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Season 1 – Penny Dreadful: City of Angels

Play trailer 2:00 Poster for Season 1 – Penny Dreadful: City of Angels Apr 2020 Drama Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
74% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
After a grisly murder, Detective Tiago Vega and his partner, Lewis Michener, become embroiled in an investigation that reflects the history of Los Angeles.
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Penny Dreadful: City of Angels — Season 1

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Though City of Angels' host of interesting characters would be better served if there were fewer of them, twisty plotting and superb performances are bound to satisfy Penny Dreadful devotees.

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Critics Reviews

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Graeme Blundell The Australian 12/16/2020
...highly intelligent, beautifully produced pulpy, speculative fiction. Go to Full Review
Suzi Feay Financial Times 06/29/2020
3/5
There's the same gloating over revolting cadavers. But with its undertow of racial tension, Penny Dreadful feels edgily topical, especially when the cops steamroll into action. Go to Full Review
Danette Chavez AV Club 06/29/2020
D
It was an ambitious endeavor, but ultimately ill-conceived, as the season-one finale proves that City Of Angels has taken us for a ride; a lurching journey full of dead-ends and unsatisfying detours. Go to Full Review
Linnete Manrique PopMatters 07/20/2021
6/10
The freeway storyline is fascinating enough that I hope that if Showtime renews City of Angels for a second season, Logan and his team can narrow and sharpen their focus to tell a more powerful story about structural inequalities... Go to Full Review
Daniel Seddon NME (New Musical Express) 07/08/2021
2/5
Unfortunately, it's a disastrous marketing decision - and fans looking for more of Logan's patented Victorian fantasy-horror will be disappointed. Go to Full Review
Ed Fortune Starburst 07/14/2020
5/10
The show has a more LA Noir vibe going on, but this is never fully explored. At the end of each episode, you're left feeling that they need to ditch the penny dreadful and pick up a blood-spattered Sam Spade novel instead. Go to Full Review
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Roveda A @KcdII May 11 Absolutely marvellous, the writing, the actors, the acting, the sets, costumes, everything, the dances was breathtaking, it's a pity it got cancelled, it should have got more marketing maybe. See more Tim O 10/22/2024 Meh. Massive fan of the first series; had very high hopes for this follow-on. But the production drifted too far from the strengths and engaging characters that made the original _work_. Not to mention too much "reimagining" of a period not that far into the past: You can get away with a lot, going back to supernatural 19th century fictional entities, as long as the story and characters engage the viewer. But this mess dragged, and was a bit too a-historic, to avoid a constant jarring of the viewer out of the period in which it was set. See more Dan K 09/19/2023 The show is nothing like the penny dreadful series that takes place mostly in Europe. That said, there's a mystery that gets progressively revealed along a creative story line and characters that you want to watch as they evolve. It needed too soon. See more 01/26/2022 Loved the acting. The story was pretty good. But the Latino torture was too much for me. How about we let Latinos write Latino stories? Because this was too much. Idk how I made it to the end. See more 12/08/2021 Politically-driven hogwash. But ticks all the diversity boxes if that's your thing See more Mark F 12/04/2021 It's gorgeous, with great actors. I'll never understand how an audience trashes anything so original--guess they miss their superheroes. See more Read all reviews
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Apr 26, 2020 Santa Muerte LAPD detectives Tiago Vega and Lewis Michener investigate a murder; Tiago's brother, Raul, battles Councilman Charlton Townsend over California's first freeway; Tiago's mother, Maria, pleads with Santa Muerte. Details Episode 2 Aired May 3, 2020 Dead People Lie Down Raul Vega lies on the brink of death; Tiago and Lewis meet radio evangelist Sister Molly Finnister; Councilman Townsend furthers his political goals; Peter Craft runs into Elsa at the beach; Lewis and his friends investigate Third Reich activities. Details Episode 3 Aired May 10, 2020 Wicked Old World Tiago and Molly try to escape their complicated lives; Lewis interrogates a young Cal-Tech student; Townsend and Alex's agenda is jeopardized by a councilwoman; Peter Craft discovers a dark truth at Elsa's home; Mateo visits a Chicano dance hall. Details Episode 4 Aired May 17, 2020 Josefina and the Holy Spirit Tiago scours Sister Molly's beach house for clues; Peter Craft invites Elsa to a party; Lewis asks a gangster to help battle the growing Nazi menace in Los Angeles; Josefina Vega has a harrowing encounter with the police; Mateo seeks retribution. Details Episode 5 Aired May 24, 2020 Children of the Royal Sun Josefina confides in Sister Molly, who's shocked to discover Josefina is Tiago's sister; Tiago and Lewis' investigation takes them to the Vega House; Townsend gets a lecture about his personal life; Tiago confronts Mateo. Details Episode 6 Aired May 31, 2020 How It Is With Brothers Tiago and Lewis interrogate Diego; Adelaide warns Molly about her personal desires; Townsend learns of Kurt's surprising past; Peter Craft makes a decision about his marriage with Linda; Maria tracks down Mateo and pleads with him to come home. Details Episode 7 Aired Jun 7, 2020 Maria and the Beast Molly visits Tiago at his apartment; Dottie and Lewis confront Brian; Elsa and Frank move in with the Crafts; Alex and Townsend discuss how to defeat Councilwoman Beck; Lewis enlists Tiago to join his covert operations; Maria summons Santa Muerte. Details Episode 8 Aired Jun 14, 2020 Hide and Seek Lewis confronts Townsend in his office; Tiago interrogates Adelaide; Rio begs Mateo to forget his old family and embrace her and the Pachucos; Peter visits Linda at the asylum, only to find her ready for war. Details Episode 9 Aired Jun 21, 2020 Sing, Sing, Sing Tiago and Lewis are tested in danger; Townsend is forced to turn to a last resort; spurred on by Elsa, Peter decides to take Tom, Trevor and Frank to the movies; Lewis oversees the prison transfer of Diego Lopez. Details Episode 10 Aired Jun 28, 2020 Day of the Dead Sad news spreads through the Crimson Cat; Fly Rico tries to placate the volatile crowd while Rio argues for vengeance; Peter Craft, Elsa and the boys are trapped in their car during a riot as Tiago tries to help Mateo. Details
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Season Info

Creator
John Logan
Executive Producer
John Logan, Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, James Bagley
Screenwriter
John Logan
Network
Paramount+ with Showtime
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date
Apr 26, 2020