too-sincere, sensationalist take on God? To warm you up for Kaos’ revelry, here are 10 shows about one of the oldest fictional topics, all from the streaming era.
1. Lucifer (2016-2021)
Lucifer is God’s son in this DC Vertigo adaptation that was scooped up by Netflix after a third season FOX cancellation (remember when Netflix was in the “saving TV shows” business?). Miranda heartthrob Tom Ellis was well-suited for the sardonic, acerbic felled angel role where he… works for the cops? Trust an above-average TV procedural to find the most boring job for one of fiction’s most interesting characters. The show wrapped up on Netflix after a respectable five seasons and a cameo in The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” but to be honest, if you were a B-list or below actor who had ever played a DC character and didn’t appear in Arrowverse crossovers, you need to fire your agent.
2. American Gods (2017-2021)
It’s not the best time to be writing a list featuring multiple Neil Gaiman adaptations, but the prolific writer has been interested in humanizing myths and deities for a long time. This series was technically broadcast on Starz, but was also available on the Starz app before it aired on the network, so we’re counting it here. The epic but undeniably ropey saga charts a fight between the New Gods (who include Media and Technology) and the Old Gods (featuring Odin, Anubis, Czernobog, Anansi); if you love interfaith fantasy and bickering deities, this fits the bill.
3. The Chosen (2017-)
This Christian historical production has a lot of accolades: it’s the first multi-season series about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ; it was the most successful crowdfunded TV or film project in history; its first theatrical release, a Christmas special in December 2021, broke all previous Fathom Events box office records (The Chosen franchise accounts for six of Fathom Events’ top 10 money-earners). It’s got a bizarre broadcast history—The Chosen first aired on VidAngel’s subscription service before becoming free to watch on The Chosen app during COVID lockdowns, before BYUtv (yes, Brigham Young University’s television channel) picked up broadcast rights, and then the show was licensed to Netflix, Prime, Peacock, and more services. By the time The CW got on board with the fourth season, it was clear as day to big networks that money could still be made in conservative faith programming.
4. Good Omens (2019-2023)
Initially a miniseries adapting Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s uneven faith fantasy, this Amazon Original manifested an unnecessary but fun second season from the sheer joy of seeing David Tennant and Michael Sheen as an angel and demon odd couple. It’s the archetypal treatment of heaven and hell in streaming fiction: irreverent, bureaucratic, satirical, but ultimately still a softball critique of religious dogma. Pratchett’s mockery of Christianity garnered more controversy before the Internet Age, but Christian satire that focuses on “the end times” still feels a bit insipid. Sure, a Revelation-style apocalypse gives you proper stakes, but no one apart from the most conservative believers actually thinks Rapture fire will actually cleanse the Earth, and they’re definitely not watching queer-coded Amazon Originals.
