Why Was The Sandman Cancelled and Can It Be Saved?

The Sandman was a huge hit for Netflix in its first season, but apparently it was just too expensive and the streamer decided to cancel the show despite its large fan following.

What Is It?

The series follows Dream, also known as Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, who escapes a century-long imprisonment and sets out to restore order to his realm, The Dreaming. Along the way, he confronts escaped nightmares, cosmic entities, and ancient responsibilities, all while navigating the delicate balance between dreams and reality.

Aired: Netflix, 2022-25, 2 Seasons Totaling 24 Episodes

Starring:  Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, Patton Oswalt

Developed By:  Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, Allan Heinberg

Why Was It Cancelled?

The Sandman premiered in August 2022 with much anticipation as it was based on the classic comic book series, and acclaimed (at that time) creator Neil Gaiman was closely involved with the production of the show. It scored strong viewership out of the gate, spending two weeks at Number 1 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings and averaging over one billion minutes of viewing across its first three weeks. In addition, the show spent three weeks at Number 1 in the Netflix charts and five weeks in the Top 5.

The Sandman certainly appeared to be a hit, but there were signs of uncertainty amongst the Netflix brass early on. Despite the strong viewership, the streamer remained silent on the show’s status, and it was not until November that the second season renewal was finally announced. Production costs were high on the first season–around $15 million per episode–and apparently Netflix execs had to spend some time mulling over whether they would keep the show going or if it would turn into another one-and-done high-budget failure along the lines of Jupiter’s Legacy, Cowboy Bebop, and 1899.

The show did eventually get the second season nod, but then it headed into turbulent waters. Sexual assault allegations were raised against Neil Gaiman, though it is unclear how much that impacted the show’s fate. According to Deadline, it had been decided before filming began on the second year that the show would be coming to an end (though that was not officially announced until early this year). So perhaps Netflix execs had decided that viewership was good enough to justify one more season, but nothing beyond that because of the high cost of production. Allan Heinberg was the showrunner and David S. Goyer was closely involved, so they could have carried on if Gaiman had stepped back from production. But Netflix may have looked at this more as a money issue and decided to wrap it up after two seasons.

Can the Fans Save It?

There are plenty more stories to tell as the original comic ran for 75 issues, but it will be an uphill battle to convince Netflix to produce more seasons or part with the licensing rights. Because of the expense of the show and the fact that viewership is down in its second year, the streamer will not have much interest in putting The Sandman back in production. And that company usually holds the rights to its originals for at least two years, so it will be a while before the show can shift to another venue. And it’s uncertain if any of the other streamers will want to pick this one up because of the hefty price tag. Maybe they could negotiate a smaller budget, but they also have to buy out the rights from Netflix, or wait a minimum of two years to acquire it.

Right now, the best thing that fans can do is to watch the show, especially the second season, to get the viewership numbers up. It has been in the Top 5 for Netflix so far, but the total viewership is down from the show’s first year. If fans could get it to Number 1 in that streamer’s charts for a few weeks, perhaps that would raise some eyebrows. They should also do subscription drives, convincing people to sign up for Netflix to watch the show. That will impact the bottom line and really draw some attention. But fans need to act now because the cast and crew have likely been released from their contracts and will be moving on to other projects. It will be quite a task to get the show renewed or picked up by another venue, but it is not impossible if there is enough support.

Where Can You Watch It?

All episodes, including the Season 2 bonus ep, are available for streaming on Netflix now. This one has not received a DVD or Blu-ray release yet, and it is not available on other services.

Are you watching The Sandman and will you support fan efforts to save the show? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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