10 Binge-Worthy SciFi/Fantasy TV Shows You Need to Watch

Penny Dreadful

(Showtime)

In Victorian London, legends intertwine to weave a macabre tale of unnatural power and the evil in the souls of men and women. These are the dirty grey streets walked by Jack the Ripper. But greater monsters haunt the English night.

Eva Green absolutely embodies the literally haunted, proto-goth Vanessa Ives. She is plagued by visions of  her trapped and pleading childhood best friend Mina Harker. (Yes, that Mina Harker.) To find her, Vanessa enlists the help of big game hunter, Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton), an American sharpshooter (Josh Hartnett).

Almost immediately they stumble into a den of red-eyed beasts and kill their leader, but fail to find Mina. In search of clues, they are introduced to Victor Frankenstein, who performs an autopsy on the monster and confirms that “it is not, strictly speaking, human.”

Meanwhile, Victor finds himself a slave to his creations and his vices, but it’s hard to tell which is which. He finds himself obsessed with the beautiful Brona Croft (Billie Piper), at odds with his creation and the American sharpshooter. No shrinking violet, she defies the men in her life and makes a new friend named Dorian Grey.

Every episode takes the characters deeper into a world that they barely believe, let alone understand. But they must keep going, if for no other reason than to escape the dark forces that lurk in the shadows of London and their pasts.

Next: Carnivàle