First trailer for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels brings the gothic horror to 1930s Los Angeles

While it was airing, Penny Dreadful was undoubtfully the best dose of gothic horror storytelling around. Creator John Logan, using his prodigious skills at incredibly poetic dialogue and plotting, pulled together various horror icons from both the public domain and such literary classics as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, all portrayed by a fantastic cast led by Eva Green acting the living hell out of every scene as powerful medium Vanessa Ives.

The epic tale would go on to win four BAFTAs and earn a lengthy list of nominations at all the major awards shows, as well as a massive fanbase. TV network Showtime was definitely not ready to let that go, even though Logan had already told his story in full. That left only one thing left to do: Get Logan to tell a new one.

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is the brand new spinoff once again penned by Logan, but this time swapping the spooky mist-swirled Victorian England for a 1930s Los Angeles drenched in as much macabre Mexican-American folklore as it is social tension. While Vanessa Ives and co may be gone, we do have Natalie Dormer leading the cast as Magda, a shapeshifting demon. Joining her is Daniel Zovatto as the LAPD’s first Mexican-American detective and Nathan Lane as his veteran partner. A ritualistic murder being investigated by the duo will kick off a story that will see them and others thrown into the middle of a supernatural war between dark forces.

And now we have our first look at just how all of that will play out as Showtime has released the first full trailer for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.

A spiritual descendant of the original Penny Dreadful story set in Victorian-era London, 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 (Daniel Zovatto) and his partner Lewis Michener (Nathan 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 will premiere in the US on 26 April 2020. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long to see it here locally.

Last Updated: January 14, 2020