Neil Gaiman reveals what it will take for The Sandman season 2 to get the go-ahead from Netflix

Dream and Death in The Sandman — (Image credit: Netflix)

Neil Gaiman has talked about the possibility of The Sandman season 2 – and revealed what it would take for more episodes to get the green light from Netflix. Gaiman wrote the original comic book series on which the TV show is based and was involved in developing the live-action adaptation.

"Because Sandman is a really expensive show," Gaiman tweeted, when asked why season 2 was in question, considering the show's popularity. "And for Netflix to release the money to let us make another season we have to perform incredibly well. So yes, we've been the top show in the world for the last two weeks. That still may not be enough."

As for what would be enough, Gaiman explained that watching the show till the end is a good idea. "It does, yes," he told a fan who asked if binge-watching made the show look more popular. "Because they are looking at 'completion rates'. So people watching it at their own pace don't show up."

He wrote in another tweet: "In the old Nielsen Ratings days the only thing networks cared about was who (and how many) were watching. Now the streamers want to know that people are watching and completing."

The Sandman follows Tom Sturridge's Morpheus, who is freed from captivity after almost a century. The ensemble cast includes Gwendoline Christie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Stephen Fry, and David Thewlis.

Gaiman previously teased what to expect from The Sandman season 2 – should one happen – in an interview with Total Film. "The Silver City is the place where the angels live," he explained. "Lucifer is very much a fallen angel and you get that amazing Gwendoline Christie beauty, and presence, and gloriousness. But the idea of actually getting to meet some honest-to-goodness angels from the Silver City? That would definitely be something we would want to have happen. And also, you know, season two would essentially begin with the Lucifer/Morpheus rematch – the rematch to end all rematches. Lucifer is not going to let things end in the way that Lucifer let things end at the end of episode 4, this is going to go so much darker – but it's also going to go to places that people are not expecting."

The Sandman is streaming on Netflix now – read our Sandman episodic reviews here. If you're up to date, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows to fill out your watchlist.