(train whistle)

Hey, you got Frankenstein in my Dorian Gray.

And there's Conan Doyle all over my Bram Stoker.

Hmm, maybe, just maybe these great tastes

might taste great together.

Imagine if all of the most famous characters

in fantastic literature met and mingled

under the gas lamps of Victorian London.

That's the premise for the new Showtime

series Penny Dreadful.

It's also the exact same set up

as League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,

but I'm okay with that.

And seriously, read the comic

that movie was based on,

it's great.

I'm looking forward to Penny Dreadful

even though the premise has been done before.

I love this kind of metafictional mashup,

whether it's Warren Ellis' Planetary comics

or the classic universal horror movies

or the Anno Dracula book series.

Not only did they get to cherry pick

the coolest elements from different fictional universes,

they also dispensed with the backstory

and cut to the chase.

I mean, did you really need five movies

with the throat clearing and setup

to get to the team up of The Avengers?

I think

not.

Do you know how much space Action Comics number one

devoted to Superman's origin?

One panel.

And that was plenty.

It's better to strip mine familiar literature

for characters who are so well known

that you can rely on the audience

to already know what makes them tick

and skip to the good stuff.

So God Speed to you Penny Dreadful,

and please don't suck like

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie.

Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.

What classic characters would you like

to see on Penny Dreadful?

Professor Challenger?

Gunga Din?

Little Dorrit?

Let me know in the comments.