The British-American horror drama TV series “Penny Dreadful” is now over and done with on Showtime after airing its Season 3 finale in June.
By putting a ‘The End’ on the ninth and final episode of “Penny Dreadful” Season 3 after the death of Vanessa Ives, played by Eva Green, it becomes clear that the show has already hit the end of the road.
Showtime claims that it wanted to renew the TV series for another season but then they thought about the story arc that series creator and showrunner John Logan had for the show and it was only good for three seasons.
CEO David Nevins said that he was indeed trying to keep the series open for renewal for another season but then he realized later that it is better to stick with John Logan’s plan of ending the show with just 27 episodes, notes Chatt Sports Net.
Some critics, however, believe that the statement of the Showtime boss is just for PR purposes and also to cushion the abrupt ending of the TV series among its loyal viewers and fans.
It is clear from the start that Season 3 of “Penny Dreadful” was suffering from miserable ratings and in the course of its nine-episode run, the network even allowed that its eighth as well as the ninth and final episode to air back-to-back on the network.
If indeed the network wanted another run of the show for a possible Season 4, it is just baffling to see why it decided to air the last two episodes back-to-back, because it was clearly implying that Showtime was trying to get rid of the show off the air fast.
A conscious decision
The Showtime CEO said that the ending of “Penny Dreadful” after its third season was a conscious decision with John Logan.
He said that what Logan told him is that the story shall be completed with the death of Vanessa Ives and there is no more reason to push forward, notes the Christian Today.
Nevins said that it became clear that the combination of Vanessa Ives and John Logan as a writer were the heart of the show so it would be foolhardy to keep on going without the two in it, also debunking speculations that Showtime is looking to have the spinoff series of “Penny Dreadful” in place of a Season 4 of the parent series.
The Showtime big boss also explained that they did ask themselves if there was a life for the show without Vanessa Ives and creator John Logan but as the final season was being produced it became apparent that there wasn’t and trying to move forward with a spin-off or fourth season would not do the show justice.
Refusing to believe it’s over
Some fans of the TV series still refuse to believe that it is done and over with for “Penny Dreadful,” saying that the Season 3 finale was forced and that the show deserves at least one more season to give every plotline a satisfying conclusion.
In fact, a petition has subsequently been initiated on Change.org with the intention to call the attention of networks, streaming services, and the production members of “Penny Dreadful” that Season 4 must be considered because it is what fans of the show want.
As of end-September, the online petition is just 500 signatures short of its targeted 15,000 but some critics doubt if the move could still change the decision of the producers of “Penny Dreadful.”
In fact, many are saying that even if the petition meets its target of 15,000 signatures, it still does not guarantee the return of “Penny Dreadful” series creator John Logan. Without John Logan, the supposed series continuation would be lost.