The case is ending for Dead Boy Detectives as Netflix announced on Friday that the show will not be continuing to a second season. That supernatural drama spent three weeks in the streamer’s Top 10 which is often not enough to reach the completion rate expected from an original on that service (which tracks the number of people who watch the entire season). Other Netflix shows which met a similar fate include Fate: The Winx Saga, The Imperfects, and The Midnight Club. The average viewership per week for Dead Boy Detectives was lower than several other genre entries from last season such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, 3 Body Problem, and Supacell. But the show is tied to the same universe as The Sandman, so I was thinking that might help keep it going. And, it did score well with critics and viewers, currently holding a 92% Fresh Rating and 90% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
This one did develop a notable following during its short run, and I expect that fans will stage a Call to Action on the social networks to try and save the series. Their best bet is to have watch parties to get Dead Boy Detectives back in the Netflix Top 10 and also to get a drive going to convince people to subscribe to the streamer to watch the show. That will impact the bottom line and draw the attention of the Netflix execs. Any attempt to get the show moved to another venue would be an uphill battle, though, because the streamer has the rights to the property for at least two years and possibly longer. If nothing else, the fan campaign could lead to a crossover with The Sandman to resolve some loose ends from the series.
This announcement counts back to the 2023-24 season and it brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score to 24 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (31% of shows tracked) vs 36 renewed (46%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.
Dead Boy Detectives follows the ghosts of two people who were wrongfully killed and who decide not to enter the afterlife but instead remain on Earth to investigate crimes involving the supernatural. It stars George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, Kassius Nelson, Briana Cuoco, Ruth Connell and it is based on the comic book of the same name by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner.
The 2024-25 season has just begun, but there are still more shows from the prior year waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site as well as our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news.
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I do hope at least they rope the Boys into The Sandman enough to let us know what ultimately happened with Niko (and her sprites) as well as resolving Tragic Mick’s story in terms of him finding the washerwoman and becoming a walrus again.