In the last few years, supernatural-themed shows have rushed to the forefront of pop culture. HBO has True Blood. The CW has Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries. Could Penny Dreadful do for Showtime what these shows did for their networks?

Literary Characters on Penny Dreadful

Responses to the Victorian-age drama have been generally positive, if not a bit meek. The Hollywood Reporter praised the show and claimed in early May 2014 that it is worth watching even in a world filled with similarly themed programming.

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The UK's Daily Mail believes that it's the next True Blood, which is not bad considering the HBO drama has done pretty well for itself during it's run, which closes this year.

Viewership, however, has not been strong. Deadline reported that the show brought in a little over 850,000 viewers, which is low in comparison to other titles in the same slot during previous years. The number had declined somewhat since then, though it has not plummeted completely.

Penny Dreadful has also received limited mention in the press, which could also attribute to it's misplaced viewership.

Could the show follow in the footsteps of show like Firefly and Arrested Development, critically favored programs that ultimately fall low of studio expectation? If Penny Dreadful's number don't improve, it might find itself coming to a "dreadful" end by the close of the season.

As of late May 2014, Penny Dreadful has not been formally renewed or canceled by Showtime.

The show's fourth episode airs tonight at 10 ET/PT.

Tags
Penny Dreadful, Showtime, Television