According to Comicbook, after almost three years since the Season One premiere, The Sandman returned for its second and final season, now streaming on Netflix. The first season earned an 88% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the series was then officially canceled in January. The news came as the second season was already well into post-production, with which the streamer, studio, and creative team wanted to conclude the series. Unfortunately, The Sandman Season Two seems to end on a lower note. 

The Sandman Season Two, officially premiered on July 3rd, and has earned a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes so far. Critics appear to think that the second season was more disorganized, as they were unsure of where it was going with the story. Nonetheless, Tom Sturridge (Like Minds, The Boat that Rocked)’s performance as Dream carried the season through. That 75% score falls short of the parameters for a “Certified Fresh” badge, and fans agree with Rotten Tomatoes, giving the season a less-than-stellar 70% on the Popcornmeter, Comicbook adds. 

Comicbook states that production for the second season of The Sandman began two years ago, but endured several obstacles, with the pause in production due to the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike in July 2023. Four months later, in November 2023, the series resumed production, and while it was in post-production, Netflix disclosed that it had canceled the series. This news came as allegations surfaced against The Sandman writer Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Good Omens). Reports seem to indicate that the cancellation was as a result of these allegations; however, the showrunner Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey’s Anatomy) stated that the decision was made in advance, with everyone having planned to end the series with Season Two.

The Sandman is focused on Sturridge’s Dream and his Endless siblings, Destiny (Adrian Lester, known for Trauma & Hustle), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste, known for Queenpins & Sugar), Delirium (Esme Creed-Miles, known for Hanna & Silver Haze), Despair (Donna Preston, known for Apocalypse Wow & Hey Tracey!), and Desire (Mason Alexander Park, known for National Anthem & Quantum Leap). The final sibling, The Prodigal, also known as Destruction, will make their debut this season and will be played by Barry Sloane (The Bay, Revenge). The series is based on the DC Comics series created by Gaiman and artists Mike Dringenberg (Lucifer, DC Showcase: Death) and Sam Kieth (Lucifer, The Maxx), as mentioned by Comicbook. 

Comicbook noted that The Sandman is connected with Dead Boy Detectives, which is based on the series created by Gaiman, Matt Wagner (Hunter Rose, Batman/Grendel), and Malcolm Jones III (The Sandman: The Doll’s House, The Sandman: Dream Country), spun out of The Sandman comics. This series is set within the world of The Sandman, but was canceled after one season. 

Season One of The Sandman is streaming now on Netflix, and Season Two Volume One, containing the first six episodes, is now streaming. The second Volume debuts on July 24th with the remaining episodes, along with a special bonus episode that debuts on July 31. Dead Boy Detectives is also available to stream now on Netflix, Comicbook says.