Somehow, one of the most relatable shows of 2022 for the LGBT’s features a crestfallen dream sorcerer with a lovely My Chemical Romance-esque haircut, a dashing (really dashing) serial killer slash literal nightmare with teeth for eyes and a leather-donning devil played by Brienne of Tarth! Wow, plot twist!

Based on Neil Gaiman’s beloved comic book of the same name, The Sandman stars Tom Sturridge as the titular character, Dream/Morpheus, who is captured in an occult ritual and imprisoned for 106 years. When he finally escapes, Dream sets out to restore order to his realm, The Dreaming, while facing off against mega-powerful adversaries such as The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook), an escaped nightmare, and Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie), the ruler of hell. (It’s more relatable than Love Island, honestly.)

Since its release on Netflix earlier this month, the series has been celebrated by fans of the original comic and new viewers for its faithfulness to the source material, the performances of the main cast, diversity and the surprisingly authentic LGBTQ+ representation. Here, we explain why Netflix’s latest fantasy adventure is one of the most inclusive queer shows of the year so far.

There are various characters across the LGBTQ+ spectrum

Across the first season of The Sandman, viewers are introduced to a plethora of LGBTQ+ characters such as the bisexual supernatural detective Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman), Morpheus’ scene-stealing non-binary sibling and personification of Desire, aptly called Desire (Mason Alexander Park), and the man-eating tooth-eyed Corinthian (he’s very dashing, by the way). The series also opens with a same-sex love story between Alex Burgess (Laurie Kynaston), the son of the occult leader who keeps Morpheus hostage, and his partner Paul, who triggers the escape of the sand-wielder. (We were concerned that Alex and Paul would be the sole representatives of the LGBTQ+ community in the series, thankfully, we were wrong.) Episode five, which has been widely acclaimed as one of the best episodes of television this year, boasts several queer romances with people-pleasing waitress Bette Munroe (Emma Duncan) and the lesbian customer Judy Talbot (Daisy Head, Giles from Buffy’s daughter!), as well as the seedy diner chef Marsh Janowski (Stephen Brand) and Garry (James Odom), who’s miserable in his straight marriage and just wants to demolish a super-sized burger and fries (and fuck men in the kitchen). John Cameron Mitchell also stars as a drag queen! The LGBTQ+ spectrum is well and truly represented in The Sandman.