'Dead Boy Detectives' Packs A Powerful Queer Journey Into A Paranormal Adventure

When adapting “Dead Boy Detectives” for television, co-showrunner and producer Steve Yockey vowed to adhere only to “ghost rules,” meaning anything that’s spooky, supernatural and frightfully fun can happen.

“I really wanted to make ‘The Hardy Boys’ on acid,” Yockey told HuffPost. “And that’s what I think we did.”

Released on Netflix last week, “Dead Boy Detectives” is based on two characters created by Neil Gaiman for DC Comics’ “The Sandman.” The eight-episode series follows Edwin Payne (played by George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), two British teens who died under unusual circumstances at a London boarding school: Edwin in 1916 and Charles in 1989.

Though separated in death by seven decades, Edwin and Charles become acquainted as ghosts and, together, decide to skip the afterlife in favor of becoming spirit sleuths dedicated to solving mysteries involving ax murderers, wicked witches and bloodthirsty sea monsters, among other fearsome foes. The two complement one another nicely, with Edwin describing himself as the “brains” to Charles’ “brawn” in their otherworldly operation.

Before long, the pair are whisked across the Atlantic to assist a teen psychic, Crystal (Kassius Nelson), who, unlike her mortal peers, is able to see and hear them. They also join forces with Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), Crystal’s eccentric neighbor and no stranger to the macabre.

Yockey, whose credits include “Supernatural” and “The Flight Attendant,” first encountered “The Sandman” in high school, shortly after he’d personally experienced the death of a loved one. Following Edwin and Charles on their adventures, he said, was “oddly comforting in a psychedelic way.”

As Yockey built a career for himself in Hollywood, he never