Penny Dreadful
This Showtime series pays tribute to 19th-century British stories mixing some famous literary horror names. That includes Frankenstein and his monster, immortal Dorian Gray, and hints of a certain Count from Transylvania out there. Eva Green is the star as psychic Vanessa and a good supporting cast including Timothy Dalton and others.
The series gets pretty dark, wearing its gothic origins on its sleeve and wonderfully replicating that period. It’s not for the faint of heart and gets downright gory at times yet truly enthralling to watch. Ignore the City of Angels sequel series as this show does justice to its literary roots for a steamy magical watch.
Penny Dreadful is streaming on Prime, Hulu, Pluto TV and the Roku Channel
The Secret Circle
If you want a show about a witchy coven with some steamy edge, pick this criminally ignored CW series that comes from the creators of The Vampire Diaries franchise. Britt Robertson is a teenager moving to a small coastal town where she joins a witch coven who balance their powers with the usual teen angst. The show shines thanks to the cast of Robertson, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig, and Jessica Parker Kennedy.
Tonkin, especially, is a blast as the wicked witch of the group, while the others get their own good storylines. It builds on turns of discovering more about their powers and pasts for a big finale. It’s a downright shame this never got a second season as it holds up more than some TVD seasons or spinoffs and the actresses alone should have guaranteed this a much longer life.
The Secret Circle is streaming on Tubi.