‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Review

The Dead Boy Detectives are back! This time, in their very own show, there is just one teeny-tiny catch… it’s an almost entirely new cast and set in another universe. Back in the third season of Doom Patrol, the undead detective duo made their live-action debut in the Max series, prior to which they’d already scored their very own spin-off. Soon after, however, it was revealed that new leads would be cast, and the actors we saw on Doom Patrol would not return, sparking a bit of outrage from fans who had only just met these characters. So, after all the fuss and the development changes, how did the end result turn out?

The ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ At Your Service

Initially played by Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft, Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland return to screens once again, this time played by George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri. The occult detectives work in the shadows to solve the mysterious deaths of spirits all around London and remedy any unfinished business, all while evading their own fates that would see the best friends separated and sent to their respective afterlives.

However, the boys are quickly pulled out of London while pursuing the case of the amnesiac Crystal Palace (British editor’s note: not the footy team), now played by Kassius Nelson, a psychic girl possessed by her demonic boyfriend who lost her memories and joins up with the boys to help pursue other cases of theirs, which leads them to small coastal town in the US named Port Townsend, where the residents are anything but normal, or nice.

The story retains more of a basic “case of the week” type structure but it works really well; each mystery is unique and odd enough that they are able to stand apart from each other and play into the overall story pretty well. It’s the performances and character work here that really lift the series up.

It’s also important to note that this series is no longer set within the Doom Patrol universe, as initially intended. Instead, it’s now set within the world of Netflix’s Sandman, another series developed from the works of author Neil Gaiman.

Recent marketing for the series has confirmed this with the trailers revealing the return of Kirby Howell-Baptiste as “Death” of The Endless. The series fits incredibly well within the universe of Sandman, and the ties that bind these two series together are excellently used to up the stakes of the series all while giving fans a little treats here and there. Death’s inclusion perfectly sets the tone and stakes of the series, as the severity of the boys’ situation is established efficiently.

A Dead, Dynamic Duo

While many stood in solidarity with the originally casted leads, they definitely should give these new guys a chance as both Rexstrew and Revri deliver quite fantastic performances as Edwin and Charles. To say they’re better would be unfair to the others, as those actors only had an episode, while these guys have an entire season to flesh out their characters and their performances.

Edwin is the conscious of the group, the brains of the operation, and he can be a bit dramatic at times but he always means well. Rexstrew is perfect in this role, he plays this prim and precise figure with ease; it’s both incredibly charming yet frustrating for those around him.

At the surface, he may seem put together but, behind those eyes, he’s dealing with so much anxiety and fear, complicated feelings constantly overwhelming him as he’s finally forced to come to terms with questions and affections that confuse him. It’s a heartwarming journey for the character and the revelations of his long-standing feelings are handled incredibly well.

Revri is just a ton of fun as Charles Rowland, definitely the wildcard of the group because you never know what he’s gonna pull out of his sleeve, or more appropriately, his Hammerspace backpack of tricks. Charles has a bit more of a temper than Edwin, he’s lost a lot in life, specifically, his life. He really wrestles with the loss of his mortality and his one shot at living a full life and that frustration shows throughout the series, he’s angry at the universe, for how unfair it was to have his youth stripped away in the pursuit of helping someone. He hides his pain well, but at times he can become easily overwhelmed and lash out.

The Dead Girl Detectives

Of course, these detectives are no longer working alone, with Crystal Palace joining the agency and helping the duo solve supernatural mysteries. Kassius Nelson takes over the role here, previously played by Madalyn Horcher. Nelson’s Palace is a great addition to the duo, with each having different feelings on her involvement in their agency, she rapidly proves to them that she is more than capable of carrying her fair share of the work.

Palace is basically the crux of the series, she’s what leads the story to Port Townsend and what the central story focuses on as she’s lost her memories following the boys expelling her demon ex-boyfriend from her body. While it is incredibly important, I’d probably say the demon boyfriend is one of the weaker angles of the show.

He haunts Palace from a distance but rarely feels like a present threat, at times feeling like the use him when they remember he’s part of the show, he could’ve just used a bit more development, a little less tell and a lot more show. He just feels detached from the show overall, which is kind of ironic if you think about it.

That said, it may be Niko who steals the hearts of viewers. Played by Yuyu Kitamura, Niko is a regular old human who lives across the hall from Crystal and the boys in Port Townsend. At first, she isn’t able to see anything pertaining to the supernatural but eventually is able to meet Edwin and Charles, which makes her fit right into the group. Niko is exceptionally bubbly and eager to help in anyway she can. Kitamura is a wonderful addition to the cast and is about the only ray of sunshine you’ll see in dreary old Port Townsend.

A Less Than Supportive Cast

The heading here may be a bit misleading, the supporting cast in this show is fantastic, it’s just that Port Townsend isn’t filled with the small-town friendly faces that some may be expecting. Whether it be a vicious witch with a knack for revenge or a royal feline fatale, there seems to be a foe around every corner waiting for them.

Praying on the downfall of our leads in some way shape or form is Esther, the local witch, the Cat King, whose name speaks for itself, and the Night Nurse, an agent of the afterlife whose been searching for the dead boys for a long time, and who also happens to be the only returning cast member from Doom Patrol.

There’s also Jenny, their landlord, who isn’t really a villain. She’s just really tired of everyone’s shit and, honestly, with everything happing here, who could blame her?

The standout antagonist is Esther, played by Jenn Lyon who is an absolute joy to watch and absolutely devours anytime she steps into frame. Lyon’s Esther is a witch that has lived for hundreds of years who feeds off of others in order to maintain not just her immorality but her beauty. She’s loathes the presence of the Dead Boys and Crystal who seek to stop her from kidnapping or harming anyone and goes to whatever lengths necessary to fight them off and get them out of her town.

On the other side of town is the Cat King, played by Lukas Gage, who wants to do the opposite and does whatever he can in his power to keep them in the town for his own pleasure. Calling Cat King a villain may just be a little too far as he feels more like a frenemy, being a threat whenever he genuinely feels he needs to be. He adds an interesting dynamic to the story, particularly with Edwin that plays into his arc quite well.

Gage plays the role well, as an alluring and suggestive supernatural entity that seemingly pines for nothing besides pleasure. He’s a real Dionysus type who always shows up at the worst time possible to heckle Edwin, always finding new ways to get into his head.

Dead Yet Fresh

One of the best aspects of this series is just how different it is from The Sandman, which can a bit more dreary and darker, which is not a critique of the show, just facts. Dead Boy Detectives is a much bolder and tongue-in-cheek book than its predecessor. We obviously haven’t seen much from this universe beyond Season 1 of The Sandman, but I think it’s safe to say the spirit of Doom Patrol lives on in this shows body.

The show may stray from the source material quite a bit, aging the characters up and making slight changes to their backgrounds due to prior events from the Vertigo universe not taking place here. Instead they’re reinvented here and done maybe a bit better than their predecessors.

‘Dead Boy Detectives’ – Final Thoughts

While it may have had a rocky development period that sent it through the multiverse, Dead Boy Detectives lands on its feet and is a fantastic addition to the ever growing catalogue of DC content at Netflix. The story here is pretty good and enjoyable, but made even better by a fantastic cast led by Rexstrew and Revri who will undoubtedly be beloved by fans, and the show puts a fresh new spin on a smaller corner of the wider Sandman universe.

Dead Boy Detectives is now streaming on Netflix. Check out the trailer below:

'Dead Boy Detectives' Review | Popped