Penny Dreadful (TV series)

Penny Dreadful
Genre
Created by John Logan
Written by John Logan
Starring
Composer(s) Abel Korzeniowski
Country of origin
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 19 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Pippa Harris
  • Sam Mendes
  • John Logan
  • Karen Richards
Producer(s) James Flynn
Morgan O'Sullivan
Sheila Hockin
Editor(s)
  • Geoff Ashenhurst
  • Aaron Marshall
  • Michele Conroy
  • Christopher Donaldson
Location(s)
Cinematography
  • Xavi Gimenez
  • Nigel Willoughby
  • P.J. Dillon
  • Owen McPolin
  • John Conroy
Running time 47–60 minutes
Production company(s)
  • Desert Wolf Productions
  • Neal Street Productions
Release
Original network
Original release May 11, 2014 (2014-05-11) – present
External links
Official website
Production website

Penny Dreadful is a British-American horror drama television series created for Showtime and Sky by John Logan, who also acts as executive producer alongside Sam Mendes. The show was originally pitched to several US and UK channels, and eventually landed with Showtime,[1] with Sky Atlantic as co-producer.[2] It premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 9 and began airing on television on April 28, 2014, on Showtime on Demand.[3][4] The show premiered on Showtime on May 11, 2014, the first in an eight-episode season.[5]

The title refers to the penny dreadfuls, a type of 19th-century British fiction publication with lurid and sensational subject matter. The series draws upon many public domain characters from 19th-century British and Irish fiction, including Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890); Mina Harker, Abraham Van Helsing, Renfield and Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897); Victor Frankenstein and his monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818); and Dr. Henry Jekyll from Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886).

Showtime renewed Penny Dreadful for a nine-episode third season,[6] which premiered on May 1, 2016.[7]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Production and development

In January 2013, it was announced that Showtime had made a series commitment for the project. Logan and Mendes previously wrote and directed Skyfall, respectively. Production began in London in the second half of 2013. Showtime president David Nevins stated that the tone of the ensemble series will be "very realistic and very grounded, not Bela Lugosi. All exist in human form in turn-of-century London." This was also reflected during production of the sound for the show, where Logan would often pull things back towards more realism.[17] Logan, a lifelong fan of literary monsters, wrote the project on spec and will script every episode of the series. It was intended that Mendes would direct episodes, but scheduling prevented this.[18]

Juan Antonio Bayona was announced as director for the first two episodes.[19] The remaining episodes of the first season were directed by Dearbhla Walsh, Coky Giedroyc, and James Hawes.

In March 2013, it was announced that the series would be filmed in the United Kingdom; eying the new UK tax credit for high-end TV productions that offers a 25% rebate.[20] However, it was reported in August that production would instead take place in Bray's Ardmore Studios and other locations around Dublin, Ireland, because of the country's section 481 tax incentives. Filming began on October 7 and lasted 5 months.[21] Reports indicate that the change was made as no stage space of a sufficient caliber was available due to the filming of major motion pictures in London.[22]

In December 2013, Showtime announced its first-ever production blog for a series with the launch of The Penny Dreadful Production Blog. The venue gives viewers an online, behind-the-scenes look at the series' production from its early stages of filming in Ireland through the end of the first season, featuring interviews with cast and crew.[23]

On February 14, 2014, Showtime released the first official full-length trailer for the series.[24]

Logan revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International panel that one of the texts he thought about while planning the series that he would like to use in a future season is The Island of Doctor Moreau.[25]

On June 4, 2014, Showtime renewed Penny Dreadful for a ten-episode second season, which premiered on May 3, 2015.[26][27]

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 8 May 11, 2014 (2014-05-11) June 29, 2014 (2014-06-29)
2 10 May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03) July 5, 2015 (2015-07-05)
3 9 May 1, 2016 (2016-05-01) June 19, 2016 (2016-06-19)[28]

Reception

Critical reception

The first season of Penny Dreadful received positive reviews from critics, with a Metacritic rating of 70 out of 100 based on 37 reviews.[29] It holds a 78 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 7.3 out of 10, based on 55 reviews, with the site's consensuses stating, "Skillfully shot and superbly acted, Penny Dreadful is perplexing in a good way – even if it's a bit silly at times."[30] The first season was described "as riotous as it is ridiculous, taking the macabre to new heights (or depths)" by The Guardian reviewer Ben Hewitt.[31]

The second season also received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100 percent rating with an average score of 7.6 out of 10 based on 19 reviews, with the site's consensuses stating, "Penny Dreadful's second season maintains the show's intense, bloody drama, utilizing a vast array of fascinating characters and locales to tell a unique story."[33]

The third season received very positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 82 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[34] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100 percent rating with an average score of 8.1 out of 10 based on 9 reviews.[35] Ben Travers of Indiewire gave it a "B+" grade and wrote, "Season 3's American-set storyline breaks things up nicely with some classic western elements mixed in with the show's established creature horrors, and the aesthetics of the production have never looked better.[36]

Ratings

The series debuted to 872,000 viewers (1.44 million including re-runs). This number does not include the 900,000 viewers who previewed the series on Showtime on Demand and the Showtime app.[37]

Accolades

Year Ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result
2014 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards[38] Most Exciting New Series Penny Dreadful Won
2015 19th Satellite Awards[39] Best Television Series – Genre Won
Best Actress – Television Series Drama Eva Green Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Rory Kinnear Won
2014 IGN Awards[40] Best TV Actress Eva Green Won
13th Annual VES Awards[41] Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Broadcast Program James Cooper, Bill Halliday, Sarah McMurdo, Lorne Kwechansky (for: "Séance") Nominated
Outstanding Created Environment in a Commercial, Broadcast Program or Video Game Matthew Borrett, Lorne Kqechansky, Graham Day, Jason Gougeon (for: "Séance") Nominated
62nd MPSE Golden Reel Awards[41] Best Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR for Short Form Television Jane Tattersall, David McCallum, Dale Sheldrake (for: "Séance") Nominated
Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Short Form Television Jane Tattersall, Oriol Tarragó, Andy Malcolm, Goro Koyama, David Rose, Marc Bech (for: "Night Work") Nominated
2015 Dorian Awards[41] Campy TV Show of the Year Penny Dreadful Nominated
11th International Film Music Critics Awards[41] Best Original Score for a Television Series Abel Korzeniowski Nominated
2015 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards[41] Best TV Series Penny Dreadful Nominated
Best TV Actor Josh Hartnett Nominated
Best TV Actress Eva Green 2nd place
Best TV Supporting Actor Rory Kinnear Nominated
Best TV Supporting Actress Billie Piper 3rd place
Best TV Makeup/Creature FX Nick Dudman Nominated
2015 BAFTA Television Craft Awards[42] Best Costume Design Gabriella Pescucci Nominated
Best Production Design Jonathan Mcknistry, Philip Murphy Won
Best Titles Erik Friedman, Rudy Jaimes, Ray Burris Nominated
Best Make Up and Hair Design Enzo Mastrantonio, Nick Dudman, Stefano Ceccarelli Won
Best Original Television Music Abel Korzeniowski Won
5th Critics' Choice Television Awards[43] Best Actress in a Drama Series Eva Green Nominated
67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards[44] Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie, or a Special Nick Dudman, Sarita Allison, Barney Nikolic (for: "Grand Guignol") Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) Abel Korzeniowski (for: "Closer than Sisters") Nominated
Outstanding Main Title Theme Music Abel Korzeniowski Nominated
2015 Canadian Cinema Editors[41] Best Editing in Long Form Television Series Christopher Donaldson (for: "Closer than Sisters") Won
12th Irish Film & Television Awards[41] Best Director – Drama Dearbhla Walsh Nominated
2016 20th Satellite Awards[45] Best Television Series – Genre Penny Dreadful Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Helen McCrory Nominated
73rd Golden Globe Awards[46] Best Actress – Television Series Drama Eva Green Nominated
6th Critics' Choice Television Awards[47] Best Drama Series Penny Dreadful Nominated
Best Actress in a Drama Series Eva Green Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Helen McCrory Nominated
Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series Patti LuPone Nominated
18th Costume Designers Guild Awards[48] Outstanding Period Television Series Gabriella Pescucci Nominated
2015 IGN Awards[49] Best Horror Series Penny Dreadful Nominated
2016 Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards[50] Television and New Media Series – Best Special Make-Up Effects Nick Dudman, Sarita Allison Nominated
Television and New Media – Best Period and/or Character Make-Up Enzo Mastrantonio, Clare Lambe Nominated
14th Visual Effects Society Awards[51] Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode James Cooper, Bill Halliday, Sarah McMurdo, Mai-Ling Lee (for: "And They Were Enemies") Nominated
2016 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards[52] Best TV Series Penny Dreadful Pending
Best TV Actor Josh Hartnett Pending
Best TV Actress Eva Green Pending
Best TV Supporting Actor Rory Kinnear Pending
Best TV Supporting Actress Billie Piper Pending
13th Irish Film & Television Awards[53] Best Drama Penny Dreadful Nominated
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama Sarah Greene Won
Best Director – Drama Brian Kirk Nominated
2016 BAFTA Television Craft Awards[54] Best Make Up and Hair Enzo Mastrantonio, Nick Dudman, Ferdinando Merolla Pending

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sam Mendes to direct vampire TV series?". The List. November 7, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 16, 2013). "Sky Atlantic To Co-Produce Showtime’s ‘Penny Dreadful'; Billie Piper Joins Cast". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Penny Dreadful". South by Southwest. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Showtime(R) Samples the Premiere of Its Highly-Anticipated Series "Penny Dreadful" on Multiple Platforms Now" (Press release). Showtime. April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ Reiher, Andrea (January 16, 2014). "'Penny Dreadful,' 'Nurse Jackie' and 'Californication' get premiere dates". Zap2it. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (June 16, 2015). "‘Penny Dreadful’ Renewed For Season 3 By Showtime". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. ↑ Roots, Kimberly (January 12, 2016). "Penny Dreadful Gets Season 3 Premiere Date at Showtime". TVLine. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  8. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (August 26, 2013). "Spider-Man's Reeve Carney Nabs Key Role in Showtime's Penny Dreadful (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ Marechal, AJ (August 23, 2013). "Timothy Dalton Added to Showtime’s ‘Penny Dreadful’ Cast". Variety. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Goldberg, Leslie (July 30, 2013). "Eva Green, Josh Hartnett to Star in Showtime's Penny Dreadful". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Penny Dreadful: A New Narrative". Showtime. March 17, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ Rigby, Sam (August 20, 2013). "Billie Piper cast in Showtime's Penny Dreadful". RTE.ie. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Rigby, Sam (September 16, 2013). "Penny Dreadful: Helen McCrory, Simon Russell Beale join cast". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  14. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (September 9, 2013). "Showtime Horror Drama Penny Dreadful Casts its Frankenstein". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Friedlander, Whitney (September 1, 2015). "Patti LuPone Cast in a New Role for ‘Penny Dreadful’ Season 3". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  16. ↑ Snetiker, Marc (October 29, 2015). "Penny Dreadful casts Brian Cox as Josh Hartnett’s father – exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  17. ↑ Andersen, Asbjoern (June 30, 2014). "Creating the haunting, sinister sound of ‘Penny Dreadful’". A Sound Effect. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  18. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2013). "It's Official: Showtime Lands Horror Drama From 'Skyfall's John Logan & Sam Mendes". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  19. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (June 18, 2013). "Juan Antonio Bayona to Direct Showtime's 'Penny Dreadful'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  20. ↑ Curtis, Chris (March 25, 2013). "Tax breaks to bring Showtime's Penny Dreadful to UK". ScreenDaily. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  21. ↑ Cronin, Kevin (August 20, 2013). "Penny Dreadful, Set to Film in Ireland, Adds Billie Piper to Cast". IFTN. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  22. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 30, 2013). "Hollywood Pics Pack UK Soundstages As Space Crunch Starts To Squeeze". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  23. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 20, 2013). "Showtime Launches 'Penny Dreadful' Production Blog". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  24. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 14, 2014). "Showtime Releases Full-Length Trailer for 'Penny Dreadful' (Video)". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  25. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (July 24, 2014). "Comic-Con: 'Penny Dreadful' to Play Up Helen McCrory's Madame Kali in Season 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  26. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (June 4, 2014). "Showtime renews 'Penny Dreadful' for an expanded second season". HitFix. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  27. ↑ Fowler, Matt (February 6, 2015). "Penny Dreadful: Season 2 Premiere Date Moved". IGN. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Shows A-Z - penny dreadful on showtime". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Penny Dreadful : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Penny Dreadful: Season 1 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  31. ↑ Hewitt, Ben (November 7, 2014). "Penny Dreadful box set review – a Victorian horror show that takes the macabre to new heights (or depths)". The Guardian. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Penny Dreadful : Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Penny Dreadful: Season 2 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Penny Dreadful : Season 3". Metacritic. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Penny Dreadful: Season 3 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  36. ↑ Travers, Ben (April 29, 2016). "Review: 'Penny Dreadful' Season 3 Is Still So Much Better Than It Should Be". Indiewire. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  37. ↑ Kenneally, Tim (May 12, 2014). "Showtime’s ‘Penny Dreadful’ Premiere Ratings Beat ‘Homeland,’ ‘Masters of Sex’ Debuts". TheWrap. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  38. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2014). "Critics’ Choice TV Awards Name Top New Series, Sets Ryan Murphy For Icon Honor". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  39. ↑ Pond, Steve (February 16, 2015). "Satellite Awards: Complete Winners List". TheWrap. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  40. ↑ "IGN.com: Best of 2014 – Best TV Actress". IGN. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Penny Dreadful – Awards – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Television Craft in 2015 – BAFTA Awards". BAFTA. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  43. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 31, 2015). "Critics' Choice Television Awards: HBO, Better Call Saul, Taraji P. Henson and Amy Schumer Among Big Winners". TVLine. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Penny Dreadful". Television Academy. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Satellite Awards (2015)". International Press Academy. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  46. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 10, 2016). "Golden Globes: Mr. Robot and Mozart Win Big; Taraji P. Henson, Lady Gaga, Jon Hamm, Rachel Bloom Grab Gold". TVLine. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  47. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 17, 2016). "Critics' Choice Awards: TV Winners Include Fargo, Mr. Robot, Master of None, Rachel Bloom and Carrie Coon". TVLine. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Winners Announced at the 18th Costume Designers Guild Awards with Presenting Sponsor LACOSTE". Costume Designers Guild. February 23, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Best Horror Series – IGN's Best of 2015". IGN. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Award Winners! – Local 706". local706.org. February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  51. ↑ "14th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards Winners". Visual Effects Society. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Never mind Oscar, here’s the 2016 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Nominees Ballot!". Fangoria. January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  53. ↑ "'Room' cleans up at 2016 IFTAs – RTÉ Ten". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Television Craft in 2016 – BAFTA Awards". BAFTA. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

External links

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