“Dead Boy Detectives” is a fun show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, while also providing the audience with a wide range of themes from existential life and death lessons about growing (and dying) pains, to mystery, drama, friendship and romance. The series keeps you engaged from the beginning to the end, and while Netflix does a horrible job at marketing such stories, it is worth the watch, and I hope they have the good sense to keep making these CW-esque shows as they do grow a cult-following, especially with the more episodes made and the rewatch value of these shows are exceptionally strong.

Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) are ghosts and detectives who both died untimely deaths and have been evading Death but spend their time on earth investigating crimes that involve the supernatural, allowing previously lost souls with unfinished business to move on to the afterlife. Edwin was killed in 1916 at boarding school, after a prank ritual sacrifice goes wrong and his soul is collected by forces of hell on a technicality, and Charles dies of hypothermia and internal bleeding following him intervening for a child being bullied. Both boys die premature deaths and meet after Edwin manages to escape from hell, thereafter vowing to stay together and subsequently work together.

Edwin and Charles meet Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson) a psychic medium, during a case in which she is possessed by her demon boyfriend, and the two help her, although the effects of her possession seem to be long-lasting, as she fails to regain all her memories and cannot remember who she is. While Crystal is trying to find her way/ herself, the detectives undertake to finding a missing child, and this leads them to Port Townsend, Washington where the girl is being held by a witch Esther Finch (Jenn Lyon), who feeds children to a large snake to maintain her youth. Through the use of some forbidden magic tricks on a cat and their own wits, the detectives manage to save the missing child. While in Port Townsend, the boys are able to upset both the witch, who wants revenge because they ruined her plan, and the Cat King (Lucas Gage) who puts a caging spell on Edwin for performing magic on a cat, which is forbidden.

Because of the caging spell cast on Edwin, the crew is unable to leave Port Townsend and Crystal finds a place to rent where we meet Jenny the Butcher (Briana Cuoco) and Crystal’s neighbor Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), who become her reluctant (at first) companions, and help the team with their investigations and to stop the imminent danger they seem to always get into. The detectives are able to help Niko when she is “possessed” by Dandelion Sprites (Caitlin Reilly and Max Jenkins) and her near death experience allows her to see the Detectives and from then on offer her helping hand throughout some cases. Niko, who is extremely into BL mangas also sees and helps Edwin sort out his emotions and come to terms with who he is. Niko’s match making skills are however not always a blessing, as she manages to expose Jenny to a psycho stalker in the name of a blind date.

Edwin battles with his arrangement with the Cat King, who seduces him and is willing to remove the caging spell that has him stuck in Port Townsend, if Edwin agrees to be his lover or agrees to do a census of all the cats in Port Townsend. Edwin does not seem to have ever really confronted his sexuality or his feelings, and the Cat King opens up this avenue and Edwin must assess his feelings for his best friend Charles. As part of the witch’s plot, she brings her raven Monty (Joshua Colley) to life, and Monty is tasked with luring Edwin to his doom. Monty, however, ends up really falling in love with Edwin, and Edwin, who is trying to deal with his feelings for Charles and the awakening caused by the Cat King, is unable to reciprocate Monty’s feelings.

Meanwhile, Edwin and Charles are also at the Night Nurse’s (Ruth Connell) and must be taken back to where they belong, with Edwin having to go back to hell despite not actually belonging there. The boys must therefore try by all means to run from the Night Nurse, while also trying to foil Esther’s plans. Edwin is able to confront his demons and actually shares his feelings with a kind of nonchalant Charles, and Charles doesn’t outright reject him but tells him that they have eons to figure out what they are to each other. One of the demons from hell is able to track Edwin before the Night Nurse finds them and drags him to hell, however, Charles makes a deal with the Night Nurse to go and rescue Edwin from hell, and they would freely go with her, however, Niko is able to find a loophole that allows the Night Nurse to leave the boys for a while. The boys are ultimately spared from Death or any judgement, because it is seen that they are doing more to help the Night Nurse (and the heaven’s admin) with ensuring that many missing souls find their way to the afterlife.

“Dead Boy Detectives” tackles a wide range of questions about what it truly means to be alive, and how people perceive mortality. Esther, although she has the gift of immortality, also wants youth and beauty. The boys, in their youth, also want to grow and age, and be able to love and be loved. Crystal, due to her self-destructive nature, allows her demon to take control of her in the name of love. And Jenny, having experienced the not-so-great signs of human nature, chooses not to engage with love, and she has to learn this lesson again when Niko sets her up with her secret admirer. The show also shows that things are not always black and white, there will always be exceptions and gray areas, and sometimes it is in those grey areas that you can thrive. The idea that the afterlife is a bureaucratic system that is also prone to mistakes is both reassuring and also causes dread, but ultimately, regardless of that, the lesson learned is that when we try our best to do good, goodness also follows us.

Although it doesn’t have the heavy and melancholic tones of “Sandman”, “Dead Boy Detectives” is still a fun watch, particularly for a teenage audience. It would be great to see more of this show, with the fun ensemble of mixed-character friends, and the cheeky sprites who act as comic relief. We were left in suspense regarding Niko’s fate and hope that the story continues to unfold, and we get to see more of the characters and how far Crystal’s developed powers will be showcased. I hope that Netflix gives this show more life and another season, because it is a good show.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Netflix