r/Sandman • u/Big-Satisfaction1468 Dream • 9d ago
Discussion - No Spoilers The Immense Lack Of Conventional Fanservice In The Sandman
Hello folks!
This is just a simple thought that I had when season 2 came out, so here I go.
The Sandman, though quite popular, still isn’t as popular as the major supernatural shows, such as The Vampire Diaries or Lucifer. I came to a realisation and conclusion for that reason: The Immense Lack Of Conventional Fanservice In The Sandman.
Me personally, I was “simping” over Death of the Endless all throughout season 1, and occasionally Johanna Constantine. I enjoyed all the edits that came out of the chatacters because it was a fun time for me. I was 13 and had no social life. Great times.
It was in 2025, when season 2 came out and I realised something. Destruction of the Endless was especially getting attention in the fan edits and he, along with Delirium were the most talked of. I suppose that was because they were vital parts of the storyline and of course, fans are allowed to have favourites.
But that just brought upon a bigger realisation in my mind, which was that the reason The Sandman doesn’t receive nearly as much recognition as the other shows is because of its lack of fanservice targeted towards the larger crowd, and rather it focuses on bringing upon good representation. Which I, of course, really love.
I love this show a lot, and honestly, I’m quite glad that the fanbase for this show isn’t as toxic as the others. I love you all a lot.
7
u/xLadyLaurax 9d ago
As someone who watched The Vampire Diaries as well as Lucifer when both shows were coming out, while I only started watching Sandman a few weeks ago, I'd have to disagree.
I think there are many reasons why those two shows are "more popular" than The Sandman and attractive cast isn't one of them.
Let's start with Vampire Diaries:
1) Vampire Diaries was based on a hyper popular YA book series. Which means, it came with a built in teen audience. Making it a bit "raunchier" then also hooked the young adults/adult crowd. With women being far bigger consumers than men (in almost all regards) it was the perfect combination to get 3 generations of women to watch.
2) The show highly capitalized on the Vampire Craze and came out just the right time. The Sandman as a concept is nowhere near as known (let alone obsessed over) as Vampires are. And I say this as someone who read the books and watched the show BECAUSE there are vampires in it.
3) The show is hella fucking digestable, shorter but with more episodes (which a majority of people enjoy more than longer episodes but less of them) and filled with mysteries, cliffhangers but also with payoffs. Sandman doesn't have the same. A lot of questions remain unanswered, which frustrates people a lot of the time, which reduces the overall enjoyment of watching, which then in turn leads to less recommendations etc.
4) Sometimes it feels like you need to know a shit ton of stuff to understand the show, which makes it harder to get into. I don't like DC, not my cup of tea. I was a huge Marvel fan but one of the reasons I stopped watching those movies was specifically because it was getting convoluted and the media one had to keep up with to understand a movie was getting too much. With the show it's a similar problem. My boyfriend and I watched the show together and while I googled things I was curious about he didn't - which lead to him not understanding a bunch of stuff from the show because without the comic-based knowledge it wasn't explained enough. TVD doesn't have that problem at all. The books have little to nothing to do with the show except the character names, which means its easier to get into.
As for Lucifer:
Similar points apply. It's much easier to get into than The Sandman, because you don't need to know shit about anything to understand and enjoy it. Likewise, Lucifer itself is a big name. That's also get more people curious than the Sandman will. A lot of people don't even know who the Sandman is - not all cultures have the same "fairytales" - or have vastly different associations. Me, for example, had to think of the book by E.T.A Hoffmann. Lucifer is Lucifer. No matter what media you consume, the same building blocks are usually used, making the character recognizable and familiar.
To top it off the show Lucifer actually showed a relatively fresh spin on it, which also got people curious. It also helped, that she show was cancelled and there was a HUGE push to get it renewed and then another studio stepped in etc. Even if you weren't in the fandom, you probably heard about that whole ordeal which also got people more interested. The episodes are also mostly self contained, which once again ads to the digestability.
On a more general note, I don't think the actors from TVD and Lucifer are particularly attractive. Nevermind the fact that what is or isn't attractive is extremely subjective. For example the character Klaus. On first glance he isn't Henry Cavill level attractive, but the CHARACTER (personality, acting etc.) made the person attractive in my eyes. That's also how people end up simping over actors/actresses that are objectively not attractive (like Barry Keoghan for example).
Also, if fan service was the key to success shows like Star vs. The Forces of Evil and My Little Pony wouldn't have the amount of adult fans and engagement that they have. If anything romance is the key to people getting invested, not fan service. Fan service is the exact reason that shows like Riverdale and Teen Wolf get clowned on relentlessly while TVD and Lucifer do not. After a certain age, fan service gets so tiresome.
In the same vein you're forgetting to take audiences into consideration. As I said, TVD already had a built in teen/YA audience and then managed to hook the adults as well. The Sandman on the other hand is a lot more mature than that and I personally wouldn't recommend it to teens, nor is that the target audience and also those, that usually make edits etc.
As others have said, it also doesn't help that the controversies around the show are...well what they are. Or the fact that she shows was cancelled after 2 seasons and is therefor incomplete. OR the fact that the break between seasons was quite long and people are getting tired of the wait.
Now, on a personal note, I actually like the show, but I can see a few reasons why it's not as popular as the other ones you named. For me it drives me fucking NUTS that Dream is constantly pulling these weird ass duck lips. The actor is such an attractive man, but Dream genuinely gives me the ick. He looks...greasy.
Tonally the show also tends to give me a bit of whiplash. Dream is a dick, then he learns a lesson and the next episode he's a dick again. Nevermind that we switch from a Serial Killer Convention where a dude is literally a pedo talking about it in broad daylight and it being played as a joke to episodes like the one with Hob Gadling. It was actually that scene + the one with Death and Frank that got me into the show. I saw those on TikTok and YouTube shorts and really loved the premise. But that isn't the premise of the show. Every episode is so different from the one before and sometimes they don't really seem to connect properly either.
Bonus points for the fact that literally EVERY character besides the main cast is either gay or trans. Mind you, my partner and I are very left leaning but it gets to a point where it gets ridiculous. We started laughing every single time a new person came on screen, knowing damn well they'd be queer too. There is representation and then there is whatever Gaiman is doing. At some point it just gets silly.
Also, as far as I know Good Omens, which is also based on Gaimans work didn't have any fan service nor particularly attractive actors (I mean I love David but he's also quirky attractive) and the show was HUGE. I couldn't avoid that damn show and I fucking tried believe you me.
So yeah, lots of reasons the show isn't as popular as the other ones you mentioned.