Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

A great cast can't save this barely-supernatural bore of a spin-off...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 19, 2024

Penny Dreadful lived three glorious seasons and died an unceremonious death. Cancellation, it seems, was more powerful than all the powers of heaven and hell combined. So it was that Penny Dreadful: City of Angels revived the hope of series fans. Perhaps the Showtime show that showed so much potential could yet live again! Alas, it wasn't to be. City of Angels is an uninspired, largely tangential, strangely unfascinating drama in the vein of True Detective that... sort of just sits there on the screen, visibly mulling over what to do next or, worse, what to be when it grows up. It's all very dull and uninteresting, no matter how much it tries -- oh so desperately -- to mount all the elements of a must-see supernatural nail-biter: a mysterious murder case, a pair of hard-boiled detectives, a cast of talented actors any series would kill to land, a rich and unique history of folklore to draw upon, and plenty of tantalizing plotlines to pursue. It's all there, minus that patented draw to the edge of your seat, or the feeling that City of Angels is worth the investment, even if only to discover the endgame of Magda (Natalie Dormer, fresh off of Game of Thrones), a demon vying for vindication in the sun-kissed streets of 1930s Los Angeles.

Synopsis: 1938 Los Angeles is a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension. When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto, It Follows, Don't Breathe) and his partner Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane, The Birdcage, Beau Is Afraid) 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 as Mexican personification of death Santa Muerte (Lorenza Izzo, Knock Knock, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), goddess of healing and gatekeeper to the afterlife, and her sister, the demon Magda (Natalie Dormer, The Forest, Game of Thrones), set out to prove whether mankind is inherently good or evil. Created and co-written by John Logan, the series also stars Kerry Bishé, Adriana Barraza, Jessica Garza, Michael Gladis, Johnathan Nieves and Penny Dreadful alum Rory Kinnear (albeit playing a different character than he did in the original show).

I love Nathan Lane, I do. But your problem senses will be tingling early and often. Lane is an odd choice to play a veteran detective opposite Zovatto, and while entirely the fault of the casting, direction and writing (rather than his otherwise excellent-as-always performance), Lane's presence creates the first of the show's many tone disparities. Tone wobbliness doesn't tip things over, though. That would be Logan's bizarre decision to distance City of Angels from Penny Dreadful's own formula. Rather than the main characters being comprised of reimagined folklore or literary creatures, a True Detective-style procedural is shoved toward center stage. (And if you happened to notice that I already mentioned HBO's investigative crime drama, it's intentional. The similarities are that obvious and prevalent.) Why create a Penny Dreadful spin-off or sequel series only to forge a show so far off the beaten path that it ceases to resemble its forefather? Especially when the two aired mere years apart? Perhaps Showtime was starstruck by the prospect of snagging the likes of Lane and Dormer. Or perhaps there was promise of greater, grander storylines involving beasties and deities. Unfortunately, by the time it all descends into Nazi chaos, hints of Indiana Jones fun, whimsy and the fantastical render the tale inert. Dormer's shape-shifting Magda is an early scene stealer, sure. Until, that is, she's buried in the landslide of too many subplots.

It all ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, although one that's terribly anticlimactic. Not that it matters. City of Angels was booted to the curb before dreams of a second season could even make their way into the imaginations of the few stragglers holding on to the hope that the show still had a means to take off. None of its potential could breathe life into its dwindling ratings -- sadly, I suppose -- and once again Penny Dreadful bled out and died a thankless death, even if this time it was warranted. I suspect City of Angels was a different project altogether, refashioned at the last minute and labeled a Penny Dreadful series. (Honestly it wasn't good enough to justify the time to research if this was the case.) And I suspect the thinking was that the familiar title, or maybe the temptation of franchising, was thought to be a good thing. Instead, the name set expectations the series was either unable or unwilling to live up to, leaving the spin-off in the unenviable position of more easily attracting an audience but then struggling to retain their viewership. Somewhere in City of Angels is a show worthy of a multi-season arc. It just doesn't come together in the end. Or in the middle. It isn't really there at the beginning, come to think of it. Another few drafts and more polish might have helped it succeed. We'll never know.

The 4-disc Blu-ray release of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels includes ten episodes:

1. Santa Muerte - Los Angeles, 1938. LAPD detective Tiago Vega and his partner, Lewis Michener, investigate a murder. While at City Hall, Tiago’s activist brother Raul Vega battles with the fiery Councilman Charlton Townsend over the construction of California’s first freeway. Meanwhile, Peter Craft, the head of the German-American Bun, meets Elsa, the mysterious mother of one of his patients. Sensing danger, Tiago’s mother Maria pleads with Santa Muerte to protect her family as the rising tensions in the city threaten to explode.

2. Dead People Lie Down - Raul Vega lies on the brink of death. Tiago and Lewis meet radio evangelist Sister Molly Finnister. Councilman Townsend furthers his political goals. Peter Craft runs into Elsa at the beach.

3. Wicked Old World - Tiago and Molly try escaping their complicated lives. Lewis interrogates a Cal-Tech student. Townsend and Alex's agenda is jeopardized by a Councilwoman. Peter Craft discovers a dark truth at Elsa's home. Mateo visits a Chicano dance hall.

4. Josefina and the Holy Spirit - Tiago scours Sister Molly's beach house for clues. Peter Craft invites Elsa to a party at his home. Lewis asks a gangster to help battle the growing Nazi menace in LA. Josefina Vega has a harrowing encounter with the police.

5. Children of the Royal Sun - Josefina confides in Sister Molly, who's shocked to discover Josefina is Tiago's sister. Tiago and Lewis's investigation takes them to the Vega House. Townsend is lectured about his personal life. Tiago confronts Mateo.

6. How It Is with Brothers - Tiago and Lewis interrogate Diego, seeking a confession, while Lewis senses Tiago is hiding something from him. Adelaide warns Molly about her personal desires jeopardizing the Temple's future. Townsend learns of Kurt's surprising past. Peter Craft makes a dramatic decision about his marriage with Linda. Maria tracks down Mateo and pleads with him to come home.

7. Maria and the Beast - Molly visits Tiago. Dottie and Lewis confront Brian. Elsa and Frank move in with the Crafts. Alex and Townsend discuss how to defeat Councilwoman Beck. Maria summons Santa Muerte.

8. Hide and Seek - Lewis confronts Townsend in his office. Rio implores Mateo embrace her and the Pachucos. Peter visits Linda at the asylum. Townsend and Kurt go on a dangerous outing. Maria fights to protect the Craft boys from Frank.

9. Sing, Sing, Sing - In danger, Tiago and Lewis must make bold decisions. With Townsend at the end of his rope, he’s forced to turn to a last resort. Spurred by Elsa, Peter decides to take Tom, Trevor and Frank to the movies. Lewis oversees the prison transfer of Diego Lopez as Tiago and Molly go dancing at the Crimson Cat, where they confront the rest of the Vega family.

10. Day of the Dead - Peter Craft, Elsa and the boys are trapped amidst a riot. Townsend celebrates the rise of his political fortune. Tiago and Molly face reality about their relationship. Lewis and Tiago protect Brian. The Vegas celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is presented via a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. However, beware: the set's four discs are BD-R's, meaning they will not play in select Blu-ray players or videogame consoles. None of that affects the quality of the image, thankfully, and the series' ten episodes look quite good. Colors are rich and vibrant, despite some stylization in the show's palette, and skin tones remain lovely and relatively lifelike throughout. Black levels are deep as well, delineation is solid and detail is excellent, at a level befitting a premium cable channel production. Textures are refined and nicely resolved, edges are crisp, and there isn't anything in the way of errant noise to spoil the proceedings. Nor did I catch sight of any banding, blocking or other encoding issues, meaning each episode looks notably better than it did when it originally aired.

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

City of Angels features a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track too, despite the fact that the series' sound design is far more subdued than you might imagine. When I described the show as a bore, I wasn't kidding. There are long stretches where very little happens, meaning interior and environmental ambience, subtle soundscape activity, and ominous music are, far more often than not, the highlights of the lossless mix. Dialogue is clean and intelligible at all times, LFE output is assertive and weighty, and the rear soundfield is graced by frequent directional effects and acoustic elements that make the various locations and locales fairly convincing. Still, it's typically a front-heavy affair, with music being the lone standout dominating the low-end and rear channels. Is that an issue? Hardly. Just set your expectations accordingly.

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4-disc Blu-ray release of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels doesn't include any special features.

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps Penny Dreadful: City of Angels would elicit a hesitant "give it a try" if it weren't cancelled. But its fate is known and its first season isn't good enough -- or complete enough -- to warrant a recommendation. It's not bad. Just terribly average for something billing itself as a spiritual successor to Showtime's previous supernatural series. Paramount's Blu-ray release is much better (if you ignore the lack of special features), thanks to a strong AV presentation. But I'm not sure that helps the show over its numerous hurdles. Give it a try if you can't resist Dormer, Lane or a killer cast, but keep your expectations in check.