American Gods, the TV series based on the book by British writer Neil Gaiman, has been renewed for a second series after the airing of just two episodes.

In the show, which is on the Starz TV channel in America and Amazon Prime Video in the UK, a released convict named Shadow Moon meets the mysterious Mr Wednesday and is introduced to a mythical group of figures that are living on the edges of American society.

In the US, the show received 975,000 viewers for its pilot, and 710,000 for the second episode. Amazon Prime Video does not release its viewing figures, but confirmed that since the series began on May 1, it has been the most viewed show on the streaming service.

“We’re delighted to bring a second season of Neil Gaiman’s riveting story to fans across the globe,” said Prime Video's Tim Leslie. “Audiences have responded overwhelmingly to season one – it is stunning entertainment unlike anything else and we can’t wait for the next series.”

The first season, which was developed by Brian Fuller and Michael Green, is due to run for eight episodes, with a new one available every Monday in the UK.