User Reviews

There is one huge error with this series, using the name Penny Dreadful in the title drags in fans of the original show, this is nothing like, or has no relevance to the original, there is a supernatural aspect to what is otherwise a cop show set in 1930's LA, with a background of racism Nazi influence and social unrest, the story itself is decent but feels like a vehicle for Natalie Dormer's talent, but using a title from a much loved UK series, sets itself up for disappointment, and if you loved the original this will feel like a betrayal and a cashing in on a title.

If you came here looking for the grim, supernatural awesomeness of the original Penny Dreadful, then keep on moving. I don't know why this wasn't just sold as some 1950s gangster series. The cast is amazing, great visuals and acting, but there is almost nothing supernatural about this! Which was kind of the entire point of Penny Dreadful. Aside from some dramatic walk-ons in a gorgeous leather gown from Dormer, and some odd side characters she somehow also needs to play, the supernatural aspect is completely missing. There is SO much that could have been done with the story. Disappointed because I was a huge fan of the original PD!

What made the original "Penny Dreadful" series excellent was the basis of the "Penny Dreadful" tabloids that were written during that time. Many people are familiar with classic literary characters like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. The original "Penny Dreadful" brought those and other characters into a new light by exploring their origin stories in the psychological thriller that took place in the dark corners of Victorian London.

This new series has fell lack luster in comparison. Although it is interesting in also being a period piece, the parallels end there. This series is more comparable with a less well written "American Gods." The characters are connected in a conflict between the Mexican folklore deity, Santa Muerte, the caretaker of the dead and guide to the great beyond, and her spiritual sister, the demoness Magda, who believes mankind is inherently evil and aims to prove her point.

Forget the Penny Dreadful title. This has nothing to do with Gothic Horror, London, or the bleak literary melancholia associated with the Penny Dreadful original 19th century publications.

This shows primary flaw is the naming. Consider it as "City of Angels" as a stand alone show by the same producers as Penny Dreadful, and it holds up.

An extensive list of interconnected characters makes for intricate plot lines and a palpable build of tension.

The casting is solid. Strong performances by Dormer, Bishe, Kinnear, and Lane cover the plot holes and occasionally disingenuous writing.

Take it as a an American period thriller and it holds up. As a Penny Dreadful title; it fails

This well-crafted series combines the Victorian penny dreadful storytelling tradition with Southern California's political, industrial, and culturally-rich history to create a unique horror-filled experience. The narratives spun here are decidedly American, and the connection to its British past may seem distant. But Magda's presence is a constant reminder of the relationship, and her presence becomes inextricably linked with Mexican-American traditions and folklore involving the spirit world.

As the murder investigation collides with the supernatural, it creates a clever forum that highlights the disturbing political attitudes and racial tensions of the time. But Magda's demonic exploitation of these social ills serves to magnify the weaknesses of a divided society. The fact that some of the dialogue sounds similar to contemporary rhetoric is equally as disturbing. It may not be as gothic as the original, but Penny Dreadful: City of Angels offers an entertaining and well-produced series that's worth tuning into.

All I see here in reviews is whining about this new series not being a continuation of the first Penny Dreadful. Never mind that would be difficult with dead protagonists. If they took the "PD" part out of the name, you wouldn't have had anything to post about. STOP whining, the only thing this new show shares with the original Penny Dreadful is two words in the name. Deal with this new show by itself. It is a stylistic period piece, masterfully composed and photographed, richly produced using a blend of beautifully dressed sets combined with seamless practical and digital effects, and gets better every episode. Try the 3 episode rule. If you don't like a series after the first 3, fine. Just stop whining.

Ok. All ten episodes watched and I think I finally understand the message. The message was: We had a decent police thriller, panicked when no one was interested, threw in supernatural stuff, forgot all about the supernatural stuff, and here's our giant pile of "thank god we could attach the name Penny Dreadful to it." That's it. That's the show.

Amazing show.... Amazing story... The only mistake is people are comparing it to the it's predecessor... They should not have named it after penny dreadful... It is an own show in it's own regard... See this show as city of angels only... Forget penny dreadful... Very promising...

I've seen the original and loved it. I agree with those who say don't compare it to the original because it's nothing like it except for one quick scene that appears supernatural. Do not expect the drama and horror of the original, at least two episodes in, because it's nothing like it. If you want to see a drama based on the history of Los Angeles watch Jack Nicholson in Chinatown for a great drama, this isn't living up to it as of yet.

How could that even happen? Isn't that the same showrunner who created the original series? The first five minutes already look strangely cheap, CGI fire from 20 years ago, artificial acting. Then this constant bloom / glare filter in almost every shot. The intense horror show atmosphere with emotional trauma, this time it is just gone.

I had to rewatch the first few minutes of the original to make sure I'm not betrayed by my memory. I wasn't. This just feels cheap and artificial, truly strange it is written by the same guy.

I never watched the first series and have no desire to. This show is amazing...superbly acted and photographed. It's Totally fictional and yet very historic. I found myself repeatedly referring to Google to learn what actually did happen...the zoos suit riots, the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the Nazi bund, the crooked politics and police, the radio evangelists, Santa Muerte...they're all there. Hoping and praying for a second season.

I didn't doubt Nathan Lane was a good actor, and I can't say I remember seeing him in a dramatic role before this, however, he was EXCELLENT in Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. A true standout performance, IMHO, made all the more noticeable by the generally uninspiring and muddled overall story. Too many characters that would be the primary or secondary focus of an episode then largely forgotten other than popping up periodically w/o further development. It's set at an interesting time and place in history, but character motivation(s) and clarity of the stakes at hand were generally fuzzy and underdeveloped. Not sure that I'd bother w/ a second season.

I was looking forward to this spin-off series, because I loved the original series and found it satisfyingly dark and atmospheric. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed with this travesty. I understand that this is a spin-off and different from the original series, but come on, you could have at least tried to make it interesting!

This spin-off features many elements (racial problems, politics etc) that have already been handled better in other TV shows and films. And, let's face it, many of us viewers have become fed up with them and don't want to watch them anymore.

I would've loved to see this spin-off feature something truly dark, like elements taken from Edgar Allan Poe's stories and H.P. Lovecraft's magnificent cosmic horror stories (a dark and windy seaside setting with terrifying otherwordly beings and tentacles would've made my day - oh how I long to see Lovecraft filmed in an approriately dark way without happy endings). Laird Barron's dark stories also would've provided the makers with good material. But alas, we get a dash of Mexican mythology mixed up with annoying politics and racial elements.... Boring! Very boring!

One of the biggest problems in this spin-off is Natalie Dormer, because she simply can't compete with Eva Green from the original series. She does her best, but that's not enough for me. I miss Eva Green, because she was amazing and made the original what it is. I think that other viewers also miss her.

I won't be watching this show anymore, but I will watch the original series over and over again, because it was an outstanding achievement in dark fantasy/horror. Please, if you make another spin-off, let it be based on Poe and Lovecraft, and let it be truly dark!

The original Penny Dreadful was one of the greatest limited series ever written and produced. Why create a spin off when everyone just wants the old cast, scenery and macabre sound that made the show special. They should have continued where they left off.

Sets the premise for something interesting. A film noir murder mystery in color with the twist of evil angles of death whispering in people's ears. Don't let some of the other "reviewers" but you off - they judge it as a historical show.. Not a fiction where anything is possible. It's not the old penny dreadful it's a spin off, let it be its own.

Sooooooo boring!! I kept waiting for a plot, for something to make sense. Ugh. Just nothing. I don't get it. It doesn't have to like the original Penny Dreadful, but if it's going to have the name attached to it shouldn't it have some of the same flavor? God, so disappointed. I thought the original was brilliant. This is just a dull mess.

With history as it's basis, the story adds the supernatural and Day of the Dead elements, just like the first Penny Dreadful. Like 'Fargo', it's a completely new story, not a continuation. Knowing that, you should enjoy this atmospheric saga with splendid performances by everybody, especially Nathan Lane. Go along for the ride.

This is a pretty cool show. It has very little to do with the original Penny Dreadful however. This is much more like a 1930s crime drama sprinkled with a little Mexican mythology and mysticism. Most of the reviewers here are simply whining about the show because they want to pretend racism against Latinos in Los Angeles doesn't exist and they don't want to hear about it. If you don't fall into that camp, and are willing to set the original Penny Dreadful aside, you'll enjoy it.

I just couldn't carry on watching this rubbish, I managed to get half way through episode 3 and I just couldn't sit through any more of this garbage. Such a shame, the original series was so good, and they have destroyed it.

Any similarities between previous seasons, living or dreadful, is purely coincidental, but that doesn't warrant a demerit in my book; this show stands on its own, much like American Horror Story's seasons do.

It's also hard to judge an entire season after having viewed only one episode, but I'm always willing to give a new show at least a few episodes to find its feet and the initial results are encouraging.

Apart from all that, here's the big question on my mind: Is anyone else getting a Carnivàle vibe off of this thing?

After seeing the whole season, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed in how underwhelming this series turned out to be. Being tied to the Penny Dreadful of the past, hopes were high as was expectations. Unfortunately, this show bearing the name "Penny Dreadful" has seemed to work against its favour. Even though this show is a new incarnation set in the universe of Penny Dreadful (2014) and is in itself it's entirely own separate show, one would still think it would contain the same elements that made Penny Dreadful the amazing show that it was. The acting was always on point, the characters were interesting, it was shot beautifully, and it had many plots that had the potential to be great. Yet, in the end, this series seemed like it was just a giant set up for season 2, which I'm not sure we'll even get based on the ratings. I felt as if though it just kept building and building to something to happen but nothing ever really did. My family members soon lost interest and quit early on because it was 'Boring'. Which in a sense I agree with. There were maybe a few episodes (<50%) where 'exciting' things happened that made you glue your eyes to the TV screen. At its best however, City of Angels was pretty good. There were a couple episodes that I thought were amazing, but overall it seems like a missed opportunity. This show hasn't yet figured out what the actual plot is or the point of its existence... with some many plots there's no central focus. I'm not sure exactly what I'm watching or what it's about. It seems more like a love story than anything else. It's also funny (for a lack of a better word) that this show is set in the 1930s yet mirrors exactly what's happening in the world right now. Yet, before people were calling to "too political".

I still found it watchable, but just can't help but think I wanted it to be so much more. I'm hoping there's a season 2 as I like the characters and would like to know what happens next as again it seems to be building to something good. Though, I said that this whole season.

Also, if there is a season 2, let's have the supernatural more prominent please! That's what made Penny Dreadful so interesting in the first place. Even though Natalie Dormer (who was amazing) was in practically every scene as the demon Magda, it's not the same as seeing say Vampires, or the Witches as she's just playing a human character. And Santa Meurte maybe had 5 minutes of screen time the whole series?

Here's to hoping a renewal from Showtime will allow this show to fully blossom and be a worthy successor to the always phenomenal Penny Dreadful.

I was so excited to hear about the show after the original, and although I didn't expect the second to be as superb as the first, I never expected it to be just plain awful. The episodes, storyline and characters are so boring it is painful to get through a full hour of just one. The only thing that brings life into the show is Nathan Lane. What an incredible disappointment this was.

Just got through watching episode 3, and was it a chore, you keep watching it thinking "when is it going to liven up, where is the horror", then the episode ends, a very unfilling hour of my time wasted. Not sure I want to watch any more. It should not have the moniker of "Penny Dreadful", it is about as far removed from the original show which I loved, as mistaking a banana for an elephant.