EXCLUSIVE: The TV Gods have smiled upon American Gods again today with Starz giving the recently debuted series a pretty quick Season 2 renewal. Expected to launch in mid-2018, the second season pick-up comes just under two weeks after the Bryan Fuller and Michael Green adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2001 award-winning novel premiered on the premium cabler on April 30.

While a specific number of episodes for the second season of the Fremantle Media North America produced series has not been determined, I hear it will be at least the eight that the first season had.

“Bryan Fuller, Michael Green and Neil Gaiman have evolved the art form of television narratively, structurally and graphically with American Gods, and we’re thrilled to be working again with these artists as they continue to build the worlds and wars of the gods,” Starz programming president Carmi Zlotnik said today.

“American Gods has been a ground-breaking series born out of belief and it’s thrilling to be partnered with Starz to continue this ambitious story,” added FremantleMedia North America’s co-CEO Craig Cegielski. Neil Gaiman, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have ignited a conversation through cinematic magic, presented through a diverse ensemble of actors that continue to keep us engaged and inspired.”

Led by Ian McShane and The 100 alum Ricky Whittle, the first season of the mythological fantasy drama had some inspiration undoubtedly from the 975,000 viewers who watched its 9 PM debut on April 30. That solid Live + Same Day result is one of the best original series debuts Starz has ever had. Over all three of its debut weekend plays, “The Bone Orchard” episode of American Gods snagged 1.4 million viewers. In delayed viewing and on multiple platforms, American Gods‘s first episode has garnered more that 5 million viewers total so far.

As well as starring Whittle and the Deadwood alum, American Gods also features Emily Browning, Orlando Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley and Back To The Future icon Crispin Glover. Past Fuller collaborator Gillian Anderson portrays the god Media, that other Fuller collaborator Pushing Daisies vet Kristin Chenoweth is Easter in the series, which also has Jonathan Tucker and Cloris Leachman among its cast.

Fuller and Green are showrunners as well as executive producers with Gaiman himself, FMNA’s Cegielski and Stefanie Berk, director David Slade, and Adam Kane. SVPs of Original Programming Marta Fernandez and Ken Segna are the Starz executives on the series.