Penny Dreadful ended too soon. But if you were a fan of the gothic brilliance of the beloved Showtime series, you can rejoice. The cable network released a new trailer for the new iteration of the show, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. It’s a “spiritual descendant” of the original, and it looks stunning.
The series stars Natalie Dormer, Nathan Lane, and Daniel Zovatto alongside returning original Penny Dreadful actor Rory Kinnear. This new trailer gives us a little more insight into the new setting and backdrop for Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels. We get to enjoy the wonderful Natalie Dormer in many stylish outfits as she stalks around Los Angeles. She sows discord, punches cops, and apparently supports Mexican integration. We also get a glimpse of Kinnear’s German Nazi character. Even though he isn’t reprising his role as The Monster from the original series, he’s clearly still playing a monster. Lane and Zovatto get more play in this tease, too. They discover a murder that seems like it will spark a fire to burn down Los Angeles.
The official description for the series provides a hint of what to expect from the searing show. “A spiritual descendant of the original Penny Dreadful story, Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels opens in 1938 Los Angeles, a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension. When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega (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. Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels explores an exciting mix of the supernatural and the combustible reality of the period.”
Showtime
We’re excited to see the world of Penny Dreadful take on this under-explored period of Los Angeles history. Particularly, we want to see them delve into the use of the highways as a way to segregate the Mexican community. It’ll be really interesting to see how the series brings in the supernatural. That aspect is, of course, what the original series is known and remembered so well for.
The creative team for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels are seemingly eschewing the classical (out of license) literary monsters of the first series. Instead, they’re leaning into Mexican folklore and spirituality for inspiration. Nerdist‘s own Eric Diaz gives a little more insight into what the new series has to offer: “Rooted in the conflict between characters connected to the deity Santa Muerte and others allied with the Devil, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will explore a mix of the supernatural and the combustible reality of that period, creating new occult myths and moral dilemmas within its historical backdrop.” Read more here.
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels debuts on Showtime on Sunday, April 26. We’re waiting with bated breath until then!
Header Image: Showtime
