Penny Dreadful: City of Angels premieres

Yay!

Squee!

Adorbz!

Oh cool! I thought they cancelled the show. Wil watch! 🍿

Me too but I will miss the original cast!!

There's a any gay storyline or character in this show?

Is it a good show, a positive show?

I enjoyed the premiere although I thought the effects looked cheap. I’m not a showtime subscriber so I will wait till all of the episodes have aired and then subscribe, and binge it.

So far I like it. The visuals are great, but the plot is brutal. Interesting that Natalie gets to play different characters manipulating human kind to destruction.

So many hot guys. Including the Nazi buddies of Rory Kinnear's Nazi character.

And in the first episode part of the prophecy is already fulfilled. Hot Brother killing hot brother.

Kinnear's accent seems off.

The actor who plays Vega is very appealing. And I love the production values (although you can easily tell the one street he lives on in a set--there are no telephone or telegraph wires 20 feet up, as there would have been in 1938).

I don't understand why, if the mythology of the show is Mexican/Latino, Natalie Dormer's evil demon (goddess?) speaks with an English accent.

Rory Kinnear is the Cindy Sherman of male American actors--I never recognize him in different roles. And I was surprised Nathan Lane could be believable as a butch detective.

Brent Spiner, on the other hand, is always Data to me no matter what role he plays. He's a good actor, but his face is too familiar.

it was ok.

Natalie Dormer is a one note actress with the face of a fetal 🐖. There I said it.

There are too many TV shows recently about Nazis trying to take over the US at mid-century. The Man in the High Castle, The Plot Against America... now this.

What r3 said! During the show's previous run, Eva Green was one of the best actresses on TV during that time. She was amazing. Also, this was Josh Hartnett's best work. The love story between him and Eva's characters was so good.

R4 given the Nazi/white supremacy elements and how those groups have a lot of homophobes, I'm sure a gay character will show up.

R5 it has Dreadful in the title and you ask that <_

R10 Rory Kinnear is British . I agree I'm really liking Nathan Lane. I don't get Dormer's accent either, but if I had to guess it has something to do with the Nightsisters being British ( even though their origins are African/Egyptian).

R9 it's a regional accent. It's pretty close to a native German one. His upper inflections are where it breaks.

R8 I'm trying to remember what show recently featured Brujerias. I know Charmed and Constantine did, but some other show has. I can't place my finger on it. I'm hoping for a misinterpreted prophecy like in Season 2 of Penny Dreadful where the Wolf of God was the ultimate decider in who wins Ahmanet .

Great! Something to watch. Adding S1 to my lockdown binge queue now.

The premiere just didn't do it for me. The whole "they want to build a freeway through the Chicano enclave" plot line was just WAY too reminiscent of [italic]Who Framed Roger Rabbit?[/italic]

I'm uncertain whether I'll be back for a second episode.

I love LA noir. Anyone see I Am the Night? Loved that.

.....

[quote]I don't understand why, if the mythology of the show is Mexican/Latino, Natalie Dormer's evil demon (goddess?) speaks with an English accent.

White devil.

Izzat the White Goddess in a dingy tiara? Izzat Morgan La Fey in a li’l black dress? Wow! Woowhee! I’d rather watch two sparrows on my deck fighting over a grain of millet.

The two scenes I like best in the pilot are when the lead dances with his mom and the mom summoning the Saint of Death. Also, the scene of the evil sister with her "kid" in the elevator is cool and creepy.

Nathan Lane as a grumpy cop is quite interesting.

The opening scene had terrible CGI. Probably the worst I've seen in a long time.

Also, why does Natalie Dormer's demon have contemporary hair and a contemporary dress?

I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. They definitely got the social unrest of the 1930s Los Angeles right. People forget that many L.A. landmarks were built at the expense of Chicano communities. The city would just deport American citizens to Mexico when they wanted to get rid of a Latin neighborhood.

Loved the lead actor. He really had a great scene at the end when he shots his gun. Daniel Zobatto is a really good actor.

Natalie Dormer ruins everything she is in. I will stay away from this LA Confidential knock-off then.

Is this the Universal or Warner lot?

Daniel Zovatto is a hottie. Remember him as a gorgeous long-haired gay top in Here and Now?

yeah, Daniel is pretty. What's the story ?

Penny Dreadful might be one of my favorite shows ever. I tried watching this, and could not get into it.

It's Penny Dreadful in name only.

[quote]The opening scene had terrible CGI. Probably the worst I've seen in a long time.

Yes, it was awful. And if Natalie Dormer's character can just destroy people with fire, why does she bother with the more subtle method of whispering into people's ears, as she does to instigate the gunfight at the end?

I haven’t watched this series before, but can someone explain the premise? Is it an anthology show that reboots every season in a different location and time period? Do I need to watch the earlier seasons to understand this one?

R31 The original show takes place in Victorian London, when Penny Dreadfuls were actually a thing. That show ran for 3 seasons. Except for the fact that it's got the same creator, I'm really not sure why this show is labeled as Penny Dreadful, as it seems totally disconnected from the original, in terms of setting, subject matter, acting talent, and overall quality.

The original series intertwined the stories of Frankenstein, Dracula, Dorian Grey and the Wolfman.

The idea is that Natalie Dormer's demon character is the embodiment of deadly chaos, and that people can't see her unless she's wearing one of her "disguises." (like she did in the doctor's office). So when she seems to kill people or bid people to do killing for her, what it really is is the deadly chaos she embodies intruding: the fire in the fields was due to human eyes to a random spark, and the men who fired their guns to whom she whispered were just fearful and using poor judgement.

So she can;t always set fires or whisper to people to kill other people: it's just when the conditions are perfect. (That's why in the stand-off she kept searching into the eyes of the policemen until she found the one who was twitchy and nervous.)

Totally agree r32!

I thought City of Angels was a musical, I kept waiting for Nathan Lane to break out in song?

If they needed a gringo looking Mexican for the lead why didn’t they hire Froy?

Who ?

I wish Eva was playing the Dormer character. Imagine her in all those disguises... Lead is hot and I like the vibe. It didn’t suck me in like the original Penny Dreadful though.

Starting this tonight, it looks great!

Is there something for dear Glenn?

Watched the first 30 minutes of the premiere episode, but was completely uninterested. There wasn't a single thing about it that I hadn't seen before.

I loved it. I'm surprised how emotionally invested I was in the end. I finished the premiere 5 minutes ago and my heart is still beating fast. It's obviously quite different from the original Penny Dreadful, a show I loved. However I do remember that show's flaws as well and it certainly ran its course. I vaguely remember the last season being quite a mess way too many times. Someone at reddit claims they knew people from the production who said it all fell apart because Eva Green hated to travel to Ireland where they apparently shot the show.

I don't mind this fresh start elsewhere at all. We are now in a bright colored L.A. noir world instead of dark Victorian London. And it does help that I find the latino lead insanely sexy.

[quote] The premiere just didn't do it for me. The whole "they want to build a freeway through the Chicano enclave" plot line was just WAY too reminiscent of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Well, that's a rather random reference. Who the hell has even watched that movie in the last 30 years? I don't know much about LA's history but I believe R24. There have always been areas and neigborhoods that have been destroyed to give way to new roads, buildings, factories etc. That's not something that only happened in in Roger Rabbit.

[quote]Natalie Dormer is a one note actress with the face of a fetal 🐖. There I said it.

Well, you can say it but you're not correct. She did a great job in her many roles, and her demon dominatrix is certainly very intense. Some people seem to dislike her, partly probably because they hate her previous roles or because she's not Eva Green. Eva was of course fabulous as Vanessa Ives but since it's rumored she was the reason the original show was cancelled I doubt she would've even wanted to come back.

Why doesn't the evil goddess get some elaborate costume? That dress looks like some cheap vinyl blanket.

I dislike Natalie Dormer because she's a terrible actress. I've watched her in several tv shows but the only part I've seen her play is Marjorie Tyrell.

R45, I haven't followed her career that closely but I've seen her in multiple productions and I haven't even once thought she's a terrible actress. Are you sure you're just not disliking her for personal reasons?

She was a perfect manipulative bitch in that Why Didn't They Ask Evans? adaption.

No really, she sucks ass and you have poor judgement.

Manipulative bitch is all she's capable of.

Ugh, Santa Muerte's pale gray contact lenses are constantly floating around in different directions. It's so distracting.

[quote]No really, she sucks ass and you have poor judgement.

She's got a great screen presence and she's a fine actor. The problem is you, not her, but that's how it is sometimes.

wanted to like it but found it unwatchable and turned it off before it was over. Just all over the map with horrible accents and stereotypes and fractured storylines.

I really liked it, I happen love LA stories set in that time frame. They went further into the Nazi thing than I anticipated. Will keep watching, good production they def spent some cash making this.

You've got to hand it to Rory Kinnear. He's managed to make his middle-aged suburban Nazi character somehow charming, and dare I say, attractive. He really is a phenomenal actor.

R27 Oh yeah, that was incredibly hot. Any sexy scenes with Daniel Zovatto in this one?

Daniel Zobatto has such a boyish face. I don't whether I want to fuck him or babysit him.

The actress playing Sister Molly is great. The Nazi dr subplot is very good too.

I hate the contemporary Instagram makeup/hair/wardrobe on Natalie, although i do like the she let them do ugly assistant to the Mayor. She can't hold a candle to Eva, who did a lot of scenes without a lick of makeup on.

It was the pilot though, many series get better as they go on.

Daniel is hot, I remember him from that awful HBO series, 'Here and Now'.

Natalie Dormer's character is laughable in this. Guess she supposed to be Satan? Give me a break. She's walking around like she's on a fashion runway. Eva Green's character and acting was amazing in the first series.

This series is all over the map. I guess they producers decided to bring the series back to show the parallels between Drumpf becoming president and what was going on in LA during the era being depicted? The hate for Mexicans, the Nazis coming into power etc? I cannot imagine any other reason. This second series sure isn't as interesting as the original series. There are no real chills.

Yes, r59, there was even a line that they used that #45 has said.

Looks like all the queers in LA are aligned with the evil.

R50 I find Santa Muerte's cheap total knock-off of Cher's looks to be more offensive. If they are going to copy from a true Goddess they can at least do the original some justice.

The costume depart did a shoddy copy of Cher's style. Change my mind !

That ugly fat guy, the mayor? Not sure who he's supposed to be, was about to give some guy a blow job.

I didn’t see the original, but I’m enjoying this. It looks incredible, like what Hollywood wanted to be, but five times better. The male lead is fantastic and the preacher lady held her own too.

i've yet to see the latest episode but I find it sad how many people are hating the show just because it's not like the original. I've enjoyed the episodes I've seen a lot. Even though the original had some amazing episodes the final season was in many ways a total mess, and even the earlier seasons were uneven. I don't mind this reboot in sunny California at all. Some people seem to be having problems with the wardrobes of The Sisters but I disagree with them. The Sisters are representations of spiritual forces and what we see is always partly metaphorical and symbolic because they are not human. They work on a meta level as well as on physical. That said if a sizable part of the viewership has a hard time taking The Sisters seriously then it's obviously a problem created by the production.

I don't have a problem with the La Llorona type sister, but Natalie's incarnation is too modern with the Instagram brows and leather outfit.

So a demon wants to incite violence & chaos in the 1930s, and decides to do so in... California?

I’m a little confused, the woman who is the agent of chaos and various characters, is there only one of her and she can only be one of those personas at a time, or can she be the German mother, secretary and Chicano gang girl simultaneously?

So the actor who plays the hot Nazi top, Dominic Sherwood, must be doing penance by playing a gay role or being in a gay sex scene as the case may be. A few years ago he walked in on a costar live-streaming and called him the f-word and there was twitter meltdown and a de rigueur apology video. So is this role meant to rehab his reputation?

Anyone watching? I snorted my drink when the hunky chauffeur asked the tubby city councilman bottom or top?

AS IF there was any question!

Will Dorian Grey be fucking the main character?

I have been pleasantly surprised by this series so far. I watched the original series and enjoyed it but it went downhill from season to season. Patti Lupone was great in her original character episode as the witch/abortionist.

Other than the horrible fire CGI at the very beginning of the first episode, the costume, automotive, and building production values have been fantastic. Nathan Lane has been surprisingly good and Daniel Zovatto is both sure hot and a very good actor. I didn't even recognize him initially from Here and Now where he had the long, greasy hair. I like Natalie Dormer and think she is doing very well, including being distinctive in her multiple iterations. Amy Madigan is appropriately creepy and the actress playing Miss Molly is doing well. When she was about to sing, I thought for sure she would have a high soprano/Kristin Chenoweth type voice and was knocked over when she started singing in one of the lowest alto voices I've heard. She is practically a tenor.

I saw Rory Kinnear on stage at the National Theater a couple of years ago; he was shockingly small. A good actor, but a tiny todger!

I watched a making of video of CoA and they were ecstatic over Dormer's evil character's costume being made of PLEATHER!

Pleather is the metaphor for this iteration.

Mateo has such a lovely butt.

Yeah, Johnathan Nieves is hot as hell.

And again, according to this show, homosex=evil

This show piqued my interest in original PD, which I'm binging now. Original is so much more compelling and had an amazing cast (Lupone twice), but sadly only 3 seasons.

Dang anyone see the last episode? Nathan lane is a g!

Nathan was very, very good in the most recent episode. I'm enjoying this season a lot.

It figures DL lavishes praise over Daniel Zovatto who is vaguely pretty but a boring actor. And, Kerry Bishé is equally bland as Sister Molly.

This show has too many plots and too many characters...it doesn't spend enough time with any of them long enough to get pulled into the story...and, I don't get the hate for Natalie Dormer. She's fun! Though they gave her TOO many roles to play...the albino Latina dyke is ridiculous.

I do like Nathan Lane here...he's doing a good job. And, Amy Madigan needs a better role and more to do than scowl.

Oh, and the gay plot is awful. The cottaging sex scene was so fucking over the top and tacky.

Apparently nobody is watching this anymore, but Patti LuPone was on last night's episode playing a chanteuse in a gay nightclub.

Are they starting to moderate their gay=evil subtext that I've noted before? Or is it perhaps we'll find that leather sister to Santa Muerta is a force for good in this world?

[quote]If they needed a gringo looking Mexican for the lead why didn’t they hire Froy?

Zovatto doesn't look gringo. You're an ignorant fuck though...

Froy can’t act to save his life. He’s okay doing teen romcoms.

Am I the only one left watching? No comments in almost two weeks?

It's hanging out on my DVR. Now that I have 3 episodes on there, it seems like an awfully big commitment.

Gotta say, that was NOT a stellar season ending. This season started off very promising but went downhill. Still like Daniel Zovatto a lot though.

Daniel Zovatto will be a movie star. And Kerry Bishe as Sister Molly was great

I'm watching it to completion, just to do it. Some cute actors, nice dance scenes, and macabre fun.

But who murdered the rich people? Faux-Amy Semple McPherson or her mom?

R89 That's the funniest thing I've read this morning. Movie Star. You so crazy.

R90, her deranged mother. That stated, I'm still not really sure why what happened after that happened (not to spoil it for anyone).

Oh my goodness. I got to say Natalie Dormer really is great as a Pachuco.

I'm still digesting the series. It was not what I was expecting when it first was announced, but it really is unique among everything that is out there right now. I want Daniel deep inside please.

It was a great concept that was executed just ok. The storytelling was just off—there weren’t that many characters but it was still hard to tell what was happening at times. Zovatto is gorgeous but he wasn’t a strong enough presence as the lead. Dormer was too hammy in most of her roles. The MVP was Nathan Lane.

I'd agree with Lane as the MVP, but I didn't think anyone was bad, other than Kerry Bishe as Molly. She was lacking. I like Natalie Dormer in general. I'd go with her best character as the blonde, German witch and the worst was definitely the hunched over assistant to that idiotic councilman. They could have cut out that entire story line and I wouldn't have missed it.

Absolutely not, Nathalie was fantastic in all of her roles, especially as the evil secretary.

I am surprised Hollywood has not explored much about Los Angeles Latino History. The last time those themes were explored where in the early-middle 80s with Zoot Suit and maybe La Bamba.

I’m starting episode 8 hoping to wrap up the season this weekend. Ugh I want to punch Natalie dormer’s German character so she must be doing a good job. The little German demon spawn is uber creepy. As stated I concur that Nathan Lane is the MVP, bravo! Can he get an Emmy nom for this?

I got cut off from Showtime mid season, does Nathan ever sing, even in a dream sequence or something?

How many episodes for this season?

More about Daniel Zovatto, please. Hot as fuck, and a terrific actor. As he was in the less than good, Here and Now. What's the story on him. Where are the nudes?!?!

[quote]Daniel Zovatto will be a movie star.

I'll take that bet.

[quote]That stated, I'm still not really sure why what happened after that happened (not to spoil it for anyone).

That made no sense to me, either.

[quote]I got to say Natalie Dormer really is great as a Pachuco.

I liked her well enough in her other roles, but I thought she was embarrassingly bad as the zoo-suited Latina.

[quote]It was a great concept that was executed just ok.

Agreed. I felt the same about the first iteration of Penny Dreadful -- an even better concept, and better executed as well, but it had the potential to be so much more.

^^zoot-suited Latina.

Why don't guys show bulge or VPL in suit pants? This angers me.

Daniel looks like the kind of guy who cries when he has an orgasm.

I want to make him cry.

I just discovered this show, and this is probably a repeat, but... The actor who plays Kurt is gorgeous.

What bothered me is how big of a deal they made of Tiago being a Chicano .... being discriminated against because of his appearance. He's the least Chicano-looking actor in the cast. He could easily be southern European -- not a drop of mestizo in him. The other actors playing his family all look appropriate to their characters' ethinicity--but not Zovatto.

How many episodes were in the first season?

10. I'm currently on episode 9. Frank is creepy as fuck.

[bold]‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels’ Canceled After One Season at Showtime (EXCLUSIVE)[/bold]

“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” has been canceled at Showtime. The final episode of the show’s first and only season aired on June 28.

“Showtime has decided not to move forward with another season of ‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels,'” Showtime said in a statement. “We would like to thank executive producers John Logan, Michael Aguilar and the entire cast and crew for their outstanding work on this project.”

A successor to Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful,” “City of Angels” was set in 1938 Los Angeles and starred Nathan Lane, Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Rory Kinnear, Adriana Barraza, Michael Gladis, Jessica Garza, Johnathan Nieves. Recurring guest stars included Lorenza Izzo, Adam Rodriguez, Amy Madigan, Brent Spiner, Lin Shaye, Thomas Kretschmann, Dominic Sherwood, and Ethan Peck.

“City of Angels” received decent reviews upon its release, with Season 1 holding a 75% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s Daniel D’Addario wrote at the time, “This series knows well that horror exists within the context of history — that, indeed, some of the greatest chills of all can be wrung from our real-life inhumanity as witnessed over time. This show’s subplot about Nazi infiltration into the government is played both with outsized, creeping dread and with a certain degree of frankness and plainspokenness.”

In the series, when a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto) and his partner Lewis Michener (Lane) 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 powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart.

John Logan, the creator, writer and executive producer the original “Penny Dreadful,” continued on “City of Angels” in those same roles. Michael Aguilar also served as executive producer along with Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris.

I gave up on it when it became clear it was going to be about Nazi infiltration in LA.

I can't even remember how it ended. I watched it all cause I liked the actors, but the story was meh.

I became addicted to LA's history a while ago. So many interesting facets: crime, water, politics, culture, the "industry", architecture, ethnicity and race. Here is another part of that history I only learned of within the past 10 years.

I am not passing judgment on it though I was angered when I first started reading about it. I am not saying all progress is wrong or ill-intentioned. Often there is a knee jerk opposition to anything new or anything that may cause an upheaval in our world - sometimes without examining if "our particular world" is worth preserving or that the new world offers benefits that can offset the losses. Again, reality is too often lost when all the facts become inconvenient.

There is also a documentary I found on Youtube about the Chavez Ravine community.

Perhaps Showtime can bring back the entire cast, in something more entertaining.

This show totally sucked. I was totally excited and the first 3 episodes killed any and all interest. The whole Mexican storyline was even more boring than the cliche noir murder crap and the Nazi stuff. What a misfire. Good riddance.

I’m a stickler for things like this but it’s very funny to me that they went to all the trouble to have the late 1930s clothing and cars, but then just decided “the hell with it” when it came to the 2000s construction vehicles so prominent in the background.

Here’s what a 1930s dump truck looked like.

It was a big mistake to attach the Penny Dreadful name to the series. It raised the expectations so high that it couldn't be judged by its own merit. I liked the lead (his second flop on HBO after Here & Now, another nice show that got only one season and HBO and on that one he played gay). And Nathan Lane was great.

Sorry.

His second flop after HBO's Here and Now where he played gay

[quote]He's the least Chicano-looking actor in the cast. He could easily be southern European -- not a drop of mestizo in him.

He looks like the Chicanos I see out there in the streets of Los Angeles. Mestizo don't mean a certain look and a ton of them look equal or whiter than Daniel.

“I PIERCED THE TOAST!”