The Sandman’s incredible success ‘may not be enough’ for second season, admits creator Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman spills on the 30 year long struggle to get The Sandman on screens. (Paula Lobo/Getty)
The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman has taken to Twitter to update fans on the fate of the show and why season two is not guaranteed.
The hit Netflix adaptation of the 1989 to 1996 comic book series has dominated trending lists, becoming the number one Netflix show in the world for the third week running.
Yet, despite its success, due to the ever-increasing complicated world of streaming, its renewal is not guaranteed.
The show has become renowned not only for its ethereal storytelling but also its LGBTQ+ inclusivity, with a range of queer characters and plot lines integrated into the episodes.
After one fan on Twitter asked if the “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” chapter from the comic books would be adapted, Gaiman replied: “If we get a second season. (Please encourage all your friends to watch Sandman. Encourage all your friends who have begun to watch Sandman but got distracted by life to finish watching Sandman.)”
And when pressed about why a second season of the show wasn’t confirmed, he responded: “Because Sandman is a really expensive show. 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.”
Because Sandman is a really expensive show. 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. https://t.co/m7VusGL2rW— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) August 21, 2022
The Sandman is not the only LGBTQ+ show waiting to hear its fate, with Amazon Prime’s new series A League of Their Own also encouraging viewers to finish watching the series.
A League of Their Own writer Will Graham tweeted about why completing the series was so important, and Gaiman agreed: “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.”
And Netflix has a track record of cancelling LGBTQ+ inclusive shows on its platform, including First Kill, I Am Not Okay With This and Julie and the Phantoms.
But fans of the The Sandman shouldn’t worry too much – Gaiman has assured viewers “safeguards” exist for if Netflix does cancel the show, meaning hopefully another platform is ready to pick it up.
If we do get a new season, Gaiman has already teased some of what we can expect, including a new trans character called Wanda.
He told Metro he made sure the season two writers room “had trans and non-binary people” because “that seemed to us to be the only way to do it”.
Adding: “So The Sandman, we’ll get Wanda, we’ll get all of that stuff – as long as enough people watch season one and they let us keep going.”
