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That’s a wrap on Dead Boy Detectives. The series, which is based on Neil Gaiman’s DC Comics series of the same name, has been canceled by Netflix after just one season. The news was first reported by Variety, with the outlet confirming that the streamer will not pursue a second season of the show following its release earlier this year in April.
The series had a long, strange journey to the small screen. Originally, it was being developed for HBO Max (now just called Max), before it went to Netflix. The move made some sense as Netflix also has The Sandman, which is also based on Gaiman’s works. Dead Boy Detectives was billed as part of that universe, so there was some synergy. Even so, the show didn’t perform well enough by Netflix’s calculations to justify a continuation.
For what it’s worth, the series carries a solid 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That suggests it wasn’t a critical issue. So, it more than likely came down to viewership weighed against the cost to produce the show, as it almost always does. Metrics for success in streaming remain elusive and strange but Netflix is the king of the hill in this department. That being the case, the barometer for success is often pretty high.
The series was led by George Rexstrew and Charles Rowland as the titular detectives. Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendant) developed the show for the small screen, with superstar producer Greg Berlanti serving as one of the producers. As for what the show was about? The official synopsis reads as follows:
“Do you have a pesky ghost haunting you? Has a demon stolen your core memories? You may want to ring the Dead Boy Detectives. Meet Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), “the brains” and “the brawn” behind the Dead Boy Detectives agency. Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death, Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts… who solve mysteries. They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases.”
Even though it won’t be on Netflix, DC is still going to stay in the horror game in the future. We’ve got the Creature Commandos animated series headed to Max later this year. There’s also director James Mangold’s Swamp Thing movie in development at DC Studios. That still appears to be years away, but it also feels like something that could be well worth the wait.
Dead Boy Detectives is streaming in its entirety on Netflix. For more, check out our list of new horror movies streaming on Netflix.
