You know what they say: The higher you climb, the harder you fall. That’s certainly been the case for fantasy author, Neil Gaiman, once among the most beloved contemporary authors of genre fiction. Gaiman is now embroiled in controversy, with multiple women accusing the writer of sexual assault, the details of which I will leave out of this post. You can read all about in this Vulture exposé or, since that’s behind a paywall, in this piece at Variety. Fair warning: These are deeply unpleasant stories.
Various Gaiman projects have since been axed. Gaiman departed Amazon Prime’s upcoming final season of Good Omens. Development on a film based on his “The Graveyard Book” has halted at Disney. Gaiman was also dropped by his longtime comic book publisher, Dark Horse.
Now, via Variety, Netflix is ending the popular show The Sandman with Season 2. The series is based on the wildly popular graphic novels Gaiman produced, though it appears it will race to the finish line at this point, jumping much further ahead in the storyline than fans had hoped. While it’s being reported that Season 2 was always intended to be the end of The Sandman at Netflix, the recent allegations and controversy certainly helped ensure the show’s fate.
“‘The Sandman’ series has always been focused exclusively on Dream’s story, and back in 2022, when we looked at the remaining Dream material from the comics, we knew we only had enough story for one more season,” “The Sandman” showrunner Allan Heinberg said in a statement to Variety Friday. “We are extremely grateful to Netflix for bringing the team all back together and giving us the time and resources to make a faithful adaptation in a way that we hope will surprise and delight the comics’ loyal readers as well as fans of our show.”
Gaiman was an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo movement, tweeting at one point:
“On a day like today it’s worth saying, I believe survivors. Men must not close our eyes and minds to what happens to women in this world. We must fight, alongside them, for them to be believed, at the ballot box & with art & by listening, and change this world for the better.”
One imagines that Gaiman’s perspective may have changed somewhat in recent weeks. As always, while it is of course important to believe survivors, there is also value in the presumption of innocence. It’s not always easy to separate truth from fiction, or to know who is guilty and who is innocent without all the information. Rushing to judgment rarely helps.
Regardless, even if Netflix was not planning to renew The Sandman, this is just another in a long string of blows the British author has taken since allegations first surfaced. Still, while I’ve been upset by other Netflix cancellations, I’m apathetic here. I couldn’t get into the first season and never read the comics.
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