People are pretty serious about their Neil Gaiman. The novelist and comic book author’s vast legion of works have accrued some of modern fantasy’s most invigorated fans… which means, of course, any attempt at a film or television series adaptation at any one of his works is sure to be met with critical eyes. But it just may be that the latest attempt at bringing Gaiman’s genius to the screen, the Starz program American Gods, effectively serves the words and ideas the writer committed to print back in 2001. That’s the sense we got from the trailer debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, anyway.

In today’s Nerdist News, we run through all the reasons why we can’t help but to be excited by the American Gods series. And believe us, there are plenty. If you were lucky enough to find a seat at the American Gods panel at SDCC, then you’re no doubt just as thrilled by the excellent teaser material and empowered quotes from Gaiman himself. Hell, he’s just as excited as we are to see the new series, having said onstage at Hall H, “Part of the joy of giving the book to Bryan [Fuller] and Michael [Green] is that I get to see what happens to Mads Sweeney… [and] what happened to Bilquis. I get to learn a lot stuff about Laura I didn’t know.”

Which brings up another big reason why we’re charged with positivity over the new program: Fuller and Green. Their latest collaboration, Hannibal, ended far too soon, and we’re thrilled to see them back on the same team, bringing familiar characters into stunning new worlds to the delight of our eyes and minds.

But this show isn’t only for people who’ve read American Gods cover to cover time and time again. Just as Fuller and Green’s Hannibal reinvented the characters originally created by Thomas Harris, their American Gods will indeed bring plenty of new imaginings and ruminations to what Gaiman has thus far lain out; we expect the show will be willingly inviting to new fans, while remaining a pitch-perfect adaptation to those didactic devotees.

Will you be tuning in to American Gods when it premieres on Starz in 2017? We hope Nerdist News convinced you to check it out! Let us know if you’ll be watching.