By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Big-budget gothic horror series are so rare that they can be counted on one hand, and it’s even more unusual that one was allowed to run long enough to tell a complete story from beginning to end. 10 years ago, Penny Dreadful debuted on Showtime, bringing viewers into a dark Victorian London where ghosts are real.
Dr. Frankenstein is a main character, and everywhere you look, there’s a cult worshipping a demon and looking for a fresh sacrifice. There’s been nothing quite like Penny Dreadful since, and it’s a miracle that we ever got this bizarre, uneven series where every frame looks like a piece of art.
Penny Dreadful Takes Full Advantage Of Public Domain Gothic Horror
Penny Dreadful starts with multiple stories that sometimes cross paths: the main plot features Malcolm Murray (former James Bond Timothy Dalton) searching for his daughter with the help of her childhood friend, Vanessa (Eva Green), a spiritual medium. Running alongside is the story of Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway, he was Narek in Star Trek: Picard) and his Creature (another Bond alum, Rory Kinnear) as they quietly lurk on the outskirts of society.
Finally, we have Dorian Grey (Reeve Carney) in all of his hedonistic glory, which is sometimes helpful, sometimes the devil on someone’s shoulder. And there’s Ethan (Josh Hartnett), an American in London who crosses paths with the enigmatic noble for mysterious reasons.
Like Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing, Penny Dreadful takes full advantage of classic characters available in the public domain. That’s a large part of the fun of the series, which ends up bringing in werewolves, vampires, Jekyll/Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and a few more that naming them would be spoilers. Go in as blind as possible to the various twists and turns, betrayals, and surprise appearances if you can help it.
Penny Dreadful Has No Detractors, Season 2 Is Universally Loved By Those Who Saw It
Penny Dreadful Season 1 is the weakest of the three, while Season 2 earned the rare distinction of a 100 percent fresh rating while taking the story in a wild new direction. This is thanks to Dr. Who’s Billie Piper, who gave the best performance of her career, and the show’s creative team, who found the right balance between macabre and dark humor. Season 3 moves parts of the story to America, swapping Victorian London for the Wild West, and despite the drastic changes in setting, it still works.
Every single season was nominated for and won multiple awards, including a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Eva Green as Best TV Actress for Season 2. It may not be a fancy award, but when making a horror series, there’s no higher honor than horror fans recognizing your work.
There’s A Spinoff Series Featuring Major Star Trek Notables
The three seasons tell the complete story of Penny Dreadful, but years after the show came to an end, it returned with the spinoff, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, starring Natalie Dormer as Magda. She’s a shapeshifting demon up to no good in Los Angeles of 1938.
It only lasted one season, but while the original series included Shazad Latif, recognizable as Ash Tyler in Star Trek: Discovery, the spinoff includes Ethan Peck, Discovery’s Spock, alongside The Next Generation’s Brent Spiner. Steeped in Mexican folklore, it’s not as fun as the gothic horror of the original’s Victorian London, but it’s still a well-acted, beautiful series that stands out today.
Originally a Showtime series, Penny Dreadful has broken free and is now available on Pluto TV in addition to Paramount+. Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is only available for purchase via Amazon, YouTube, AppleTV, and Vudu. If you’ve never seen the original and want something delightfully different, or you crave a big-budget gothic horror series that is able to tell a complete story ten years later, there’s still nothing better.
