‘Penny Dreadful’ Spoilers: Series Finale Concludes With Dramatic Death; Season 4 Cancelled on Showtime, Decision Angers Fans

‘Penny Dreadful’ ended its series finale with a shocking and dramatic death sequence. It was reported that the show will not continue with a fourth season on Showtime. This decision angered fans of the television series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two-hour season 3 finale concluded with an anticlimactic twist. The series wrapped with the words “The End” flashed on screen following the dramatic death of series protagonist Vanessa Ives portrayed by Eva Green. Audiences were quick to find something amiss when the episode didn’t feature the usual macabre opening sequence.

It was revealed that creator and showrunner John Logan always planned to end the popular horror-drama television series after three seasons. Showtime president David Nevins said, "John has decided the show really, at its core, has always been Vanessa Ives. John has said three seasons is enough and I think it's really interesting that we live in this world where every show can have its own rhythm and create its own destiny.”

Nevins added, “This is a case of your creator says this is the best thing for the show and eventually you just say OK, do it, just do it well."

According to /Film, the decision to end the show didn’t come from the network itself. Ultimately, it was Logan’s choice to conclude ‘Penny Dreadful’ with a cliffhanger finale. Nevins agreed with Logan’s move saying, “That’s where television is now. We don’t have to make seven seasons for the sake of making seven seasons. Some shows are built for that, and some shows aren’t.”

Logan explained that the series’ premise was rooted in Vanessa’s struggle with her faith as well as with her God. He admitted, “Midway through the second season, when we were filming it —so about two years ago— I realized where we were heading. A woman who loses her faith in the second season, she has to grasp her way back. What that would take? To me, that was an apotheosis — she would find peace finally with God. I realized that’s where the show was heading, and so I talked to Eva about it and then I talked to David.”

He revealed that it was a tough decision to make with the show’s talented cast. He added, “And I have to say it’s not just [working with Eva I’ll miss]. To get the chance to work with Josh Hartnett and Tim Dalton and Rory Kinnear day after day has been an absolute joy. Their commitment to the show is without equal.”

Meanwhile, according to the Morning Ledger, fans of the short-lived series expressed their frustration over Logan’s decision – with one going as far as writing him an open letter. An excerpt read from the letter read, “I’m not a better writer than you, John. I know this. Yet I can think of a good half-dozen scenarios in which PENNY DREADFUL could have continued… There were so, so many loose ends, John. You are far too talented a writer to leave a project so unfinished, and yet that is what you did.”

‘Penny Dreadful’ is a British-American television series created for Showtime and Sky. It premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 9 but aired on Showtime on May 2014. The series features characters drawn from 19th century fiction including Dracula, Doctor Van Helsing, Dorian Grey, Victor Frankenstein, and Dr. Henry Jekyll.