25 Best Fantasy TV Series, Ranked Worst to First
By Shawn Lealos
20. Penny Dreadful
A penny dreadful was a term used to describe cheap serial novels make in the 19th century Europe. These were often short serials, released weekly, each costing just one penny each and told stories that were genre-based in flavor, whether detective stories, adventure tales or gothic horror related. Many of these penny dreadfuls were re-tellings of classic gothic tales, and while they died off in the 1890s, their legacy persevered. It was from those stories that the Showtime series Penny Dreadful took its inspiration.
Debuting in 2014, Penny Dreadful took place in Victorian London and featured a large number of famous classic literary characters, all of which have fallen into the realm of public domain. Unlike the classic penny dreadfuls, this series found some high-quality actors to join the ranks of the cast.
The legendary Timothy Dalton played Sir Malcolm Murray, an explorer. Eva Green portrays Vanessa Ives, the heroine of this fantasy TV series, and the woman who battles the villains of the underworld. Famous monsters and fictional characters appearing in this series include Dorian Gray, Frankenstein’s Creature, Mina Harker, the famed vampire Dracula, Van Helsing, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and many more
The series only lasted three seasons, but showrunner and creator John Logan said that he finished his initial story in that third season and the series ended as it was meant to end. Airing from 2014 until 2016, there were 27 total episodes.