There’s whiplash, and then there’s the saga of American Gods season 2. After a critically acclaimed first season, fans were shocked to hear about the exit of prolific showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, and downright fearful after Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth announced they would also not return. And now its American TV home, Starz, is clarifying the situation and, hopefully, giving fans some peace of mind—hopefully.

Friday morning at the 2018 Television Critics Association Winter Tour, Starz president Chris Albrecht answered Nerdist’s question regarding the status of American Gods and the reasoning behind the major changes coming through. From the sound of his comments? It’s a Fremantle Media (the production company making the series) issue more than anything else. Oh, and apparently Gillian Anderson was never slated to return for season two (say whaaaaaaaat?).

“It’s not an inexpensive show,” Albrecht explained, “so I think that budget is always a factor, although Fremantle has been very willing to invest. I think this is about ‘is there a vision we can continue on a regular basis’?” Particularly, he added, when the wait between seasons looks to be between “18 months or 2 years” adding that “the things [Fuller and Green] are doing in their schedule has not made them as available as Fremantle may have wanted.” That said, they’re looking for ways for Bryan Fuller and Michael Green to still be involved in some capacity.

He also insisted, “they were not fired nor did they quit.”

So where does that leave the series? According to Albrecht, novel author Neil Gaiman will step into the more traditional showrunner role, and the company is actively looking for folks to support him (since we all know his schedule isn’t exactly free and easy either, what with Good Omens going on at Amazon). Although, if you were to ask Neil Gaiman about it, all of this is news to him:

It was. I suspect there’s some crossed wires somewhere.

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 12, 2018

But that wasn’t the only major news we learned during the panel—apparently all of this Gillian Anderson hullabaloo was for naught. Albrecht explained that it was “always” the plan, though there is hope Kristin Chenoweth will return.

So there we have it! Are you as confused and anxious about this as we are? Let us know in the comments below.

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter!

Need More From the Gods Squad?

• Read our interview with Fuller and Green about what they had planned for season 2!
• Here’s Neil Gaiman explaining what it was like to expand his story.
• And this VFX reel beautifully explains how the world of the dead comes to life.

Images: Starz