Ruth Connell and Briana Cuoco discuss the progression of Dead Boy Detectives season 1 and their hopes for Night Nurse and Jenny Green in the future. Netflix is going deeper into The Sandman universe as a new spinoff has made its way into the franchise, with the Dead Boy Detectives TV show. Initially set up on Max, once Dead Boy Detectives moved to Netflix, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in The Sandman world.
Dead Boy Detectives is centered on Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland, who are doing everything they can to escape Death, as they passed away decades ago. As they hide from Death, Edwin and Charles are putting their extended time on Earth to good use as they help solve ghost cases for the supernatural. However, along the way, the Dead Boy Detectives make new enemies as well as some surprising allies.
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Dead Boy Detectives Cast & Character Guide
Dead Boy Detectives’ supernatural drama is driven by its intriguing characters, portrayed by a talented group of familiar faces & lesser-known actors.
Screen Rant recently interviewed Connell and Cuoco following the release of Dead Boy Detectives season 1 on Netflix. Throughout the interview, the female co-stars chat about the evolution of Jenny and the Night Nurse characters, where they hope to see their characters in Dead Boy Detectives season 2, as well as some neat ideas for potential Supernatural guest spots and crossovers.
Ruth Connell & Briana Cuoco Break Down Dead Boy Detectives Season 1
Screen Rant: I loved Dead Boy Detectives, I binged the entire season soon as I got to screeners – Ruth, I want to start with you., we get to know Night Nurse a little bit on Doom Patrol so when you were brought back to play her again, in this iteration, what was something that you personally wanted to add to her this time around, as opposed to the last version that you played?
Ruth Connell: A lot more humanity – she is a far more extreme version, that we didn’t really get to see a lot of on Doom Patrol. There was also a lot of prosthetics involved, which I was new to, and then I’m not 100% in favor of getting up at three o’clock in the morning to start my day. [laughs] I love the new take on it. I think it’s far more relatable and there’s more depth and range, I hope continuing on than what it would have been from the previous iteration.
Briana, did they tell you early on the season that it would end with Jenny learning about the boys or did you get to find out las you were reading the scripts?
Briana Cuoco: No, I didn’t, I didn’t know until I got the scripts, it was so fun to read her journey. Steve [Yockey,] our showrunner, sort of gave me some hints and he’s like, ‘Her journey, she really goes on it!’ She really start somewhere and really, and goes ends somewhere. I was really excited to read it and it was really fun. I loved filming that stuff, because it was a blast.
Ruth Connell: We just watched episode 1 last night with my parents as I’m here visiting, so me, my parents, Rob [Benedict] and we watched it. Your first scene is so awesome!
Briana Cuoco: Oh, thank you! It’s wild, because we filmed it so long ago, we filmed the pilot in 2021! I don’t even know that person anymore. Ruth, do you feel that way when you’re watching? I’m like, ‘Who is that person? What is that acting?’ It was so long ago!
Ruth Connell: I feel it was even longer, so yeah.
Fleshing Out The Jenny And Night Nurse Relationship In The Future
You guys didn’t really get to interact with each other a lot this season, how do you think Jenny and Night Nurse would, if they had to share space together, deal with one another?
Ruth Connell: Well, one of my most memorable times of filming was the scene that I did get to do [with Briana.] It’s a really memorable one for me, so even though it wasn’t a lot of filming, it was really enjoyable. I think we’re both on the same wavelength, we both get it done. We’re excited to do it and I’d be really fascinated to see if they actually had to go toe to toe in the future. Because I had a sort of slightly upper hand, I did my magic on you a little bit.
Briana Cuoco: You always would have an upper hand. She’s got things that Jenny can’t do, Jenny just has her cleaver and her sarcasm!
Ruth Connell: Cleavers do intimidate, I have to say!
Briana Cuoco: That was one of my favorite times filming too. That was the last scene we did before the Christmas break and it was about two in the morning when we filmed that. I remember you were getting to set at like 10-11 pm that night and just waiting around. By the time we got there, I kind of thrive on stuff like that, like we’re all in it together. We’re all a team and we had met obviously previously, but we hadn’t worked together. It’s exactly like you’re saying, we both, I feel, flipped a switch. We got it done, we’re both on the same wavelength. You’re a very kind, generous actor, so it was such a delight. I hope there’s a season 2 and I hope we get to do more together.
I hope so too! When I talked to Steve a couple of weeks ago. I told him that I have a feeling season 2 is coming. He’s like, ‘I don’t know, maybe!’
Ruth Connell: From your lips to God’s ears, right?
That’s exactly what he said, word for word!
Briana Cuoco: All we can do is pray! [laughs]
Supernatural & Dead Boy Detectives Crossovers
Ruth, I have to ask you because I’m sure Supernatural fans would murder me if I didn’t at least try. Let’s say Dead Boy Detectives season 2 happens – given your and Steve’s involvement with Supernatural, there has to be a way where you could bring over some of those people? Do you have any dream scenario if Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles showed up in some capacity, or who else would you want us to show up in the Dead Boy Detectives universe?
Ruth Connell: I think it would be really fun if it was done like an Easter egg. I don’t know if Edwin and Charles have seen much television. Do they watch much TV? Edwin and Charles? Do they have shows they watch? I don’t know, maybe they could relate to two guys on the road. Maybe it could be something with Jensen and Jared, but my partner, Rob Benedict, was just at a fan convention in Birmingham and one in Rome, and all the Supernatural fans were saying, ‘Tell Ruth we loved Dead Boy Detectives!’ A lot of people said they were really excited, so I’m glad there’s that appeal to both that they made a point of seeing that.
It would kind of be fun to see all four of those boys come together somehow and see who is the ultimate investigative duo? I don’t know if that would break the fandom or not, but I’m just putting it out there.
I feel like like Alex Calvert could come over, maybe he’s got a case to solve. Maybe he needs them to sort out something with Lucifer! [laughs] I don’t know, it gets complicated then because we’ve got different Gods and different Lucifers. I’m sure something can be arranged.
Dream Crossovers With The Sandman
Speaking of Lucifer, for both of you, because we at Screen Rant have asked your fellow cast members what other characters you want to crossover with from The Sandman. Are there any personal favorites of yours that you would want to hang out with?
Briana Cuoco: I keep saying and I’m gonna keep saying Lucifer. Gwendoline Christie is amazing. I love that character, I Iove her take on it. I would die. And Dream, I mean, his moodiness would be fun!
Ruth Connell: I’m gonna say the same just because I want to stand next to Gwen, it would visually be really cool. I think it could really be a jewel.
Hopes For Dead Boy Detectives Season 2
With where we ended in Dead Boy Detectives season 1, have you guys talked to Steve where he gave you an idea of what you guys may be doing in season 2? Do either of you have something on your personal wish list that you would want to see for your characters?
Ruth Connell: Already during season 1. I pitched Steve some character development for season 2! [laughs] It’s more like backstory and how that works forward. I think you sometimes have to have these conversations to talk it into existence, right?
Briana Cuoco: Steve and I have talked about what her future could look like if we get some more time with her, so it’s exciting!
Jenny had a very ambiguous answer of, ‘Oh, maybe I will join you guys!’ But let’s settle this, she totally did end up joining them, didn’t she?
Briana Cuoco: [Laughs] Listen, that’s how I feel. For Jenny, it takes her a minute to open up, that’s a very vulnerable thing to want to join and go with somebody. But in my world, in my mind, yeah.
What’s Coming Up Next For Ruth Connell & Briana Cuoco
Besides hopefully getting ready to start shooting Dead Boy Detectives season 2, fingers crossed, but what do you guys have coming up that fans can look forward to seeing you in?
Ruth Connell: I have two different podcasts, one’s called Consumed, it’s a true crime podcast. People should tune in and listen to, it has Misha Collins and Genevieve Padalecki as well. I’m also doing a meditation podcast,so you can listen to me a lot right now! [laughs] I had a really good audition that I recorded before I got on my flight, that would be for something really cool, so fingers crossed for that. I can’t say what that was for, but I feel like if you’re watching Dead Boy Detectives, you’ve already seen this show.
Briana Cuoco: I am doing a guest spot on a show that I film at the end of the month based on a true story on Peacock and that’s it for now, hopefully we have more auditions before the next season.
What about Harley Quinn season 5, is there anything you can tease?
Briana Cuoco: I haven’t heard anything about season 5 yet! [laughs] Truly nothing, but that’s a joy. It’s so much fun, what a wonderful gig. I hope that Batgirl is back.
I can’t tell if you’re pretending that you don’t know!
Briana Cuoco: I genuinely actually had no idea. I actually haven’t heard anything recently, I don’t think.
Ruth Connell: I had a project that a producer mentioned to me once that could take so long, it’s horror based around the Loch Ness monster so maybe I should start talking about it into [existence!]
Let’s manifest it!
Ruth Connell: Okay, so I’m looking forward to doing a horror feature, there you go! [laughs]
It’s been a pleasure talking to you both; I hope to speak to you guys in the near future about Dead Boy Detectives season 2 and however many seasons we get. I said to Steve that this could go for 15 seasons like Supernatural! These boys will never age, they will stay whatever age they are!
Briana Cuoco: Yes, and there’s endless cases, they will never not be cases to solve!
Ruth Connell: There are some real good plastic surgeons in Los Angeles if they need it! [laughs]
About Dead Boy Detectives
Do you have a pesky ghost haunting you? Has a demon stolen your core memories? You may want to ring the Dead Boy Detectives. Meet Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), “the brains” and “the brawn” behind the Dead Boy Detectives agency. Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death, Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts… who solve mysteries. They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases.
Check out our other Dead Boy Detectives interviews:
- George Rexstrew & Jayden Revri
- Kassius Nelson & Yuyu Kitamura
- Steve Yockey & Beth Schwartz
Dead Boy Detectives
Based on the DC series, Dead Boy Detectives is a supernatural comedy-mystery series created for Netflix. Two young men from different find one another in death but decide to skip the afterlife and remain among the living with a new purpose – to solve various supernatural mysteries the way only two deceased detectives can.
- Cast
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George Rexstrew
, Jayden Revri
, Kassius Nelson
, Briana Cuoco
, Ruth Connell
, Yuyu Kitamura
, Jenn Lyon - Release Date
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April 1, 2024
- Seasons
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1
- Streaming Service(s)
-
Netflix
- Franchise(s)
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DC Universe
- Showrunner
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Steve Yockey
, Beth Schwartz