‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Canceled After One Season at Netflix — Outraged Fans React

Kelli Boyle
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George Rexstrew as Edwin Payne, Jayden Revri as Charles Rowland and Kassius Nelson as Crystal Palace in 'Dead Boy Detectives'
Ed Araquel / Netflix

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A strong fan campaign on social media wasn’t enough to make Netflix renew Dead Boy Detectives for Season 2. The streamer has reportedly canceled the supernatural series after one season, adding another show to its far-too-long list of titles axed after just one go.

Dead Boy Detectives had a bumpy road to its series premiere in April 2024. The series was originally set to be a Max original and tied to the DC universe, as it’s based on a DC comic. It received a pilot order in 2021, and then a series order in 2022, but Max opted not to carry on with the series and it was sold to Netflix in 2023. Since it has narrative ties to The Sandman (it’s based on the Neil Gaiman comic of the same name, and the main characters were first introduced in a Sandman comic), Dead Boy Detectives was billed as part of that Netflix show’s universe. The first season debuted in full on Netflix in April, with eight episodes total.

Dead Boy Detectives centers 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. It also stars Jenn Lyon, Briana Cuoco, Lukas Gage, David Iacono, and Ruth Connell.

Variety was the first to report the show’s cancellation. Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) are displeased that Netflix canceled another series with queer characters at the center after one season like Everything Now and First Kill, though that’s not the only reason they’re upset. Another YA Netflix series from 2023 that built a noteworthy fanbase, Lockwood & Co, was also canceled after one season.

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“Part of me feels like there needs to be a streaming service dedicated to LGBT content and included as a potential add-on to the big streaming services,” one X user wrote. “Stop canceling, the gays want their content!”

Fans of the series are understandably saddened by the cancellation, especially after many spent months advocating for its renewal under the #RenewDeadBoyDetectives and #SaveDeadBoyDetectives hashtags. A Change.org petition pushing for the series to be saved has already been created in the hour since news of Netflix’s decision broke. See fan reactions to the cancellation below.

Do you think Dead Boy Detectives deserves a second chance? Let us know in the comments section.

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