Home > Penny Dreadful > Season 1 « TV Series Page Penny Dreadful: Season 1 (2014) SEASON: Season 1 Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Want to see Episode List Season 1 Penny Dreadful Critics Consensus Skillfully shot and superbly acted, Penny Dreadful is perplexing in a good way -- even if it's a bit silly at times. 80% TOMATOMETER Critic Ratings: 61 90% Audience Score User Ratings: 1447 NEW More Info × Close Want to see Super Reviewer Submit Super Reviewer Edit Review Episodes 1 Night Work Air date: May 11, 2014 London 1891. Sir Malcolm and Vanessa begin their search. Series premiere. More 2 Seance Air date: May 18, 2014 Vanessa and Sir Malcolm attend a party at the home of Egyptologist Sir Ferdinand Lyle and meet Dorian Gray. The party takes an ominous turn when medium Madame Kali hosts a séance. Meanwhile, Ethan befriends Brona Croft, a young Irish immigrant. More 3 Resurrection Air date: May 25, 2014 Dr. Frankenstein is confronted by his past. Meanwhile, Vanessa has a vision of Mina. More 4 Demimonde Air date: Jun 1, 2014 Vanessa's infatuation with Dorian Gray continues to grow. Meanwhile, Malcolm hires Van Helsing to work with Dr. Frankenstein to find a cure to the disease that may be affecting his daughter; and Fenton draws his master to Malcolm's mansion. More 5 Closer Than Sisters Air date: Jun 8, 2014 Vanessa recalls her past and the events that led to Mina's disappearance. More 6 What Death Can Join Together Air date: Jun 15, 2014 Vanessa's latest vision leads Sir Malcolm, Ethan and Sembene to explore a plague ship in search of Mina. Meanwhile, Van Helsing reveals to Dr. Frankenstein more details about the creature that has taken Mina. Later, Vanessa's night with Dorian unlocks something dark within her. More 7 Possession Air date: Jun 22, 2014 Sir Malcolm, Ethan and Sembene do everything possible in an effort to save Vanessa. More 8 Grand Guignol Air date: Jun 29, 2014 Season 1 ends with Vanessa and Sir Malcolm facing their worst nightmares. More Penny Dreadful: Season 1 Photos View All Photos (159) Tv Season Info Monsters and demons haunt Victorian London in this gothic thriller that includes some of literature's most terrifying individuals, including Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and characters from "Dracula." The story begins with police investigating a series of gruesome deaths, but renowned explorer Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and medium Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) know there is something darker at play than mere murder, as Vanessa fights a demon that is determined to possess her. Also, Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) joins a group of vampire hunters; Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) faces the consequences of his death-defying experiments; and devil-may-care Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney) falls for the alluring but troubled Vanessa. Genre: Horror Network: Showtime Premiere Date: May 11, 2014 Creator: John Logan Exec. Producers: John Logan, Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes Cast Josh Hartnett as Ethan Chandler Eva Green as Vanessa Ives Billie Piper as Brona Croft Danny Sapani as Sembene Harry Treadaway as Victor Frankenstein Helen McCrory as Madame Kali Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray Rory Kinnear as The Creature Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm Olivia Llewellyn as Mina Olly Alexander as Fenton Hannah Tointon Simon Russell Beale as Sir Ferdinand Lyle Robert Nairne Anna Chancellor Alex Price as Proteus David Warner as Abraham Van Helsing Frank McCusker Alun Armstrong Mary Stockley Show More Cast News & Interviews for Penny Dreadful: Season 1 Marvel’s Iron Fist Breaks Tomatometer Record with Biggest Sophomore Bump 50 Fresh Scary Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Netflix 2016 Emmy Winners Announced: Game of Thrones and Veep Win Top Awards View All Penny Dreadful: Season 1 News Episodes 1 Night Work Air date: May 11, 2014 London 1891. Sir Malcolm and Vanessa begin their search. Series premiere. More 2 Seance Air date: May 18, 2014 Vanessa and Sir Malcolm attend a party at the home of Egyptologist Sir Ferdinand Lyle and meet Dorian Gray. The party takes an ominous turn when medium Madame Kali hosts a séance. Meanwhile, Ethan befriends Brona Croft, a young Irish immigrant. More 3 Resurrection Air date: May 25, 2014 Dr. Frankenstein is confronted by his past. Meanwhile, Vanessa has a vision of Mina. More 4 Demimonde Air date: Jun 1, 2014 Vanessa's infatuation with Dorian Gray continues to grow. Meanwhile, Malcolm hires Van Helsing to work with Dr. Frankenstein to find a cure to the disease that may be affecting his daughter; and Fenton draws his master to Malcolm's mansion. More 5 Closer Than Sisters Air date: Jun 8, 2014 Vanessa recalls her past and the events that led to Mina's disappearance. More 6 What Death Can Join Together Air date: Jun 15, 2014 Vanessa's latest vision leads Sir Malcolm, Ethan and Sembene to explore a plague ship in search of Mina. Meanwhile, Van Helsing reveals to Dr. Frankenstein more details about the creature that has taken Mina. Later, Vanessa's night with Dorian unlocks something dark within her. More 7 Possession Air date: Jun 22, 2014 Sir Malcolm, Ethan and Sembene do everything possible in an effort to save Vanessa. More 8 Grand Guignol Air date: Jun 29, 2014 Season 1 ends with Vanessa and Sir Malcolm facing their worst nightmares. More Critic Reviews for Penny Dreadful Season 1 All Critics (61) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (12) Some of its mumbo jumbo may hurt your head, but the last words of Episode 2 are precisely on point. They whet the appetite for more, more. We'll see how it all comes out in the bloody wash. May 8, 2014 | Rating: B+ | Full Review… Ed Bark Uncle Barky Top Critic Showtime subscribers have already put their money down, but many of them will probably decide that Penny Dreadful, while hardly dreadful, isn't worth it. May 8, 2014 | Full Review… Tom Conroy Media Life Top Critic As creator John Logan moves away from the horror by the Thames and more toward the internal demons that haunt his protagonists, Penny veers toward the overwritten and overwrought. But by then, you may well be in for a pound. May 8, 2014 | Full Review… David Hiltbrand Philadelphia Inquirer Top Critic For fans of expertly hammy acting and heated-up supernatural doings, it's a lot of fun. May 8, 2014 | Full Review… Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe Top Critic If you enjoy the challenge of doing complex jigsaw puzzles in low light, Penny Dreadful will be your cup of tea. May 8, 2014 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… David Hinckley New York Daily News Top Critic This John Logan (Skyfall, Hugo) creation promises an intriguing summer pastime, for an eight-week run anyway. May 7, 2014 | Rating: B+ | Full Review… Verne Gay Newsday Top Critic Terrifying in its storytelling, beautiful in its portrayal, and intriguing in its premise, this show is a strong addition to Showtime's line up. Aug 8, 2019 | Full Review… Karl Delossantos Smash Cut Reviews It's going to be a dark and messy business. Jul 23, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… Adam Sweeting The Arts Desk Still, for its faults, Penny Dreadful delivers some performances that are worth the price of admission. Jul 3, 2018 | Full Review… Jessica Johnson Time Out Chicago We're interested enough to keep tuning in just to see if they can pull it off. Jun 22, 2018 | Full Review… Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez Tom & Lorenzo View All Critic Reviews (61) Audience Reviews for Penny Dreadful: Season 1 Apr 25, 2019 Eva Green is absolutely perfect!! alex r Jan 08, 2019 episode 2, the seance, is absolutely stunning ! No rest for the wicked :\ Erik W Jun 18, 2018 Beautifully dark, gothic and scary characters intertwine with each other. Well written with poetic dialogue. Matthew K Jun 11, 2018 A Fantastic tv show that perfectly balances all different story arcs with a stellar cast Michael K Feb 26, 2018 Loved it. Great cast that really do fit the characters well. Michael G Feb 05, 2018 This show is a real enjoyment, you get really personal with each and every character, the way this was written and filmed was a real enjoyment to watch, and the character John Clare, frankenstein's creation, was just a joy to watch. You really get emotionally involved in the series 10 out of 10 Ron W Jan 23, 2018 If I was rating only for myself and no one else, I would definitely go with five stars, but I decided to leave off half a star because I know that Penny Dreadful is just not everyone's cup of tea. It is a summations exploration of the Victorian gothic. Its characters are nuanced and brilliantly acted, but they approach everything with an intensity and a scenery chewing drama that I know just won't work for everyone. That being said, if you love horror and atmosphere, this series has it in spades. It has supernatural horror, psychological horror, body horror, bug horror, and more. It also has surprisingly transgressive and refreshing politics. All in all, it's not perfect but I love it wholly and unconditionally. Myrtha W Oct 22, 2017 I think that the most part of the people won't find it interesting because of its "strange factor", however that factor for me is the secret behind the success of it. Sometimes it seems lost and boring, but it always find the course to the difference, strangeness, bloodiness and originality. Francisco L Sep 01, 2017 A solid horror series with a great cast and excellent special effects. Despite a weak main story. joseph h Aug 01, 2017 Eva Green and atmosphere carry the series over its rocky parts Cort J See all Audience reviews News & Features 150 Erotic Movies Ranked worst to best! 2019's Most Anticipated 63 movies coming up this year 200 Essential Movies Chosen by RT staff! 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