‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Earns Mixed Reactions as Fans Praise the Cast but Question the Story
The Sandman is back on Netflix with its second season, and reactions are all over the place. The first batch of new episodes arrived on July 3, 2025, and more are dropping later this month. Some fans are happy to return to the strange and dreamy world of Morpheus, while others think the show is starting to lose its spark.
Rotten Tomatoes gives Season 2 a 74% score from both critics and audiences. Over on Metacritic, the score is a 61 out of 100.
That puts it in the “generally favorable” range, but just barely. These scores suggest that people are split, some still love it, and others think it’s slipping.
Tom Sturridge is back as Dream, and most viewers agree he’s still one of the best parts of the show. His quiet and intense performance stands out. One review said, “Sturridge’s performance effortlessly sits in the space between the removed and the immediate.” That pretty much sums up how he brings the character to life.
The visuals also continue to stand out. From the costumes to the effects, the series still looks expensive and carefully made. It’s clear that a lot of effort has gone into staying close to the comic book’s original style. Fans of Neil Gaiman’s work will probably enjoy how much of the original tone has been kept in the show.
But not everyone is happy with how the story is told. Some people feel that the new season is too slow or too confusing. The plot jumps around, and a few viewers said it feels hard to follow. One reviewer compared it to being stuck in a dream that never makes sense, writing, “like being trapped in a whirlwind of plot and intrigue, which never materializes into something solid enough to get to grips with.”
Another common complaint is that the show takes itself too seriously. Some scenes are long and heavy, and not everyone has the patience for that. One viewer said Season 2 felt “like a half-remembered dream,” while another thought it was “less narratively ambitious” than the first season. That said, others still found it “beguiling, bold and brilliant.” So clearly, it depends on what kind of storytelling you enjoy.
The second season’s opening episodes drag like an inescapable, non-refreshing REM state.
Melanie McFarland
Season 2 of The Sandman isn’t quite as narratively ambitious as the first season, but it boasts great performances, emotional storylines, and epic production values that allow the show to maintain its status as must-watch fantasy television.
Sean Boelman
The Sandman isn’t for everyone. This is hardcore geek material – portentous, pretentious and not big on humour.
Ed Power
Like its predecessor, Season 2 is ponderously paced, full of portentous waffle and mostly takes itself desperately seriously.
Pat Stacey
Like being trapped in a whirlwind of plot and intrigue, which never materialises into something solid enough to get to grips with. Too elusive to be emotive, too fast-paced to be introspective, The Sandman becomes an excessively intricate diorama.
Nick Hilton
Season 2 again tells largely self-contained stories without sound episodic structure, yet it also lacks enough specifics to justify its main character’s fitfully serialized development.
Ben Travers
The Sandman is not short of ideas, but it smothers them all in a fug of pretension, missing every opportunity it creates for itself.
Jack Seale
There’s also some online discussion about Neil Gaiman himself, who co-created the show. He’s been involved in a few controversies recently, but it’s not clear if those issues have really changed the way people feel about the series. The reviews and fan reactions seem to focus more on the show itself than anything outside of it.
The Sandman was always going to be a tough show to keep going. Its dreamy tone and strange stories aren’t easy for everyone to connect with. And while Season 2 doesn’t land as strongly for some, it still has moments that are worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of dark, thoughtful fantasy.
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