The Sandman has shot to number one on Netflix’s top ten list following its debut last Friday, and fans have taken to social media to praise the creators of the “masterpiece”.
The highly-anticipated adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s bestselling graphic novel stars actor Tom Sturridge as Morpheus (aka Dream), the mystical king of dreams who was held captive for 106 years before escaping to restore order to his world.
After unseating Virgin River, the 10-episode series has taken the top spot on the streaming channel’s rankings. The hit drama surged to the top spot toward the end of last month, following its fourth season premiere on July 20th.
The Duffer brothers’ seismic hit show Stranger Things is currently number three on the list after a longstanding tenure at the top and is followed by Netflix’s new documentary series Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99.
Many of the streaming channel’s viewers binge-watched The Sandman over the weekend after waiting over 20 years for the story to be adapted for the big screen.
Gaiman’s comic book series was first published from 1989-1996, but previous attempts to bring his beloved story to the screen were held up for years until Netflix signed a deal to fund it in 2019.
The Sandman’s first season has received generally positive reviews from critics, with a Time review even praising it as “one of the best small-screen comic adaptations ever made.”
However, other critics have taken issue with the film’s pacing. A review published by USA Today asserted that the show was “excruciatingly slow and dull if not outright boring.”
Many fans have taken to social media over the weekend to share just how much they loved the adaptation. It seems the show’s creators have been careful not to alienate fans of the original comics by sticking to the original narrative as much as possible.
“The Sandman adaptation on Netflix is literally everything I was hoping it would be,” one fan tweeted. “Almost completely faithful to the source material without changing much to adapt it into television. People who didn’t read the comics might find it a bit slow in the beginning though. 10/10 for me.”
“#TheSandman on Netflix is a masterpiece,” another fan beamed. “I know you guys all know that but I’ll use any opportunity to say it and I’m saying it again now the sandman on Netflix is a masterpiece.”
Watch the trailer for the new Netflix original series below.
