Netflix Cancels DEAD BOY DETECTIVES After One Season

Melody McCune

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Edwin, Crystal and Charles stand on a roof at night. They look at something out of view on Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 Episode 7, "The Case of the Very Long Stairway."

This article was originally published on 8/30/24

Highlights

  • Netflix has canceled the fantasy-horror series Dead Boy Detectives after one season, as reported first by Variety
  • The eight-episode season debuted on the streamer on April 25 and received favorable reviews from critics and viewers alike. 
  • As of writing, there are no known plans to shop the series elsewhere.

Dead Boy Detectives 

Unfortunately, Edwin Payne, Charles Rowland and Crystal Palace are closing up shop. Variety reports that Netflix has axed fantasy-horror series Dead Boy Detectives after one season. The show premiered its eight-episode first and only season on the streamer on April 25. 

The series follows two ghost teens, Charles and Edwin, who decide to stay on Earth rather than move on to the afterlife, where they solve supernatural mysteries with their human psychic medium friend, Crystal Palace. 

The History 

Based on the DC comics by Neil Gaiman and artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III, Charles and Edwin made their comic book debut in The Sandman #25 in April 1991. However, we finally saw them in live-action form in the Doom Patrol episode “Dead Patrol,” which aired on September 23, 2021. Here, Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft played Edwin and Charles, respectively, while Madalyn Horcher portrayed Crystal Palace. 

RELATED: 10 Things We Want to See in Dead Boy Detectives Season 2

Initially, Max greenlit a series order for Dead Boy Detectives in 2022 (after ordering a pilot in 2021). However, Max sold it to Netflix the following year. This move made sense, considering Netflix also has The Sandman. Therefore, the streamer dubbed the show part of its Sandman universe. The penultimate episode, “The Case of the Very Long Stairway,” even features a cameo from Donna Preston’s Despair, who also appeared in The Sandman Season 1. Season 2 of the latter is currently in production. 

The Cast and Crew

Dead Boy Detectives stars George Rexstrew as Edwin, Jayden Revri as Charles, Kassius Nelson as Crystal, Briana Cuoco as Jenny Green, Yuyu Kitamura as Niko Sasaki, Jenn Lyon as Esther Finch and Ruth Connell as Night Nurse. Steve Yockey serves as creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner, while Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol) is an executive producer. 

RELATED: Read our Dead Boy Detectives recaps

Listen, I’m devastated. I loved this quirky, fast-paced, darkly magical series. The season finale presents plenty of narrative threads that warrant exploration in a second season. I hope the series finds life elsewhere. In the meantime, I’ll rewatch Season 1 and cross my fingers. 

How do you feel about this cancellation? What did you hope to see in a potential second season? Sound off in the comments. 

Dead Boy Detectives is now streaming on Netflix. 

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Melody McCune
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