Dead Boy Detectives Review | A Great Spin on Neil Gaiman’s Comic Series

Summary

• Meet the Dead Boy Detectives, a fun supernatural team solving mysteries with wit and charm. An interesting emotional triangle and great characters (especially Edwin) keep you invested.
• The show is an often funny take on the afterlife, friendship, and LGBTQ+ relationships.
• A bevy of fun supporting characters and good mysteries elevate
  Dead Boy Detectives
  from the YA tropes it sometimes engages in.

Chances are you may be a fan of Steve Yockey without even knowing. He’s the brainchild behind several stellar TV hits. As a producer of Supernatural, he pumped more life into the popular haunting series during its last few seasons. As executive producer and showrunner of The Flight Attendant, Yockey spread some sass and frenzy across a two-season murder mystery comedy/drama led by Kaley Cuoco. Dead Boy Detectives, his new offering, has hints of both shows and leans on acclaimed executive producer/director Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Arrow) to stoke the fires even more.

The creative flames burn nicely in this lively, breezy, and fun sci-fi/supernatural comedy/drama pulled from The Sandman Universe by DC Comics, which came from the prolific mind of Neil Gaiman. Exploring themes of friendship, courage, sacrifice, dedication, the supernatural, and LGBTQ+ relationships, these series covers a lot of ground.

The premise finds teenage ghosts and best friends, Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), born decades apart, solve mysteries, fend off supernatural forces, and outrun Death (and one trippy witch). They even make some new friends along the way, wax philosophical, and deal with potential romances. It’s like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural climbed into bed with each other and spawned, well, this. And this is good.

Engaging Stars Fuel the Fun

Dead Boy Detectives

4/5

Release Date April 25, 2024

Cast George Rexstrew , Jayden Revri , Kassius Nelson , Briana Cuoco , Ruth Connell , Yuyu Kitamura , Jenn Lyon

Seasons 1

Story By Neil Gaiman, Matt Wagner, Steve Yockey

Franchise(s) DC Universe

Showrunner Steve Yockey , Beth Schwartz

Pros

• A great cast, from the core trio to many excellent supporting characters.
• The special effects are well done and used sparingly, creating a character-first supernatural series.
• You become quickly invested in these characters, especially Edwin.

Cons

• It can be a bit derivative and lean into YA tropes.

Readers were introduced to Dead Boy Detectives back in 1991, when writer Neil Gaiman and artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III featured the duo in The Sandman #25. The TV adaptation does justice to the source material, and by episode three, you find yourself invested in all the whimsy and wacky scenarios presented to you, often with breakneck speed. You’ll forgive the series for rushing out the gates from the get-go. It expects you to follow along — perhaps even catch up. There’s fun to be had, after all.

Rexstrew’s Edwin is a bowtie-wearing soul from the early 20th century. Revri’s Charles is the self-proclaimed “brawn” of the duo. They happened to attend the same British boarding school, although many decades apart. They met in death, and after Edwin’s stint in Hell — just watch and follow along — the two outwit the overseer of The Afterlife and solve a gaggle of mysteries. Let’s say a demon has grabbed hold of your cherished memories, or a ghost is haunting you. These fellas are your go-to.

Related Every Original TV Series Coming to Netflix in May 2024 From a popular returning favorite to plenty of new series, Netflix has a myriad of options for its subscribers next month.

Edwin, Charles, and Crystal Form an Emotional Triangle

The first few episodes set up Edwin and Charles adjusting to several big changes in their typical routine. Newcomer to their daily interactions is a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson). Edwin doesn’t warm up to her, mostly because Charles’ attention is suddenly now split between him and Claire. There’s some wickedly fun supernatural dilemma Claire must move through early on — her demonic ex has a hold on her — but then, she’s part of the detective team, much to Edwin’s chagrin.

It sets up a believable emotional triangle to work off. It also gives each of these three fine actors a chance to shine in various capacities, particularly Nelson, whose psychic gifts become a curious thing to battle. The real fun, however, is the exceptional costars and guest stars here. Add that to the fun special effects, which, surprisingly, are featured with refreshing restraint, and this tale is more about the characters than the spectacle, and that’s usually a good thing.

Supporting Cast and Series High Notes

Claire’s pal Niko (Yuyu Kitamura) enters the mix as her ethereal neighbor. Niko has been possessed by what appears to be a ghastly demon, and it would be a shame to spoil how all that gets resolved. It’s one of the more hilarious escapades the gang moves through, and it brings the gal into what’s become a kind of detective squad. Other stars shine, too. Briana Cuoco (Caley’s sister) is Claire’s goth landlord/butcher, who allows herself to go along with the hijinks happening above her shop and and around town.

Related: The 10 Best Paranormal Investigation TV Shows of All Time

Speaking of… Jenn Lyon (Justified, Claws) is all camp as Esther, a bitchy witch in town who has set her sights on Edwin and Charles, who suddenly can’t really leave the area. All that thanks to another “townie,” the Cat King, played by Lukas Gage, pouring on the sex appeal and charm. CK takes a liking to Edwin, which forces the typically more reserved Dead Boy to ruminate on something other than work.

Meanwhile, the Afterlife is a mess. Ppeople are dying more than ever and there’s a backlog to getting all the souls exactly where they need to be. Including Edwin and Charles. Enter: the Night Nurse, played by Ruth Connell, who reprises the role she originated in Doom Patrol. These characters give the main group enough to contend with, but the stories themselves are equally compelling.

Episodic Mysteries and the Curious Case of Edwin

The show plays out as an episodic procedural by way of an ambitious teen comedy mystery series. There’s always a “case” to solve. There’s always a dilemma — or several — to move through. There’s always a clever display of supernatural VFX, and, best of all, there’s always some mystery that will be uncovered. The show is funny, too. It may feel a bit too much like Joe Cornish’s canceled Netflix series, Lockwood & Co., and can lean into YA tropes a little too much, but it definitely rises above any criticism.

With each passing episode, we learn more about the core three, and while all the characters shine, you wind up ever the more curious as to where this series will take Edwin’s character. His story arc continually finds him having to explore who he really is/was, forcing him to move beyond his self-imposed comfort zones. We want to root for these characters, which makes Dead Boy Detectives that much more enjoyable to experience. Bottom line: No mystery here — the show is fabulous and worth the binge. Watch Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix April 25. Watch the trailer below.

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