If you miss Morpheus and his extraordinary world, a new story from this dark universe might be just what you need. Dead Boy Detectives is the story of two ghosts, Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, who solve crimes involving demons, witches, zombies and other sinister beings.
The teen ghosts first appear in Season of Mists, the fourth volume of The Sandman series. Edwin and Charles returned in Gaiman’s comic strip The Children’s Crusade, in which they founded an amateur detective agency. They also appeared in the short story The Books of Magic 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’re interested in learning more about Sandman, check out our roundup of the show’s second season.
When will Dead Boy Detectives be released?
The series will appear on Netflix on Thursday April 25, 2024.
Dead Boy Detectives will consist of 8 episodes.
What is the plot of Dead Boy Detectives?
In 1916, Edwin Payne was a student at the Saint-Hilarion boarding school. After a black magic ritual performed by other students, his soul was dragged to hell and tormented by a demon. Edwin, however, eventually managed to escape.
In 1990, he met Charles Rowland, another student at St. Hilarion School, who died after being tortured by 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 says:
Dead Boy Detectives is a new take on a ghost story that explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland…and their very much alive friend, Crystal Palace. It feels a lot like a vintage detective series – but darker and on acid.
Interestingly, Edwin and Charles previously appeared in the third season of the HBO series Doom Patrol. They were played by Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft. The Netflix series will, however, not refer to this version of the adventures of the Dead Boy Detectives.
Who is in the Dead Boy Detectives cast?
The world of Sandman is filled with strange and terrifying creatures, and the spinoff is no different. Below you can see who will be playing ghosts, witches and other strange characters.
- George Rexstrew – Edwin Paine, student at St. Hilarion’s boys’ boarding school, whose soul was dragged to hell
- Jayden Revri – Charles Rowland, another St. Hilarion student, died in 1990
- Kassius Nelson – Crystal Palace, a medium who suffers from memory loss
- Yuyu Kitamura – Niko Sasaki, a Japanese student capable of seeing ghosts
- Jennifer Lyon – Esther Finch, the immortal witch seeking revenge from Dead Boy Detectives
- Briana Cuoco – Jenny Green, owner of Tongue & Tail Butchery
- Ruth Connell – the Night Nurse, agent of Death who escorts the lost souls of children to a suitable afterlife
- Michel Beach – Tragic Mick, magic shop owner
- Lucas Gage – Thomas the Cat King, a shapeshifter with nine lives
- Joshua Colley – Monty, Esther’s familiar raven, 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 infinity
- Lindsey Gort –Maxine
- Caitlin Reilly -Lily
- Max Jenkins –Kingham
Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendant, Supernatural) and Beth Schwartz (Sweet Tooth, Arrow) are the showrunners of the series.
Watch the Dead Boy Detectives trailer
In the first trailer for the series, Edwin and Charles deal with all kinds of monstrosities:
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