Penny Dreadful – you mean Penny Terrible?

Penny Dreadful - Ok, so looking online it seems like I am the only one that didn’t like this show. And to be honest I didn’t hate it, I am just getting so tired of all the supernatural shows, which is weird – because I love those shows.When a new one comes along I think it is important that they bring something new and fresh to the table. They need to be at least at the caliber of the pre-existing paranormal shows.

To me, the staples that we should measure new shows against are: 

True Blood –Rocks hard core

Vampire Diaries – The best show on CW right now

Supernatural – You can’t beat Sam and Dean and their hunting escapades

Penny Dreadful  – had a great opening scene and I love Josh Hartnett as much as the next girl, but to me this show just did not meet my expectations.  

Vanessa Ives – played by Eva Green – is a prettier version of the Mentalist who sums up Hartnett’s character Ethan Chandler in a way that would make Patrick Jane  look like a circus sideshow act. Interesting, but done to death.

The action kicks in almost right away, but there is way too much way too soon without any back-story.  If i don't know why and who and where - how can I care and get invested?

Overall - You can't remake an old show with "déjà" seen characters and set it in Victorian London and just say “Voilà- a new show!”

My opinion: If you haven’t seen Supernatural, Vampire Diaries and True Blood – then go ahead and make this your creepy monster show of choice, but if you have seen the shows mentioned above , you will be disappointed in this uninspired copycat.

Bloodlines – the Backdoor Spinoff Holds Its Own

I skipped ahead this week in Supernatural (I am only about half way through this season) to watch the new “backdoor spinoff” Bloodlines.  This new possible series stars Nathaniel Buzolic – who is no stranger to the small screen.  You may remember him from Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars with smaller roles in the new CW series The Originals as well as his 2008 TV role in Out of the Blue.

The supporting cast all have similar backgrounds and you will recognize most of the faces from CW-ish shows. My main reason for tuning in was Sean Faris.  Although you may not be familiar with his name, you will know his face and he holds his own as a main character.  Faris would be my first choice for a replacement for Jared Padelecki should the Winchesters ever suffer a casualty.  Boyish and charming with an easy evil smile which makes him a likeable character no matter which side he falls on. Think Damon from Vampire Diaries.

The overall feel of Bloodlines was very much in line with its parent show Supernatural right down to the kickass soundtrack.  Bloodlines was full of action, characters that drew me in and a storyline that is strangely fresh in this day of overdone vampire/warewolf shows.

The show had one drawback and to be honest if it’s not fixed, it will be the death of this bloodline; Lucien Laviscount. This character is breathy, fake and unsympathetic.  Laviscount will need to bring his acting level up to meet the rest of the cast or ideally his character will die a overly poised, overly dramatic and well deserved death. I would have liked to have seen it happen right after he delivered his cheesy last line this episode “I only see one monster here”.

Overall Bloodlines did not disappoint.