Penny Dreadful: City of Angels

Boring & slowly paced (if my friend hadn't wanted to keep seeing it, I would've stopped watching). It's also a bait & switch which I cannot forgive. Presumably feeling Woke-ish & tired of monsters, John Logan wrote a pretentious soap opera about 1930's racism against Mexicans. Then he realized he'd have to call it Penny Dreadful to get the cash to make it. So he foregoes the classic monster mashup the series made its name on & shoehorns in 2 Mexican spirits that I -a Latino - have never heard of

The original Penny Dreadful delighted in adventure and darkness, while honouring its pulp nature. City of Angels is a disservice to that legacy, delivering melodrama steeped in racial tension in a desperate bid to appear relevant. All the characters pale in comparison, with Kinnear's drop in performance as testament. Lane has his moments, and Zovatto is an inoffensive lead, but Dormer's multiple roles while decent are exhausting to watch. Ultimately it uses a myth rather than building off it.

It's hilariously terrible. The overacting, cornball dialogue, inadvertent camp. I'm stunned this is from the same dude that made the first one. The story is just interesting enough to maybe slog thru it.

Could’ve been a pretty good movie, but it feels unnecessarily stretched out, and it’s probably the least subtle thing out there when it comes to the political message. Dormer and Zovatto are well cast though, with Dormer being pretty fun to watch in her quad-role. Lane is also entertaining, but feels like he needs more character development. It isn’t really all that similar to the original series either. Hopefully they wrap things up nicely in a final second season.

1938 Los Angeles is a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension. When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega and his partner Lewis Michener become embroiled in an epic story that reflects the rich history of Los Angeles: from the building of the city's first freeways and its deep traditions of Mexican-American folklore, to the dangerous espionage actions of the Third Reich and the rise of radio evangelism. Before long, Tiago and his family are grappling with

While extremely stylish and sporting a strong buildup, the show (and certainly the season finale) shows a lack of creativity for further developments and cohesiveness, so it's just fine that it was canceled. This has little in common with the original series. (June-July 2020)