In what felt more like an expansion of the lore of Sandman, and less like a spin-off, Netflix dropped the Dead Boy Detectives recently on their service. This series is a new look at the world of the Sandman’s universe. But should you watch it?
As always, we break down our reviews into sections like story, acting, and overall. Let’s jump on it!
Story 9/10
The origins of this series is a small story within issue #23 of Sandman that deals specifically with two boys who died at a preparatory school 70-years apart. Both with their own reason for doing so, they avoid their afterlives with the goal, specifically, of helping lost souls resolve their issues so that they could pass over.
During the journey of the season they acquire, through their cases, friends, foes, and uneasy allies all while while solving cases.
The series comes off as a mixture of Sherlock and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, but in a good way.
Acting 9/10
The two leads Edwin, played by George Rexstrew, and Jayden Revri, played by Charles, are two incredibly broken, but enduring characters that have a fount of backstory and emotion to draw your interest in the series deeper and deeper as the show cuts slice after slice of the boy’s life.
For the collections of allies and foes, Jenn Lyon, who plays the town witch, is incredibly fun and you love to hate her. While Joshua Colley, who plays the crow turned boy Monty, is a tragic story that your heart breaks for. The character I feel the most unbalanced with is of course Lukas Gage plays the Cat King. It’s hard to tell where that line rests between overly aggressive unwanted sexual advances, and actual growing attraction and infatuation rests with this character.
The other two mains in the show Crystal, played by Kassius Nelson, and Niko, played by Yuyu Kitamura, are incredibly interesting. Just like side character Jenny, played by Briana Cuoco, these characters episode after episode draw you deeper and deeper in to their backstory and only make you want to see more, and understand them more.
Overall 9.5/10
As far as a detective series goes, this series is not episodic. So much progression happens in the foreground and the background that the likelyhood that this would ever be an episodic series is incredibly impossible. That being said, the overarching story of the series is engaging. The show is well written, and you find yourself falling in love with the characters. What more can you ask for?
Conner’s Final Thoughts
I honestly love how many LGBTQIA+ threads and relationships are set within the world of this series. There is not a lot of attention given to making a big deal about sexual preference with the exception of the two main leads, and their story development. There’s just so much diversity in relationships within the series, and I love that.
Set within the world of Sandman we do get to see a couple Endless in cameo roles. With Kirby, who plays Death, returning to a claim soul, and Donna Preston who plays Despair reprising her role in a very poignant place in the spin-off series. It really does help to make you feel like you’re still within the Sandman world.
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