You're not dreaming, The Sandman season 2 has hit Netflix. After a three-year hiatus, the second and final season of the popular fantasy series The Sandman is here. Well, the first half-ish of it is. To make the show's last hurrah that little but more dramatic, Netflix is releasing The Sandman season 2 in two halves, with one extra special episode set to drop at the end of this month.
Episodes 1-6 are available to watch on Netflix right now, and by the look of the first half of the season, it seems as though The Sandman is going out with a bang. We have already seen Dream of the Endless reunite and met a few new faces, but more on that later. But if you think the show has already packed a lot into volume 1, you haven't seen anything yet, as there is a whole lot more carnage to come.
With that in mind, it can be difficult to remember what exactly happened last season and what is really at stake in the realm of Dream. Don't worry, that's where we come in. We've got the lowdown on all you need to know about The Sandman season 2, from release times and plot details to reviews and the cast list. So what are you waiting for? Join us as we say goodbye to one of the best Netflix shows.
The Sandman season 2 release date
The Sandman season 2 Volume 1 premiered on Netflix on July 3, with Volume 2 set to arrive on July 24 at 12am PT and 3am ET in the US and on the same day in the UK at 8AM BST.
However, the fantasy story won't fully come to an end with Volume 2. On June 3, Netflix announced via Twitter that a special bonus episode titled 'Death: The High Cost of Living' will hit the streamer on July 31.
For exact timings, check out our The Sandman season 2 release schedule.
The Sandman season 2 episodes are as follows:
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.1 Episode 1: 'Season of Mists' - out now!
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.1 Episode 2: 'The Ruler of Hell' - out now!
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.1 Episode 3: 'More Devils Than Vast Hell Can Hold' - out now!
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.1 Episode 4: 'Brief Lives' - out now!
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.1 Episode 5: 'The Song of Orpheus' - out now!
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.1 Episode 6: 'Family Blood' - out now!
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.2 Episode 7: 'Time and Night - July 24
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.2 Episode 8: 'Fuel For the Fire - July 24
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.2 Episode 9: 'The Kindly Ones' - July 24
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.2 Episode 10: 'Long Live the King' - July 24
- The Sandman Season 2 Vol.2 Episode 11: 'A Tale of Graceful Ends' - July 24
- The Sandman Season 2 Bonus Episode 7: 'Death: The High Cost of Living' - July 31
The Sandman season 2 reviews
The Sandman season 2 debuted to a mixed-positive reception. At the time of writing, The Sandman season 2 stands at a 74% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews. For context, The Sandman season 1 has a score of 88%.
Kaiya Shunyata from RogerEbert said that although some episodes in season 2 "drag," they "are each an undeniable visual feast, painstakingly brought to life with production and lighting design that rivals other modern fantasy shows." Similarly, Tessa Smith from The Direct wrote, "Packed with stunning visuals, top-notch production design, and unforgettable performances, season 2 part 1 will leave fans begging for more."
One writer went as far as to compare the season to one of the greatest fantasy projects ever made. "In terms of capturing the sensation of what it felt like to live through the original prose, Sandman is in the same league as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy," said Joonatan Itkonen from Toisto.
More negative-skewing reviews included The Guardian, which called The Sandman season 2 an "emo drama is so pretentious it ruins everything".
Is there a The Sandman season 2 trailer?
Netflix released the official trailer for The Sandman season 2 just two weeks before volume 1 hit the streamer. The trailer, which you can watch above, shows Dream fighting for both his and The Dreaming's survival as the world seemingly, and rather fittingly, comes to an end.
Before this, Netflix had only shared a date announcement video, which you can check out below. In the brief clip, Destiny (Adrian Lester) summons the Endless: Dream (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Despair (Donna Preston), and Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles). Dream doesn't know why they've been summoned – but he'll find out soon enough.
The Sandman season 2 plot
The Sandman season 2 picks up just weeks after that dramatic The Sandman season 1 ending. The final installment adapts storylines from the original comics of the same name, including the Season of Mists, Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones, and The Sandman: Overture, alongside single-issue stories like Tales in the Sand and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
At the end of last season, we saw Dream dismantle The Corinthian and destroy the Dream Vortex that threatened to eliminate the universe. However, over in Hell, Lucifer and Mazikeen were plotting their revenge against Dream. But the main man wasn't too bothered about his enemy's plans, as he was focused on rescuing his estranged wife.
The final season picks up shortly after, with Dream restoring his kingdom and reuniting with his family. According to Tudum, "To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything."
Sadly, The Sandman season 2 is the final season. Last January, it was announced that The Sandman won't return for season 3. Showrunner Allen Heinberg said that they knew they only had enough material for one more season: "We are extremely grateful to Netflix for bringing the team all back together and giving us the time and resources to make a faithful adaptation in a way that we hope will surprise and delight the comics' loyal readers as well as fans of our show."
The Sandman season 2 cast
When it comes to The Sandman season 2 cast, Netflix is giving us a lot (and I mean a lot) of names to keep track of. Of course, Tom Sturridge is back as Lord Morpheus. However, there are also plenty of brand-new names and unconfirmed castings for us to go through as well.
Below is The Sandman season 2 cast list:
- Tom Sturridge as Lord Morpheus/Dream
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death
- Mason Alexander Park as Desire
- Donna Preston as Despair
- Adrian Lester as Destiny
- Esme Creed-Miles as Delirium
- Barry Sloane as Destruction
- Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar
- Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain
- Asim Chaudhry as Abel
- Douglas Booth as Cluracan
- Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven
- Jacqueline Boatswain as Prime Minister Zewde
- Segun Fawole as Laurie Webb
- Garry Cooper as Hades
- Mark Hamill as Mervyn
- Indya Moore as Wanda
- Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus
- Laurence O’Fuarain as Thor
- Clive Russell as Odin
- Freddie Fox as Loki
- Jack Gleeson as Puck
- Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian
- Steve Coogan as Barnabas
- Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine
For what else to watch, check out our guides to the best Netflix movies and the best anime on Netflix.
