If you miss Morpheus and his extraordinary world, a new tale from this dark universe could be just what you need. Dead Boy Detectives is a story about two ghosts, Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, who solve crimes involving demons, witches, zombies and other sinister beings.
The ghosts of the teen boys first appear in Season of Mists, the fourth volume of The Sandman series. Edwin and Charles returned in Gaiman’s The Children’s Crusade comic book, in which they founded an amateur detective agency. They also appeared in The Books of Magic short story and had their own comic book miniseries, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives by Ed Brubaker and Bryan Talbot.
Here’s everything you need to know about Netflix’s adaptation of this dark tale.
If you want to learn more about Sandman, check out our round-up on the show’s second season.
When will Dead Boy Detectives be released?
The series will appear on Netflix on Thursday, 25 April 2024.
Dead Boy Detectives will consist of 8 episodes.
What’s the plot of Dead Boy Detectives?
In 1916, Edwin Payne was a St. Hilarion’s boarding school student. After a black magic ritual carried out by other pupils, his soul was dragged to hell and tormented by a demon. Edwin, however, managed to escape at last.
In 1990, he met Charles Rowland, another student of St. Hilarion’s school, who died after being tortured by some bullies. The boys decided to stay on Earth as ghosts rather than enter the afterlife. They also decide to found a detective agency to solve crimes of supernatural origin.
As the official description of the show goes:
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.
Interestingly, Edwin and Charles appeared already in the third season of the HBO series Doom Patrol. They were portrayed by Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft. The Netflix series, however, won’t refer to that version of the Dead Boy Detectives’ adventures.
Who’s in the Dead Boy Detectives cast?
The world of Sandman is filled with strange and terrifying creatures, and the spin-off is no different. Below you can see who will be portraying ghosts, witches, and other strange characters.
- George Rexstrew – Edwin Paine, a student at St. Hilarion’s boarding school for boys, whose soul was dragged to hell
- Jayden Revri – Charles Rowland, another student at St. Hilarion’s, who died in 1990
- Kassius Nelson – Crystal Palace, a psychic medium who suffers from memory loss
- Yuyu Kitamura – Niko Sasaki, a Japanese student who can see ghosts
- Jenn Lyon – Esther Finch, the immortal witch seeking revenge on the Dead Boy Detectives
- Briana Cuoco – Jenny Green, the owner of the Tongue & Tail butcher shop
- Ruth Connell – the Night Nurse, Death’s agent who escorts the lost souls of children to a suitable hereafter
- Michael Beach – Tragic Mick, owner of a magic shop
- Lukas Gage – Thomas the Cat King, a shapeshifter with nine lives
- Joshua Colley – Monty, Esther’s crow familiar, transformed into a handsome boy
- David Iacono – David the Demon, Crystal’s ex-boyfriend, who has the ability to possess people
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste – Death of the Endless
- Lindsey Gort – Maxine
- Caitlin Reilly – Lily
- Max Jenkins – Kingham
Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendant, Supernatural) and Beth Schwartz (Sweet Tooth, Arrow) serve as the showrunners for the series.
Watch the Dead Boy Detectives trailer
In the first trailer for the show, Edwin and Charles are dealing with all different kinds of monstrosities:
