American Gods tributes Cloris Leachman before season 3 episode 4
At the start of the episode (at least if you viewed it on the Starz App), the network aired a card reading “In Loving Memory of our Zorya Vechernyaya, Cloris Leachman.” The late, great actress passed away earlier this week at the age of 94, and it is clear that she lived a wonderful, remarkable career.
Leachman appeared in three separate episodes of American Gods from 2017 until 2019, which is a further reminder of just how much she loved her craft. She worked in the industry for seven decades and had no problem taking on a wide array of different challenges at every step. We know her best for comedy, but she could show a dramatic side and play all sorts of wild and eccentric characters. Leachman is one of many legends who has appeared on American Gods throughout its run — remember that Ian McShane is a series regular and beyond just this, we’ve seen Gillian Anderson appear in the past. The cast is one of many fantastic things about the show, and we’re sure that there is something fun about getting to work with this many iconic figures.
In putting the title card prior to the episode on the Starz app, what the network is doing is making sure that every possible viewer sees this ahead of American Gods airing. There are few things that a network/show can do to honor a cast or crew member more than a title card. It’s a way to ensure that viewers reflect on that person’s legacy, or maybe learn a little bit more about them by being inspired to look them up online. While there may be a number of people out there familiar with Cloris Leachman as a performer, there is still something infinitely rewarding about going back and looking at a library of her past work.
Are you glad to see American Gods pay tribute to Cloris Leachman? Let us know in the comments, and our thoughts and condolences continue to go out to Cloris’ family during this difficult time. (Photo: Starz.)