Penny Dreadful

:

Season 1
Season #: 3, 2, 1
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
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Critic Reviews

  1. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    May 9, 2014
    60
    A Victorian monster mash-up that swirls the stories of Frankenstein, Dracula, Dorian Gray and Jack the Ripper into an unsavory, intermittently intriguing stew.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    May 8, 2014
    60
    If you enjoy the challenge of doing complex jigsaw puzzles in low light, Penny Dreadful will be your cup of tea. Just make sure it really is tea in the cup.
  3. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Chuck Bowen
    May 9, 2014
    50
    Penny Dreadful is too neat, too tasteful and narcotizing, for a work that's full of diseases and serial killers and classist atrocity; not a single monster, lantern, fog cloud, cobblestone, corset or candle is out of place. This kitsch leaves no marks.
  5. Slate
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    May 9, 2014
    50
    The results are scattershot. A few of the storylines work beautifully.... But Dorian Gray’s tryst with a tubercular prostitute (Billie Piper) reaches no such heights, delivering the nudity that pay cable customers apparently require, but not much else.
  6. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    May 9, 2014
    50
    Atmospheric and overheated, it's often as lurid and messy as American Horror Story and almost as indulgent and incoherent, with characters from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray and assorted other legends of yore intersecting in an occultist brew.
  7. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    May 9, 2014
    50
    It’s rare to see a show get its style so right and its story so backwards.
  8. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Lori Rackl
    May 5, 2014
    50
    The series is artfully shot, superbly acted by Eva Green (“Casino Royale”) and boasts an impressive pedigree (producer Sam Mendes of “Skyfall” and “American Beauty”), but it lacks the compelling quality of the pulpy fiction that spawned its pejorative name.
  9. The Detroit News
    Reviewed by: Tom Long
    May 9, 2014
    42
    For those who crave monsters and gore at any cost, this may do. All others beware.
  10. Under The Radar
    Reviewed by: Lily Moayeri
    May 9, 2014
    40
    Overall, it took Once Upon a Time a season to fall flat; Penny Dreadful does that immediately.

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best TV Season of 2014
26
#26 Most Discussed TV Season of 2014
17
#17 Most Shared TV Season of 2014

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 442 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 378 out of 442
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 442
  3. Negative: 25 out of 442
  1. Spaff
    May 12, 2014
    10
    I watched both episodes and if you like sex, violence, horror and a nice period series atmosphere you will like this show. I liked all theI watched both episodes and if you like sex, violence, horror and a nice period series atmosphere you will like this show. I liked all the main characters and it will be fun to watch the various monsters and villains integrate in future episodes. As for the critics, most have it right; yet a few of them want to kill a promising series before it gets up and running. This is a fun TV series, the real horror show is going on in Washington, so if you want to vent negativity you should have more than ample material there if you, or you employer have the guts to cover it.… Full Review »
  2. Dobian
    May 30, 2014
    5
    So far this show has been all style and no substance. It's like a monsters greatest hits with Frankenstein, Dracula, Jack the Ripper, andSo far this show has been all style and no substance. It's like a monsters greatest hits with Frankenstein, Dracula, Jack the Ripper, and Dorian Gray all getting tossed into the pot. There's no compelling story so far, no real reason to root for any of the characters, who are very flat and wooden. For a horror show it's not very scary, it's actually kind of dull. The recently cancelled Dracula on NBC had its issues, but it had some great character development, an interesting plot, and it was way more entertaining than this. I do like Billie Piper, I remember her from Secret Diaries of a Call Girl and she brings life to the show in her scenes. I'll keep watching for now, but they need to develop some decent story arcs.… Full Review »
  3. TheQuietGamer
    May 27, 2014
    8
    One of the most unique new shows on television. With it's excellent cast and compelling universe, there's an incredibly high level of qualityOne of the most unique new shows on television. With it's excellent cast and compelling universe, there's an incredibly high level of quality on display here. That being said the show does have it's slow moments and unfortunately has yet to scare me in any way despite the creepy tone it has established, which is a pretty big flaw for a horror series like this one to have. Still I am invested in it. After three episodes it does sometimes look like it's teetering on the edge of being something serious or something goofy thanks to some of it's characters (the inclusion of Frankenstein worried me for a bit) and some plot elements (the devil and demon plot could go either way), but as of right now it looks like a lot of concerns are unwarranted. This is a show that is often dark, disturbing, and even disgusting at times, but it is always deep and compelling. So yeah, as of right now I say this is a show worth watching. If my opinion changes as the series progresses than I'll update my review. As of right now consider this my final review.… Full Review »
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