Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020) – A Supernatural Noir Rooted in Social Conflict
Genre: Crime / Drama / Fantasy / Supernatural
Creator: John Logan
Starring: Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Nathan Lane, Adriana Barraza, Kerry Bishé
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is a standalone spiritual successor to the original Penny Dreadful series, shifting from Victorian gothic horror to the sun-scorched streets of 1938 Los Angeles. Created by John Logan, this series blends crime noir with supernatural horror, wrapped in a potent exploration of racism, political unrest, faith, and identity.
At its core is Detective Tiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto), the first Chicano officer in the LAPD, who becomes entangled in a brutal murder case that exposes the city’s deep-seated tensions. Alongside veteran partner Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane), Tiago navigates a volatile world shaped by rising Nazism, immigrant struggles, corrupt power brokers, and spiritual warfare.
Natalie Dormer steals the show in a transformative performance as Magda, a shape-shifting demon who takes on multiple human forms to manipulate the course of history and prove humanity’s inherent darkness. Dormer’s eerie versatility adds a uniquely mythic dimension to the show’s political and personal dramas.
Visually stunning and richly atmospheric, the series captures the noir aesthetic with stylized production design, period detail, and a haunting score. While it carries the Penny Dreadful name, City of Angels carves its own path—less about monsters and more about moral decay, ideology, and the battle for the soul of a city on the edge.
Though met with mixed reviews for its sprawling narrative and ambitious themes, the show is praised for its bold storytelling and the way it interweaves mythological and historical elements. The supernatural aspects serve as metaphors for deeper social fears—making it a layered, thoughtful watch.
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels may not have continued past its first season, but it offers a distinct and daring vision of evil—one rooted not in the fantastical, but in the very real darkness of human history.
