DEAD BOY DETECTIVES. (L to R) George Rexstrew as Edwin Payne, Jayden Revri as Charles Rowland and Kassius Nelson as Crystal Palace in Episode 103 in DEAD BOY DETECTIVES. Cr. Ed Araquel/Netflix © 2023
Neil Gaiman’s Dead Boy Detectives is coming to Netflix in 2024. Courtesy of Geeked Week, we finally have our first look at the new series in the form of a teaser and some first-look photos!
Netflix’s Geeked Week 2023 has been a treat so far, debuting first looks at exciting upcoming movies, such as Damsel, to unveiling new information about the streamer’s most prestigious show, Stranger Things. And that’s just scratching the surface. Additionally, Netflix is showcasing its brand new lineup of original shows, and among them is Dead Boy Detectives, which exists within the wider Sandman universe.
Originally scheduled to air on Max, the show was dropped because it doesn’t fit James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC universe. That said, Netflix was quick to pick up the rights to Dead Boy Detectives. The series is developed by Steve Yockey, who serves as showrunner alongside Beth Schwartz. Neil Gaiman is an executive producer.
First appearing in an issue of The Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman, Dead Boy Detectives would later get its own successful run of comics. Notable writers include Ed Brubaker and Toby Litt. Its two main characters — Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland— have showed up in live-action media before. Fans may recognise them from Doom Patrol.
However, the eight-episode Dead Boy Detectives series will feature a completely original cast and is set firmly within the Sandman continuity. It will likely link to the story of The Sandman season 2.
What is Dead Boy Detectives about?
Born decades apart, Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) find each other in death. Rather than entering the afterlife, the duo decide to remain on Earth and they create the Dead Boy Detectives agency, in which they take on some of the most paranormal mysteries. In the show, they do all sorts of strange things, including travelling to Hell, and confronting evil witches. Check out the official log line for the series:
“Dead Boy Detectives is a fresh take on a ghost story that explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland…and their very alive friend, Crystal Palace. It’s a lot like a vintage detective series — only darker and on acid.”
Neil Gaiman first introduced them in The Sandman #25, midway through the Season of Mists story arc, in the comics. In the story, Charles Rowland must stay alone at St. Hilarion’s School while all the other kids leave for the holidays. However, he soon finds out many of the school’s old inhabitants are returning from Hell, including former student Edwin Paine.
Our first look at Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix
During Geeked Week, Netflix dropped our first look at Dead Boy Detectives:
As for stills, take a look at these photos, giving us a closer look at Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew), Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), and also their clairvoyant acquaintance Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson):
Plus, here’s another look at the titular duo:
Episode titles:
Check out the Dead Boy Detectives episode titles. There is an ongoing theme with these titles, with each episode tacking a very specific case:
- The Case of the Creeping Forest
- The Case of the Dandelion Shrine
- The Case of Devlin House
- The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers
- The Case of the Two Dead Dragons
- The Case of the Very Long Stairway
- The Case of the Hungry Snake
Netflix has not set a release date for Dead Boy Detectives yet. However, a post on X from Netflix’s TUDUM page confirmed that the series is set to hit screens in April 2024.
