Netflix's The Sandman spooky spin-off show Dead Boy Detectives gets thrilling first trailer

From the world of Neil Gaiman's Sandman comes a spooky new series starring two dead boys who decide to ditch the afterlife and quite literally become detectives.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) and Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) introduce their Dead Boy Detective Agency, in which they help ghosts resolve their mysteries. "We're pretty good detectives," the boys say, "when we're not hiding from Death." And they mean none other than Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) from Netflix's Sandman, who stands in front of them looking pretty unimpressed.

"Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance plays over the trailer (which made me especially happy given that another dark and wonderful Netflix show, The Umbrella Academy, is based on a comic book series created by MCR frontman Gerard Way).

Per the official synopsis, the new series is a ghost story that "explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland , two dead British teenagers, and their very alive friend, Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson)." The series was written and created by Steve Yockey, developer of the Kaley Cuoco-led HBO Max black comedy The Flight Attendant.

Ruth Connell is set to reprise her role as the Night Nurse from the season 3 episode Dead Patrol of Doom Patrol – where the Dead Boys made their first appearance (though played by a different pair of actors). The cast also includes Briana Cuoco as Jenny the Butcher, Yuyu Kitamura as Niko, Max Jenkins as Kingham, Lukas Gage as Thomas the Cat King, and Jenn Lyon as Esther.

Charles and Edwin made their first appearance back in The Sandman #15, penned by Gaiman, back in 1991 and would go on to appear in several comics and manga-style graphic novels.

Dead Boy Detectives hits Netflix on April 25. Sandman season 2 is underway. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2024 and beyond.