From the world of The Sandman comes a supernatural teen series unlike any other. Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives, based on the DC Comics characters created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, revolves around two teenage ghosts, who decide to spend their afterlife solving mystical mysteries and crimes of magic. Originally planned as a Doom Patrol spinoff, the show is now set in the same universe as Netflix’s acclaimed The Sandman series, which in turn adapts Gaiman’s landmark graphic novel series of the same name that originally introduced these characters. Unlike the parent show, Dead Boy Detectives is expected to have a lighter tone with more humor and zanier characters, including witches, demons, and a Cat King (more on that later), while also exploring the world of the dead and the alive, side by side.

Dead Boy Detectives is developed by Steve Yockey and is set to star a large cast featuring familiar faces and fresh young talent. Considering the popularity of both the parent show and the source material, there’s a lot of anticipation building up to the series premiere on Netflix. So, without further ado, read on to find out who plays who in Dead Boy Detectives and how Yockey is updating and adapting Neil Gaiman’s beloved characters for their live-action debut.

George Rexstrew

Edwin Payne

Played by newcomer George Rexstrew, who is making his television debut with Dead Boy Detectives, Edwin Payne is a ghost from 1916. In the comics, he was a student at a boarding school for boys where a group of bullies sacrificed him in a satanic ritual. Taken by a demon, Edwin endured decades of torture before meeting Charles Rowland and escaping eternal damnation. Together, Charles and Edwin choose to remain among the living, solving crimes and enjoying their new lease on death to the fullest. Edwin is the more bookish and shier one of the two, and his extensive library of occult knowledge is a very useful tool in their arsenal. In the comics, Edwin is generally cautious about new people (which is understandable considering the extreme trauma he’s been through), but he’s ultimately a friendly and kind person.

Jayden Revri

Charles Rowland

Like Edwin, Charles Rowland is also the ghost of a boy who was killed by bullies, at the same school in fact. In The Sandman comics, Charles died in 1990 and became friends with Edwin during a time when the afterlife was going through a bit of a management crisis, with dead souls returning en masse to the land of the living. At the resolution of the crisis, Charles chooses to stay with Edwin rather than move on to the afterlife, and the two have been inseparable ever since. While Edwin can be shy and reserved, Charles is friendly, enthusiastic, and more hands-on, facing down the more dangerous aspects of their ghostly lives with a magical cricket bat and a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. In the show, Charles Rowland is played by English actor Jayden Revri, whose previous credits include a major role in the British series The Lodge and the role of the Mind Fairy in Netflix’s Winx Club adaptation, Fate: The Winx Saga.

Kassius Nelson

Crystal Palace

One of the more original characters in Dead Boy Detectives, Crystal Palace is only loosely based on the comic book character of the same name. In the Netflix show, Crystal is a psychic medium who becomes an ally of our ghostly heroes. After Edwin and Charles save her from demonic possession, Crystal finds that many of her core memories have been stolen. So, in an effort to find out who she really is, she joins the Dead Boy Detective Agency and uses her powers to help others. Crystal Palace is played by Kassius Nelson, who has previously appeared in the British soap opera Hollyoaks, the Edgar Wright film Last Night in Soho, and Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Yuyu Kitamura

Niko Sasaki

Niko Sasaki is a Japanese high school student who moved to Port Townsend, Washington, after her father’s death. While there, she becomes afflicted with supernatural parasites and drops out of school. As a result of this experience, Niko gains the ability to see ghosts. She soon becomes another living ally of the Dead Boy Detectives, using investigation skills she learned from watching Scooby-Doo and reading manga to help them solve cases. She also bonds with Crystal and the two of them get a place together. This is Japanese actor Yuyu Kitamura’s first major role.

Briana Cuoco

Jenny the Butcher

Crystal and Niko’s landlord, Jenny Green aka Jenny the Butcher is the owner of the Tongue & Tail butcher shop. Punky and cool, Jenny forms a connection with Crystal and generally turns a blind eye to the weird things that come with her tenants’ association with the Dead Boy Detectives. However, she has her own secrets, both professional and personal, that she will fiercely protect even from them. Briana Cuoco plays Jenny in the series. An actress, singer, and choreographer, Cuoco was a contestant on The Voice Season 5. She is the voice of Batgirl in Harley Quinn and had a recurring role on HBO’s The Flight Attendant, both of which also star her sister, The Big Bang Theory actor Kaley Cuoco.

Ruth Connell

Night Nurse

First introduced in Doom Patrol as a demonic entity, Dead Boy Detectives reimagines the Night Nurse as a supernatural bureaucrat who works for Death, finding lost children and making sure they’re sent to appropriate afterlives. A caseworker for the dead, if you will. The Night Nurse is something of an antagonist in this story because she’s after Edwin and Charles. However, she’s not exactly evil; just an overworked functionary who takes her job very seriously. Scottish actor Ruth Connell plays Night Nurse in the show and previously played the same character in her Doom Patrol appearance. Connell is also popularly known for her recurring role as the witch Rowena in The CW’s Supernatural, a role she reprised in the show’s 2023 prequel spin-off, The Winchesters.

Jenn Lyon

Esther

Another antagonist with a bone to pick with the Dead Boys, Esther Finch is a powerful witch who made a deal with Lilith for eternal life. Unfortunately for her, the deal did not include maintaining her good looks, but she finds a work-around using dark and chilling methods. The Dead Boy Detectives get on the witch’s bad side after they save a potential victim from Esther and her giant pet snake. To take them down, Esther sends her crow-familiar Monty to gain their confidence in the form of a handsome boy. Esther Finch is played by Jenn Lyon, who has previously appeared in Justified, Saint George, and as the main character in the TNT crime dramedy Claws. Her familiar Monty is played by Joshua Colley, whose credits include the animated show Peter Rabbit and Netflix’s 2022 high school comedy Senior Year.

Lukas Gage

Thomas the Cat King

In the world of Dead Boy Detectives, cats can talk, and they have a King to take their grievances to. Thomas the Cat King is a sassy and suave shapeshifter with nine lives, as you can see in the latest clip. As his title implies, the Cat King is a ruler and protector of cats. Our heroes find themselves in trouble with the Cat King after they use magic on one of his cats, which is strictly forbidden. The Cat King is played by Lukas Gage, who is best known for his appearances in The White Lotus Season 1, You Season 4, and the HBO teen drama series Euphoria. Dead Boy Detectives marks the third project of 2024 for Gage, after Fargo Season 5 and Road House, and will be next seen in the sequel of the horror movie, Smile.

David Iacono

David the Demon

David the Demon is, well, a demon. He’s Crystal’s ex-boyfriend who possessed her and stole her memories after being exorcized by Edwin and Charles. Though he no longer has the ability to control her, Crystal is still haunted by David, who hopes that she’ll let him possess her again. David the Demon is played by David Iacono. Like Briana Cuoco, Iacono has also previously had a recurring role in The Flight Attendant. His other previous credits include the Prime Video YA series The Summer I Turned Pretty and the Netflix teen drama Grand Army.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste

Death

Kirby Howell-Baptiste has been confirmed to be reprising her role as Death of the Endless in Dead Boy Detectives, though it hasn’t been announced whether she will be appearing in a one-off cameo or a recurring role. Either way, the character is quite important to Edwin and Charles’s story. First appearing in The Sandman, Death is the personification of the abstract concept of death. Like her brother Dream (aka the Sandman), Death is a cosmic constant, an immortal being that’s more powerful than the gods. Of all her siblings, Death is the one with the most humanity, and she tries to bring comfort and kindness to the souls in her charge. Besides her popular role as Death in The Sandman, Kirby Howell-Baptiste is also known for her appearances in Killing Eve, Barry, and The Good Place.

Other Supporting Cast

Apart from these stars, Dead Boy Detectives also features Lindsey Gort (All Rise) as Maxine, Caitlin Reilly (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) as Lily, and Max Jenkins (The Mysteries of Laura) as Kingham. Additionally, Michael Beach (Aquaman) appears as magic shop owner Tragic Mick, a character from the Dead Boy Detectives comics who is a walrus who was cursed to take the form of a man and desperately longs to return to the sea.

Dead Boy Detectives arrives on Netflix on April 25, 2024.

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