John Logan, the creator of the Showtime drama “Penny Dreadful,” delivered details about the second season of the series during the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena on Monday, including the increased importance of actress Helen McCrory’s character, spiritualist Evelyn Poole/Madame Kali, who will serve as the season’s main bad guy (or gal, if you prefer).
“This season she becomes the antagonist for not only Vanessa (
“Evelyn Poole in this season becomes an actual antagonist who can speak. Last season we had the vampires [who were silent creatures], and now we have a proper villain, and we enjoy her immensely,” Logan said.
The series creator also noted that the characters will be struggling with pressures both internal and external, as Josh Hartnett‘s character, Ethan Chandler, grapples with the realization that he’s a werewolf, a fact revealed at the end of Season 1.
“You’ll definitely see more [of Chandler as a werewolf] this season ,” Logan said. “How he will treat lycanthropy is a major part of the season and an ongoing story for Ethan.”
Hartnett added that playing a werewolf has been “daunting, but it’s fun. I mean, i had to be something. Everybody’s something [on the show].”
Logan also revealed during the panel that, in the show’s second season, which premieres April 26, “we embrace witchcraft.” Of course, this being “Penny Dreadful,” witches won’t be of the traditional variety.
“I knew I didn’t want old crones with black hats,” Logan said.
Instead, the show creator drew inspiration for the witches from another fearsome creature: the lowly, slithering rattlesnake.
“They’re very beautiful, and their scales catch the light in such a way that they’re bewitching, and in an instant it can become something else,” Logan offered.
Watch the Season 2 trailer for “Penny Dreadful” below.