Neil Gaiman's Dead Boy Detectives cancelled by Netflix after one season
The Sandman universe's expansion proved short-lived.
Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives has been cancelled after only one season, putting an early end to The Sandman spin-off.
The series was originally in development at US streaming service Max, which is owned by DC Comics' parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, but moved to Netflix following James Gunn and Peter Safran's take over of DC Studios.
The rival streamer was thought to be a natural home for Dead Boy Detectives as the characters first appeared in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comic book, which already has a successful adaptation moving forward at Netflix.
Indeed, steps were taken to tie the two shows together, with cameo appearances made by Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Death and Donna Preston's Despair, but this wasn't enough to draw viewers in at the scale needed to secure a renewal.
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The show had somewhat lukewarm reviews and a distinctly YA feel that could have turned off some older viewers, but those who did come to love the show will be gutted to see yet another Netflix series with major unresolved plot threads.
One of the biggest questions looming over a possible season 2 was the fate of Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), who co-showrunner Steve Yockey teased had "quite a journey in front of her" during a post-finale interview with RadioTimes.com in April.
On the show's future more generally, he continued: "We're just in a 'wait and see' mode right now. We have a plan for season 2, we have ideas for season 3 [for] any Netflix execs who are watching.
"It does feel like the type of show where – it does have this overriding mythology – but because it's 'case of the week', it feels a little bit like it could just keep going, so obviously we'd love to make more. It was a wonderful experience."
Co-showrunner Beth Schwartz added: "Our characters are continuously growing, so it feels like there's so much space in their friendship group to explore."
Alas, it was not meant to be, in a disappointing development sure to provoke the ire of sci-fi and fantasy fans, who have felt particularly targeted in the past by Netflix's itchy cancellation finger.
The Sandman's television universe will continue to expand with the show's second season, currently expected next year, but any further spin-offs seem unlikely at this time.
Dead Boy Detectives is available to stream on Netflix. The Sandman season 2 is coming soon. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
