Dead Boy Detectives fans suspect cryptic post teases season 2 fate

As of this writing on Aug. 23, it's been 120 days since Dead Boy Detectives made its premiere on Netflix on April 25. Since then, a loyal fandom has amassed online to show support for the show and, naturally, band together to hope for a season 2 renewal.

Within those 120 days, Netflix has not indicated whether the show has been renewed or canceled, and for the sake of the show's adoring fans, I hope this sentence ages like milk. However, as it stands, a new Instagram post from series star George Rexstrew has the fandom wondering if a renewal announcement could be coming soon.

On Aug. 23, Rexstrew posted a clip from the series with the caption, "As long as the red Earth rolls..." Devoted viewers instantly recognized that the caption comes from the Rudyard Kipling poem titled "The Sack of the Gods" that's recited by Death in the first episode of Dead Boy Detectives. Once the post hit social media, fans couldn't help but express their intrigue on what it could mean.

Fellow Dead Boy Detectives star Jayden Revri, the Charles to Rexstrew's Edwin, commented under the post, "Best person I know." Yuyu Kitamura, who plays Niko Sasaki in the series, also commented on the post with a reference from the series: "Just a mirror away." It's wonderful to see the cast continuing to interact and show support as well as see the fans display their passion.

Because of the context of the poem's quote, deductions have been made that it means the show will be coming back. As the poem's full quote reads:

"They will come back — come back again, as long as the red Earth rolls. / He never wasted a leaf or a tree. Do you think He would squander souls?"

Are they coming back? It's a question!

Dead Boy Detectives hasn't been renewed or canceled yet

Of course, it's alarming that it's almost September and Netflix has not revealed the fate of a show released in April. It's not unheard for the streamer to announce a renewal on a delay, even for a hit series (Outer Banks season 2 released in July 2021 and season 3 wasn't renewed until December 2021), but save for The Gentlemen, Netflix's current pattern of renewals has been a bit less delayed.

While Rexstrew could have simply shared the clip from Dead Boy Detectives and the line from the poem as a special treat for fans who have shown love for the show, fans could be right in thinking it could indicate word on its future could be imminent. Some fans want to believe that good news could be on the way, though from a different lens, the post and its cast comments also point to a possible quiet cancellation.

No one wants that to be true, but the seemingly emotionally-tinged post reads a bit like a farewell. We've seen posts like this over the years about underrated series amid their uncertain fates. As a fellow lover of TV and fan of my fair share of undervalued shows in my day, I have read so far into comments, posts, etc. Everyone sees these things differently, but no one will know the true meaning until the news breaks. Right now, Netflix holds all the cards.

To all the fans out there, I would advise you to manage your expectations. Don't put all of your eggs in the this particular basket. A vague post from a cast member isn't a confirmation that Dead Boy Detectives has been renewed for season 2, and on that same tip, it's also not a confirmation that the show has been canceled. Fingers crossed this goes the way you want it to.

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