Dead Boy Detectives is a spinoff of Netflix’s The Sandman

Netflix’s latest supernatural drama, Dead Boy Detectives, is connected to Sandman through its intriguing backstory.

Despite its release on Netflix in 2022, The Sandman was a success. The show, which was adapted from Neil Gaiman’s comic books, follows the god of dreams, Morpheus, as he breaks free from his captivity on Earth and strives to bring balance to the Dreaming realm.

Despite the ongoing production of Season 2 for The Sandman, Netflix has recently debuted Dead Boy Detectives, which is connected to the upcoming 2022 series. Viewers of Steve Yockey’s Dead Boy Detectives will likely notice the seamless integration of both shows within the shared universe.

Are you unsure about the subject matter and purpose of the series?

Dead Boy Detectives: What’s the series about?

The series centers around two male characters who make the decision to remain on Earth after their deaths, rather than moving on. Their purpose is to assist in solving supernatural cases.

Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine make the unconventional choice to remain on Earth after their deaths, defying the norm of passing into the Afterlife. They use their supernatural abilities to become successful detectives, assisting their clairvoyant colleague Crystal Palace in solving cases for their otherworldly clients. However, their investigative endeavors are thrown into disarray with the arrival of a powerful witch.

Cast of Dead Boy Detectives

Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland, played by George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri respectively, lead the cast of Dead Boy Detective. See the full list of actors below:

George Rexstrew as Edwin Paine
Jayden Revri as Charles Rowland
Kassius Nelson as Crystal Palace
Briana Cuoco as Jenny the Butcher
Ruth Connell as the Night Nurse
Yuyu Kitamura as Niko
Jenn Lyon as Esther

The cast members who appear regularly include:

David Iacono as David the Demon
Lukas Gage as Thomas the Cat King
Michael Beach as Tragic Mick
Joshua Colley as Monty
Lindsey Gort as Maxine
Caitlin Reilly as Litty
Max Jenkins as Kingham

Rextrew’s debut as the lead character in Dead Boy Detectives marks a significant milestone in his acting career. Prior to this, he had a small role in the short drama Findhorn Case 31.08.18. Revri, his co-star in Dead Boy Detectives, also had a prominent role in the Netflix series Fate: The Winx Saga as Devin. Additionally, Rextrew has portrayed characters such as Hardeep in Innocent and Noah in The Lodge.

How many episodes are there in Dead Boy Detectives?

Season 1 consists of a total of eight episodes.

The titles of the episodes for the first season are listed below:

The Case of Crystal Palace
The Case of the Dandelion Shrine
The Case of the Devlin House.
The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers.
The Case of the Two Dead Dragons.
The Case of the Creeping Forest.
The Case of the Very Long Stairway.
The Case of the Hungry Snake.

The complete first season was made available on April 25, 2024, with each episode having a runtime of approximately one hour.

Dead Boy Detectives and Their Connection to Sandman

The Sandman’s Death is a recurring character in the series, existing within the same universe.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste, known for portraying Death in Dead Boy Detectives, returns to her role in the series. In The Sandman, she played Dream’s sister, but their connection is not the only one. In the original Sandman comics from 1991, Edwin and Charles also make an appearance.

According to Business Insider, Dead Boy Detectives was initially intended to be a part of HBO Max’s programming. However, due to delays, the pilot was not set to be released until 2025. In response, Neil Gaiman decided to pitch the series to Netflix instead.

Gaiman explained, “After HBO Max informed us that they wouldn’t be able to screen it until 2025, we were taken aback. It seemed ridiculous to wait that long. So, I approached Netflix and asked if they would be interested in screening it instead.”

Netflix was interested in acquiring Dead Boy Detectives, but only if it could tie into The Sandman’s universe. The most straightforward and sensible approach was to incorporate Death into the story, as the two main characters die and reject the idea of an afterlife.

Dead Boy Detectives: Will there be a Season 2?

Despite the series being relatively new to Netflix, there have been no announcements regarding its renewal for a second season. However, the show does provide hints of a potential continuation and connections to The Sandman, but ultimately, it is in Netflix’s hands to decide. Author Neil Gaiman shared, “Am I invested in building a massive ‘Sandman’ universe? Not particularly.”

There are a multitude of series available to watch on streaming platforms, including Dead Boy Detectives which can be streamed on Netflix.