Content & Trigger Warnings for The Sandman (2022)
19 content warnings identified across 1 season for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, The Sandman (2022) contains 19 content warnings : Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Death of a child, Death of a parent, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Kidnapping / abduction, Wrongful imprisonment, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Confined spaces (claustrophobia), Jump scares, Explicit sexual content / nudity, Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Sexual assault / rape, Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Death of a child (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Suicide (discussed or ideation) (severity 4/5), Kidnapping / abduction (severity 4/5), Wrongful imprisonment (severity 4/5), Body horror (severity 5/5), Confined spaces (claustrophobia) (severity 4/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 4/5), Self-harm / suicide (depicted) (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
11 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | A transgender character faces rejection and transphobic hostility from family. |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | All | 4/5 | Depicted | The death of children occurs in emotionally devastating scenes within the narrative. |
| Death of a parent | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Parental loss and complicated family relationships are explored in character backstories. |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Morpheus confronts a century of loss after his imprisonment; themes of death and mourning pervade the Dreaming |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Profound themes of loss, regret, and mourning permeate the entire series. |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | In the cereal convention episode, a character contemplates and discusses suicide; Hob Gadling's story touches on the desire for death |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | The Corinthian manipulates serial killers at the convention; Desire manipulates events to undermine Dream |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are manipulated by supernatural beings who distort their perception of reality. |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Morpheus is captured and imprisoned by a human occultist for decades; Rose Walker's brother is kidnapped |
| Kidnapping / abduction | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Dream is captured and held prisoner for over a century, driving the main plot. |
| Wrongful imprisonment | All | 4/5 | Depicted | The central premise involves Dream being unjustly imprisoned for over 100 years by a mortal sorcerer. |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Blood is shown in violent and ritualistic scenes throughout the series. |
| Body horror | S1 | 5/5 | Depicted | The Corinthian has mouths where his eyes should be and eats victims' eyes on screen; deeply unsettling body horror imagery throughout |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Morpheus is imprisoned in a glass cage for over a century; the claustrophobic captivity is depicted at length |
| Jump scares | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Horror sequences particularly involving the Corinthian and nightmarish creatures feature sudden frightening reveals |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Some sexual content and nudity particularly in scenes involving Desire and the Dreaming's more sensual inhabitants |
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Sexual content and nudity appear in several episodes across different storylines. |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 3/5 | Referenced | The serial killer convention includes references to child victims; Unity's child was taken from her without consent |
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | The 24/7 diner massacre is extremely graphic with patrons forced to mutilate and kill each other; bloody violence throughout |
| Gun violence | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Gun violence appears in certain episodes set in the human world. |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Dream's imprisonment leads to a captor's suicide; other characters take their own lives under supernatural influence |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Suicide is depicted in a pivotal storyline involving a character who takes their own life. |
| Sexual assault / rape | S1 | 3/5 | Referenced | The serial killer convention discusses their crimes including sexual violence; Calliope's assault by a captor is strongly implied |
| Torture | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Morpheus endures psychological torment during his imprisonment; Hell sequences feature tortured souls |
Identity & Discrimination
A transgender character faces rejection and transphobic hostility from family.
Mental Health & Emotional
The death of children occurs in emotionally devastating scenes within the narrative.
Parental loss and complicated family relationships are explored in character backstories.
Morpheus confronts a century of loss after his imprisonment; themes of death and mourning pervade the Dreaming
Profound themes of loss, regret, and mourning permeate the entire series.
In the cereal convention episode, a character contemplates and discusses suicide; Hob Gadling's story touches on the desire for death
Other
The Corinthian manipulates serial killers at the convention; Desire manipulates events to undermine Dream
Characters are manipulated by supernatural beings who distort their perception of reality.
Morpheus is captured and imprisoned by a human occultist for decades; Rose Walker's brother is kidnapped
Dream is captured and held prisoner for over a century, driving the main plot.
The central premise involves Dream being unjustly imprisoned for over 100 years by a mortal sorcerer.
Phobias & Sensory
Blood is shown in violent and ritualistic scenes throughout the series.
The Corinthian has mouths where his eyes should be and eats victims' eyes on screen; deeply unsettling body horror imagery throughout
Morpheus is imprisoned in a glass cage for over a century; the claustrophobic captivity is depicted at length
Horror sequences particularly involving the Corinthian and nightmarish creatures feature sudden frightening reveals
Sexual Content
Some sexual content and nudity particularly in scenes involving Desire and the Dreaming's more sensual inhabitants
Sexual content and nudity appear in several episodes across different storylines.
Violence & Physical Harm
The serial killer convention includes references to child victims; Unity's child was taken from her without consent
The 24/7 diner massacre is extremely graphic with patrons forced to mutilate and kill each other; bloody violence throughout
Dream's imprisonment leads to a captor's suicide; other characters take their own lives under supernatural influence
Suicide is depicted in a pivotal storyline involving a character who takes their own life.
The serial killer convention discusses their crimes including sexual violence; Calliope's assault by a captor is strongly implied
Morpheus endures psychological torment during his imprisonment; Hell sequences feature tortured souls
