Dead Boy Detectives

After reading all the reviews comparing this to Lockwood, I wouldnt base your enjoyment of this series on these comparisons. I also think there's some attachment bias when they state Lockwood is better. It was first, and they're probably a little aggravated, understandably so, that their series was cancelled and Dead Boy isn't filling the gap of unfinished business or story completion they're yearning for. And I agree. Cancelling good series is frustrating.

They can be forgiven for making the comparison, since at the very base the comparison is tempting due to the ghost theme and the makeup of the team. But the similarities end there.

Dead Boy Detectives (dbd) is fantasy based. Witches, faeries, elementals, gods, etc Lockwood is more horror / ghost focused.

Dead Boy is current day, mystery focused. Detectives rather than investigators Lockwood is more dystopian future focused. They're more agents fighting a war than detectives. I would argue that there are plenty of movies that do Lockwood theme. It's not at all unique.

Dead boy is more light hearted Lockwood focuses more on tense scenes and dread.

Dead boy characters are more likeable. I really haven't grown to like any of the Lockwood main characters. And I find the acting in Lockwood can frequently be a bit stilted. Not terrible, but just enough to give the edge to Dead Boy on acting/directing. It's more fluid, and the characters that come across as stilted, feel purposefully directed that way as part of their character awkwardness. I also find Lockwood really stretches to justify doing the work at night when if all they have to do is locate the source, would be much more reasonable during the day.

All in all, I dont really find these series similar at all other than the paranormal theme and trio of characters. And even then, there's massive differences.

I wrote this review a few weeks back, when I finished the season - but now that the show has been cancelled I thought I'd rework it slightly and post it here.

I liked Netflix's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" and that was enough for me to overcome general distaste with the rather twee title and give this series a chance. I'm glad I did as, whilst not quite matching up to the main event, this was pretty good stuff.

Two ghosts, Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri) manage to successfully, though not entirely, exorcise a demon from Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson). Crystal has lost all her memories but has gained a psychic power to 'read' items and people. Together the three travel to Washington, to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, which puts them at odds with a witch, Esther Finch (Jenn Lyon). Their investigation methods also lead to them popping up on the afterlife's radar and Night Nurse (Ruth Connell) begins an investigation.

Whilst the series name is not particularly promising, proposing a whimsy that doesn't really match the series often dark tone I did end up liking the series. It helps that the main cast quickly overcome the potential clichés of their roles and settle into being a likable team. Jenn Lyon makes Esther Finch a fun, but clearly vile, big bad for the season. The first episode is a bit of a muddle, with too much happening but it settles down after that into a plot that's similar to the sort of dark Y-A fiction that's popular on Netflix, like "Wednesday" for example. Unlike that show though, "Dead Boy Detectives" is a little harder, in terms of the violence sure but certainly with the swearing.

You never quite know which way Netflix is going to go with a renewal, but it does feel like there's other stories that could be told in this world and that's without crossing over into "The Sandman" any more than they have already. I'd certainly have liked more.

I stumbled on this show entirely by accident, having not seen any marketing for it at all. Which is a shame because it's a great show.

The acting is first-class - a rewatch had me noticing small nuances I missed the first time round. The plot doesn't drag, it has a slight element of 'monster of the week' keeping it fresh though there is an overarching plot. Even costume and set design are amazing.

Even though it's a Sandman spin-off, it's entirely it's own beast and I know nothing about the Sandman yet still followed everything in this show. Perhaps if you watched the other show you'll pick up on additional things but it's definitely nit a requirement.

A fun show, with great acting that deserved more promotion than it got.

The show is fun, I love the special effects, I love the characters.

It's gory and campy in just the right amounts for me. The soundtrack is nice.

It has Ruth Connell.

The first episode didn't catch me, but after the second I couldn't stop watching. I binged the show in two days.

It's not perfect at all, but it's not claiming to be and it's an overall great experience and definitely worth a watch (or three in my case).

I hope there's going to be more because I want to know what happens next. I want to see all the relationships unfold and develop, because that's a thing the show does, there's so much interpersonal development going on.

If you like supernatural themes, ghosts and witches and you're into quirky and diverse characters then this is the right show for you.

Dead Boy Detectives is a decently fast-paced show with lots of well written characters and a great storyline.

It is set in The Sandman universe, but how exactly it fits within the timeline, I am not sure.

It has been a while since I watched The Sandman though.

This show has everything I would want from entertainment. Supernatural creatures, Ghosts, Witches and Mediums? I'm in. There is queer representation? Not only that, the queerness isn't ignored, the butt of a joke, but just another way of being? Take all my money.

After rewatching it for several times, you really start to notice all the little details that everyone involved put into this masterpiece. The acting is very good, the costume department went above and beyond and the set designs?? Gorgeous.

Everything has it ups and downs ofcourse, which is why I gave it a 9/10 instead of a 10/10. There is always room for improvement.

Without delving too far into spoiler territory, everything hell related could have been... stretched out more? I would have loved it if we got to see more of hell and all it entails for 2 episodes instead of just 1.

This brilliant show truly deserves all the attention it's getting. I absolutely love it, and would love it even more if we get to see even more of the Agency and their adventures!