Showtime’s supernatural / horror series Penny Dreadful had its Season 3 finale last night, and many fans were caught by surprise when a major character died and the episode closed with a very final “The End” preceding the end credits. Series creator John Logan has confirmed that the episode was indeed the last for the show. Allegedly, that has been planned since the second season (according to an interview at the above link), but Showtime never announced Penny Dreadful’s third year as is last like HBO did with The Leftovers (that show’s final season airs this coming Fall). Whether the ending really was in the cards all along is hard to say, but Logan has said that as of this point “it is really over, the end, that’s all she wrote”. That the series is ending is not a huge surprise because its viewership numbers have been low throughout its three season run. Of course, the overnights are not as important to the premium cable channels because they don’t have sponsors to answer to, but those nets do have to feel like their original shows are bringing on new subscribers. They have their own algorithm that gauges that, and the low ratings suggest that Penny Dreadful was not high on that scale. If it had been pulling anywhere close to Game of Thrones viewership numbers, I’m sure that Showtime execs would have whispered into Logan’s ear that a few more seasons would be nice. If the third season really was the endpoint for the story, or at least a good wrapping up place, the show at least got to go out without leaving fans hanging. I was expecting at least one more season from the show because the final year announcement has become somewhat common of late, but it is always hard to make predictions on these low rated cable entries. It remains to be seen how Penny Dreadful fans will react to the series finale, but as far as Logan and Showtime are concerned, this show has reached its end.
Penny Dreadful is one of several Spring shows that was awaiting word on its fate. Others include Syfy’s 12 Monkeys, Wynonna Earp, and Hunters as well as Freeform’s Stitchers. Keep a close eye on this site as well as the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site as I expect some breaking news on these in the coming weeks.
