'Penny Dreadful' Renewed for Season 2 Before First Season Wraps
Showtime has renewed the original series "Penny Dreadful" even before the first season is over. It's a sign that the show is doing well, attracting over 1.44 million viewers for its debut.
"The show has been an interesting combination of genre credibility – it is simultaneously a gorgeous historical costume drama and a really scary, twisted horror show," Showtime president David Nevins told The Hollywood Reporter. "The question was, could we do a genre show that made sense on Showtime that had adult appeal and the psychological sophistication you expect from one of our premium dramas, but still satisfies drama audiences. John Logan has delivered on both."
"Penny Dreadful" features an all-star cast, including Josh Hartnett and Eva Green. The two play characters surrounded by monsters and other supernatural creatures, some known and others unknown. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and Dracula all figure into the storyline as well as Jack the Ripper and other monsters haunting the area.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Green plays a spiritualist named Vanessa, a woman who is searching for someone to help her find a young girl who was supposedly turned into a vampire. Vanessa feels grief over the loss and some form of responsibility and thus seeks help from a Western performer named Ethan Chandler, played by Hartnett.
The supernatural series is Showtime's biggest hit since "Dexter," leading to high ratings for the premium channel and is why it has been renewed for 10 episodes in 2015. The series was originally intended to air for eight episodes but has since been renewed and extended for two additional episodes. The show will be featured at Comic-Con in July and likely attract an even larger audience.
"We're looking at this as a big-time franchise to grow over time and the show is only just beginning to lay out the world of 'Penny Dreadful,'" Nevins said.
"Penny Dreadful" airs Sunday nights on Showtime, alongside such shows as "Homeland" and "Masters of Sex."
