Penny Dreadful Season 3

Penny Dreadful Season 3 has built a real following on and among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. With 1,528 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Eva Green leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Penny Dreadful Season 3 arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. What makes Penny Dreadful Season 3 work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Confronting new horrors in dangerous new lands, Ethan Chandler, Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, Sir Malcolm, the Creature, and the ravishing but deadly Lily must each face -- and embrace -- their own most truly monstrous selves. But for Vanessa Ives, accepting her demons could exact a terrible cost and plunge the world into unending darkness. Eva Green and Josh Hartnett lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2016. What separates Penny Dreadful Season 3 from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Penny Dreadful Season 3 a chance. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single week. Watch for Eva Green in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.