PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS
SYNOPSIS:
A spiritual descendant of the original PENNY DREADFUL story set in Victorian-era London, PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS opens in 1938 Los Angeles, a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension. When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega (Daniel 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. This chapter is a bold new vision that will employ all new characters and storylines. The series stars Tony® and Emmy® winner Nathan Lane, Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Rory Kinnear, Adriana Barraza, Michael Gladis, Jessica Garza and Johnathan Nieves. Tony and Golden Globe® winner and three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan, the creator, writer and executive producer of the Emmy nominated series PENNY DREADFUL, continues in those same roles. Michael Aguilar (KIDDING) also serves as executive producer.
BIOS
NATHAN LANE (Detective Lewis Michener)
Nathan Lane is a three-time Tony Award winner for his performances in Angels in America, The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also received Tony nominations for The Front Page, The Nance and Guys and Dolls. In 2008, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Lane has received six Primetime Emmy nominations for his work on Modern Family, The Good Wife, Mad About You and Frasier, as well as Golden Globe nominations for The Producers and The Birdcage. He recently appeared on Broadway in Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus. Lane's credits in film and television include American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, Ironweed, Frankie and Johnny, MouseHunt, Jeffrey and Nicholas Nickleby, and standout voice performances in The Lion King and Stuart Little. Lane's voiceover work has also earned him two Daytime Emmy Awards.
NATALIE DORMER (Magda)
Natalie Dormer starred as fan favorite and would-be queen Margaery Tyrell for the first six seasons of Game of Thrones. Dormer’s previous television credits include her starring role as Anne Boleyn on the hit SHOWTIME drama THE TUDORS, along with Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Scandalous Lady Woman and Elementary. In film, she starred in the indie psychological revenge thriller In Darkness, which she co-wrote with the film’s director Anthony Bryne. Previous film credits include the lead role in the supernatural thriller The Forest, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2, The Riot Club, Rush, The Counselor, W.E and Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger. She can also be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of The Professor and the Madman and The Dark Crystal.
DANIEL ZOVATTO (Detective Tiago Vega)
Daniel Zovatto initially started his career in New York City pursuing a career in theater. His notable performances include the lead in Alan Ball’s series Here and Now, playing the complicated adopted son of Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins, and Fear the Walking Dead. He can also be seen in Lady Bird, Don’t Breathe, Vandal, Heavy, Flinch and in cult Sundance film It Follows.
RORY KINNEAR (Dr. Peter Craft)
Rory Kinnear is an award-winning British actor, best known for his role as Bill Tanner in the James Bond films Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. Other film credits include Trespass Against Us, iBoy, Man Up, Cuban Fury, Broken, Wild Target and Academy Award and BAFTA nominated The Imitation Game. Kinnear’s TV credits include the original PENNY DREADFUL and the SHOWTIME limited series GUERRILLA, along with Inside No. 9, Quacks, The Casual Vacancy, Count Arthur Strong, Southcliffe, Loving Miss Hatto, Black Mirror, Richard II and Lucan. Recent releases include Peterloo, BBC’s Watership Down, Years and Years and Catherine the Great.
ADRIANA BARRAZA (Maria Vega)
Born in Toluca, Mexico, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza is considered one of the most accomplished and respected Latina film and television actresses in the entertainment industry. With an award-winning career of almost 40 years in film, television and theater, in 2018 Forbes Magazine Latin America named Adriana the most influential Latina film actress and one of the 100 most powerful Latin American actors of all time.
Barraza began her career as an actress with Televisa networks in Mexico. Her incredible gift as an actor lead to her working partnership with the legendary Mexican director Sergio Jiménez, aka El Profe. Known in Mexico as "La Maestra Barraza", Sergio and Adriana created the Actors Workshop in Mexico City. Together they taught and developed their own version of Method acting which led to Adriana's accomplished career directing telenovelas, and coaching some of the most successful Latin America actors of our time. In 1999, Academy Award winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu cast her the breakthrough role as the mother of Gael García Bernal's character in the film Amores Perros, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2006, she re-collaborated with Iñárritu in Babel opposite Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal, and became one of now only 6 Mexican actresses to ever receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Some of Barraza's most notable credits include Cake, The 33, Thor, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Rambo: Last Blood, and the upcoming feature film We Can Be Heroes. She can also currently be seen in the successful short film Bibi. Barraza’s television credits include Capadocia, The Strain, Al Otro Lado Del Muro and Snowfall.
Barraza is also the Artistic Director of her own successful acting school in Miami, Flordia titled Adriana Barraza Acting Studio. Instructors at the school include her husband Arnaldo and daughter Carolina.
JOHN LOGAN (Creator, Writer, Executive Producer)
John Logan received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and Drama League awards for his play Red. This play has had more than 400 productions across the U.S. and over 160 foreign productions in 25 languages. He is the author of more than a dozen other plays including Peter and Alice, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers and Never the Sinner. Musical theatre work includes Moulin Rouge, The Last Ship, Superhero and the upcoming Swept Away at Berkeley Rep. He is the proud recipient of the O’Neill Theater Center’s 2019 Monte Cristo award. As a screenwriter, Logan has been three times nominated for the Oscar and has received Golden Globe, BAFTA, WGA, Edgar, and PEN Center awards. His film work includes Skyfall, Spectre, Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator, Rango, Alien: Covenant, Genius, Coriolanus, Sweeney Todd, The Last Samurai, Any Given Sunday and RKO 281. He created and executive produced the television series PENNY DREADFUL and the upcoming PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS for SHOWTIME.
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PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS
CAST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS
THE VEGA FAMILY
Tiago Vega is the LAPD’s first Mexican-American detective. He is driven, passionate and kind, but his position in the LAPD has put him at odds with his family and community. A lifelong outsider, Tiago’s everlastingly caught between two worlds. (Daniel Zovatto)
Maria Vega is the powerful matriarch of the Vega family. Maria will go to any length to protect her children from the dangerous world of 1938 social politics, as well as the supernatural forces threatening them. (Adriana Barraza)
Mateo Vega is Tiago’s volatile younger brother. While essentially goodhearted, he lacks the clear purpose of Tiago, so he’s vulnerable to both his own emotions and various influences around him. (Johnathan Nieves)
Raul Vega is the eldest son of the Vega family and a righteous union leader and advocate for his community. Smart, funny and a charismatic orator. Events in the story will push Raul into a devastating encounter with the occult, changing him in profoundly unsettling ways. (Adam Rodriguez)
Josefina Vega is the youngest of the Vega family. She plays the part of the quiet and obedient sister, but possesses a powerful will waiting to be released. (Jessica Garza)
THE SUPERNATURAL
Magda is a dark goddess who can take the appearance of anyone she chooses and manifests in several guises throughout the story. Charismatic, clever and chameleonic, Magda is a dangerous enemy and an invaluable ally. (Natalie Dormer)
Santa Muerte is the Angel of Holy Death, cursed to an eternity of collecting the souls of the departed. Though resigned to her mournful duty, she sometimes risks intervening in the land of the living. She is the sister of the goddess Magda. (Lorenza Izzo)
THE LAPD
Lewis Michener is a veteran officer in the LAPD. Wise to the ways of the world and ruthless in pursuit of his goals, Lewis becomes Tiago’s partner, friend and mentor. Lewis is ferocious in his quest to document the growing menace of Third Reich espionage in Los Angeles. (Nathan Lane)
Captain Ned Vanderhoff is the Precinct Captain at the Hollenbeck Police Station. The boss of Tiago and Lewis, Ned just wants to keep everything calm and quiet until his retirement. An utter professional. (Brent Spiner)
POLITICS
Councilman Charlton Townsend is the ambitious head of the City Council’s Transportation Committee. The scion of a powerful Los Angeles dynasty, Townsend is constantly underrated by his opponents. He has killer instincts and political wiles. (Michael Gladis)
Peter Craft is a kind family man and a successful pediatrician. He is also the head of the German-American Bund, an organization he hopes will keep the United States isolated from the growing threat of war in Europe. (Rory Kinnear)
Richard Goss is a mysterious German architect with ties to the Third Reich. He entangles himself in the lives of powerful city leaders and has grand plans for the future of Los Angeles. (Thomas Kretschmann)
Kurt is Richard Goss’ chauffeur, bodyguard and assassin, quiet and merciless. Yet, there are many more shades to Kurt than are first apparent. (Dominic Sherwood)
RELIGION
Sister Molly is a charismatic radio evangelist. A beautiful singer and gifted orator, Molly captivates her many faithful followers even as she grapples with the complex demands of her life. (Kerry Bishe)
Miss Adelaide Finnister is the mother of the radio evangelist Sister Molly. Miss Adelaide shrewdly and ruthlessly manages the church’s finances and oversees the growing religious empire. (Amy Madigan)
EPISODE SYNOPSES
401: “SANTA MUERTE”
Los Angeles, 1938. Tiago Vega, the LAPD’s first Mexican-American detective and his partner, Lewis Michener, investigate a murder. While at City Hall, Tiago’s activist brother Raul Vega battles with the fiery Councilman Charlton Townsend over the construction of California’s first freeway. Meanwhile, Peter Craft, the head of the German-American Bun, meets Elsa, the mysterious mother of one of his patients. Sensing danger, Tiago’s mother Maria pleads with Santa Muerte to protect her family as the rising tensions in the city threaten to explode.
402: “DEAD PEOPLE LIE DOWN”
Raul Vega lies on the brink of death as his brother Mateo meets the charismatic Pachuco Fly Rico. Tiago and Lewis’s investigation leads them to the temple of the radio evangelist, Sister Molly Finnister and her formidable mother, Miss Adelaide. Councilman Townsend and his cunning assistant Alex capitalize on the discord in the city to further their political goals. Peter Craft has a chance encounter with Elsa at the beach and his sons meet her unnerving boy, Frank. That night, Lewis and his old friends investigate clandestine Third Reich activities.
403: “WICKED OLD WORLD”
Tiago and Molly visit Santa Monica Pier in an effort to escape their complicated lives. Livid at the murder of his friends, Lewis interrogates Brian Koenig, a young Cal-Tech student. Townsend and Alex’s political agenda is jeopardized when Councilwoman Beverly Beck vows to fight them. Peter Craft discovers a dark truth when he visits Elsa at home. Mateo visits the Crimson Cat dance hall and is invited into a seductive, dangerous new world.
404: “JOSEFINA AND THE HOLY SPIRIT”
Tiago scours Sister Molly’s beach house for clues, leading to disquieting revelations. Councilwoman Beck proposes an alternate route for the Arroyo-Seco motorway, infuriating Townsend. Peter Craft invites Elsa to a party at his home, inflaming the suspicions of his wife Linda. With nowhere else to turn, Lewis asks the gangster Benny Berman to help battle the growing Nazi menace in LA. And after Josefina Vega has a harrowing encounter with the police, Mateo seeks retribution with his new Pachuco friends as Josefina pursues spiritual enlightenment with Sister Molly.
405: “CHILDREN OF THE ROYAL SUN”
Mateo grapples with the aftermath of his actions. Josefina confides in Sister Molly, who’s shocked to discover Josefina is Tiago’s sister. Tiago and Lewis’s investigation takes them from the Sonoratown slums to the Vega House. Dottie befriends Brian as Alex lectures Townsend about his personal life. That night, Peter receives an alarming phone call from Elsa and Tiago confronts Mateo.
406: “HOW IT IS WITH BROTHERS”
Tiago and Lewis interrogate Diego, seeking a confession, while Lewis senses Tiago is hiding something from him. Adelaide warns Molly about her personal desires jeopardizing the Temple’s future. Townsend learns of Kurt’s surprising past. Peter Craft makes a dramatic decision about his marriage with Linda. Maria tracks down Mateo and pleads with him to come home.
407: “MARIA AND THE BEAST”
Molly visits Tiago at his apartment as he wrestles with guilt over Diego’s confession. Dottie and Lewis confront Brian for lying about his dueling allegiances. Elsa and Frank move in with the Crafts, igniting fear in Tom and Maria. Alex and Townsend deliberate about how to defeat Councilwoman Beck. Josefina’s newfound faith puts her at odds with her family. That night, Lewis enlists a reluctant Tiago to join his covert operations and Maria summons Santa Muerte, but an uninvited guest arrives with her.
408: “HIDE AND SEEK”
Tiago and Lewis take their shadow operation into the light: Lewis confronts Townsend in his office and Tiago questions Adelaide, where he discovers Josefina is now a member of the Sister Molly’s congregation. Rio implores Mateo to forget his old family and embrace her and the Pachucos. Peter visits Linda at the asylum, only to find her ready for war. That evening, Townsend and Kurt go on an exciting and dangerous outing, while Peter Craft argues with members of the German-American Bund. In the Craft home, Frank terrorizes Tom and Trevor as Maria fights to protect them from the demonic child.
409: “SING, SING, SING.”
The attempted assassination of Tiago and Lewis prompts them to make bold decisions. With Townsend at the end of his rope, he’s forced to turn to a last resort. Spurred by Elsa, Peter decides to take Tom, Trevor and Frank to the movies. That night, Lewis oversees the prison transfer of Diego Lopez as Tiago and Molly go dancing at the Crimson Cat, where they confront the rest of the Vega family.
410: “DAY OF THE DEAD”
When news of Diego’s death spreads through the Crimson Cat, Fly Rico tries to placate the volatile crowd while Rio argues for vengeance. Peter Craft, Elsa and the boys are trapped in their car amidst a riot as Tiago tries to help Mateo. The next morning, Townsend’s celebrates the sudden rise of his political fortunes and Elsa goads Peter towards the radicalism. Tiago and Molly face reality about their relationship and Molly confronts Miss Adelaide. Lewis and Tiago rush to protect Brian from the Nazis. Later, the Vega family gathers for a moving Day of the Dead ceremony.
