When I opened Instagram to doomscroll a little over a week ago, the last thing I was expecting to see was a post stating that the Netflix show Dead Boy Detectives had been canceled.
First released on April 25th of this year, the supernatural dramedy centers around the titular Dead Boy Detectives. Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) are dead best friends who solve mysteries in the afterlife. They are joined in their adventures by their new-found (living) friends Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson), an amnesiac psychic, and Niko Sasaki (Yuyu Kitamura). Together they face off with a witch, odd creatures, and even Hell.
Though created as a spinoff series of The Sandman (also on Netflix), I think it works well as a standalone series. The show was welcomed with highly positive reviews from both critics and viewers alike (92/90 on Rotten Tomatoes), and scored higher with both groups than its parent show, The Sandman, did in its first season (88/80 on Rotten Tomatoes). The writing is interesting and detailed, the acting, presented by a talented cast, is immersive, and the careful attention given to every production element makes it a visually pleasing and compelling watch. In addition, the main characters are incredibly diverse (most of them are queer and/or POC), and their backgrounds and character arcs are varied, well thought-out and even relatable at times (who knew an Edwardian ghost and I would be dealing with similar issues). Given this, it’s not that surprising that a supportive, devoted fandom developed around it. I really loved this show. It’s definitely one of the more fun and captivating shows I’ve seen recently, and I hate that I won’t be able to see these characters I love so much continue growing.
Dead Boy Detectives’ cancellation was announced on August 30th and was promptly met with an onslaught of mourning from the cast, crew and fans alike. However, the cancellation seems to be just another event in an ongoing trend of unique TV shows being mishandled by streaming services. Netflix’s Lockwood & Co. and Prime’s My Lady Jane are two other recent examples of this phenomenon. Weirdly, streamers are willing to sink so much money into creating such detailed, interesting shows, only to cancel them after a single season. These companies seem to be forgetting that TV shows generally need more time to gain traction except for a few instant hits. They also seem to be expecting the type of viewership that shows that air on cable get, while also failing to realize that the idea of having to own multiple subscriptions to watch specific shows is unrealistic for many people, which in turn leaves them with limited audiences. This is also why shows that air on both cable and a streaming service, like Abbott Elementary (which I love), tend to have higher, more consistent viewership – they reach new, larger audiences organically, and I think it’s odd to believe that shows limited to a single platform will consistently perform on a similar level.Â
The whole thing really sucks because so many interesting stories that bring a lot of people comfort and joy are stopped in their tracks before they can realize their full potential. As someone who loves TV but has also been hit with many shows cut short too soon, I’m starting to feel like it’s not worth it to try new, inventive TV because there’s such a high likelihood that it’ll just get canceled anyway.
As of 9/6/24, season 1 of Dead Boy Detectives is still available to watch on Netflix.