Penny Dreadful Seasons 1 and 2 Now on NETFLIX

I’ve never been much for Showtime.  I’ve had passing interest in Ray Donovan, but the few free weekend episodes I caught never really enticed me to get the service or buy the season on Apple TV.  Penny Dreadful was one show that had also enticed me, but again, never resulting in action.  Hell, the only show that has subscribing to the HBO Go app in season in Game of Thrones, but can you blame me there?

So imagine my delight when I saw Penny Dreadful show up in my NETFLIX recommendations.  I added it to my list and started up the show during my morning treadmill runs or late night work hours.  I’ve powered through the first two seasons in about two weeks and love the show.  There is a lot of soft core crap mixed in, male and female, which gets a little weird at times, but hey, it’s the supernatural world.

The show ties in many old horror staples, ranging from Frankenstein to Vampires in season 1 (and a wolfman at the end…), while mixing Sir Malcom (Timothy Dalton), Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), Sembene (Danny Sapani) and Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett).  The first season offers a lot of character development and can drag at times, but for the most part is excellent.

Season 2 picks up with a bang and introduces the characters to a coven of witches while the existing characters cope with their internal (and external) demons.  There’s also more of Ferdinand Lyle (Simon Russell Beale) who offers a much needed whimsical presence to the show.  There are other characters for sure, but I hesitate to write too much to give something away.

I liked the series so much I’ve signed up for a free 30 day Showtime app membership via iTunes, so we’ll see how the series ends, but I look forward to continuing the series over the upcoming days.  Give it a try on NETFLIX and see what you think!