Showtime released the series premiere of “Penny Dreadful” sequel “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” for free online on Friday, two days ahead of its planned network debut.
The first episode of the new 10-episode drama starring Natalie Dormer and Nathan Lane is available for free now on YouTube and SHO.com. The premiere has also been released “across multiple television and streaming providers’ devices, websites, applications and authenticated online services and their free on demand channels,” per Showtime, and is available for free on the Showtime stand-alone service at showtime.com.
Created by “Penny Dreadful” creator John Logan, “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” will make its linear debut Sunday at 10/9c on Showtime.
Along with Lane and Dormer, the series stars Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Rory Kinnear, Adriana Barraza, Michael Gladis, Jessica Garza and Johnathan Nieves.
“A spiritual descendant of the original series, ‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” opens in 1938 Los Angeles, a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension,” according to its description. “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.”
Along with the early release on Friday, Showtime announced it is making a donation to the Farmworkers’ COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund on behalf of the show, “to help raise funds for farmworkers and their families, similar to the Vega family depicted in the series,” per the channel. “California produces over two-thirds of the fruits and nuts and over a third of the vegetables consumed in the U.S. With this series set in Los Angeles, the network is donating in support of those who feed us through their labor and ensure our food supply, as these communities may be among the hardest hit due to lack of resources.”
Logan executive produces “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” alongside Michael Aguilar, Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris, both of Neal Street Productions. Logan’s Desert Wolf Productions produces. James Bagley serves as co-executive producer.