Showtime's 'Penny Dreadful' Is Kind of Dreadful

“Penny Dreadful” is Showtime’s latest attempt to tackle the behemoth that is HBO. Part “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman” and part “Downton Abbey,” this supernatural drama is trying to bring all the gratuitous sex, violent and WTF moments you’d expect from a cable series.

But it’s not really in the same league as “Game of Thrones” or even, dare we say, “True Blood.” There are some really great tune-in worthy moments, but there are also some really strange and boring elements. But is it downright dreadful?

Worth the Penny …

There are some really great aspects to the show. It has a great cast. It’s revived the career of Josh Hartnett and Timothy Dalton and gives “Doctor Who” star Billie Piper more sci-fi/fantasy street cred. The choice of Eva Green to play a witchy character is a no-brainer. The show is a little slow and too committed to its Victorian setting, but does not scrimp on the water-cooler moments. There have been spontaneous character deaths, haphazard homosexual hook-ups and a rather addictive mystery. There are some great lines and the lure of gratuitous celebrity nudity. Plus, it is refreshing for a show to focus on literary characters when most people are reading “Twilight” than the classics.

… Truly Dreadful

The show isn’t just vaguely reminiscent of “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman;” it feels like a blatant ripoff. Literary characters like Dorian Gray, Dr. Frankenstein and Van Helsing are brought together to try to stop an enigmatic super villain. The writing is also downright weird. What pilot doesn’t name its main characters until 20 minutes in? It seems built around too many mysteries, in the same vein as “Lost.” There are more mysteries than facts, so we barely know what’s going on.

The most pressing issue is Green’s acting choices, which are utterly bizarre. She’s played witchy supernatural characters for most of her career, yet this time she’s trying for something completely different. Her gravely voice makes her sound like she stuffed a bunch of Victorian doilies down her throat. She seems possessed by the soul from the Dowager Countess. It strange she was one of the best parts of “Dark Shadows,” but is bordering on the worst part of this series.

Ultimately, the show isn’t unwatchable. It’s not great, but definitely watchable. There’s enough shocking moments and general premium cable conventions to get you to tune in, but it isn’t a runaway hit like “Masters of Sex” or “Nurse Jackie.” The show definitely has boring moments, but honestly, so does “Game of Thrones.” Who can care about all those characters? But, “Penny Dreadful” does at least have a small cast.

It got picked up for a 10-episode second season, which will air next year. Hopefully, showrunners will temper all the aristocratic talking with some action and a little more humor. And speaking of talking, maybe Green can commit to a less weird vocal choice. We won’t know until the June 29 season finale if the show is worth committing to.

“Penny Dreadful” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime.

Christian Cintron is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.