Penny Dreadful

Victorian London provides the backdrop for a dark, rigid world where the supernatural has seeped into the streets and parlors alike. Vanessa Ives, a woman marked by mysterious powers, becomes the magnet for a small, uneasy group that includes an American sharpshooter, a driven explorer, and a controversial scientist. Together they confront creatures and conspiracies pulled from classic Gothic fiction, while each member wrestles with private demons and moral compromise. The show mixes psychological horror with period drama, building tense, intimate scenes as secrets and personal reckonings gradually come to light without revealing key resolutions.

Created by John Logan and released in 2014, Penny Dreadful assembles an ensemble cast led by Eva Green, Josh Hartnett and Timothy Dalton, adapting iconic figures from Gothic literature into an original serialized story.

Eva Green won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama in 2016 for her portrayal of Vanessa Ives. Her performance was widely cited as the series' standout element during awards coverage.

The series stamped a distinct visual and tonal identity on contemporary horror television, bringing flamboyant Gothic aesthetics and erotic decadence back into mainstream genre talk. Its striking imagery, memorable costuming and morally ambiguous characters have kept it in fan discussions, inspired cosplay, and been referenced in critical conversations about modern adaptations of classic monsters.

Critics and audiences responded strongly to the show's atmosphere and acting, reflected in an average viewer score of 7.828/10 from 1,454 votes. Themes include faith versus reason, repression and identity, the cost of obsession, and how past traumas shape present behavior. Storylines often balance supernatural threat with intimate character work, prioritizing mood and moral tension as much as plot-driven scares.