‘Penny Dreadful’ season 4: One final look at renewal odds before finale

Tonight, Showtime is airing the “Penny Dreadful” season 3 finale over the course of two hopefully-great hours, but unfortunately, we are entering it feeling somewhat uncertain as to what the future of the show is going to be.

Typically, Showtime is a network that renews their shows early. Take, for example, them giving “Homeland” additional years before season 6 even premieres, or making sure that fans of “Ray Donovan” or “Shameless” don’t have anything to worry about by the time you make it to the end of their seasons.

Unfortunately, this is not a benefit that the Eva Green series is getting, and ratings may be a reason why since it is hardly setting the world on fire when it comes to the 18-49 demographic. However, at the same exact time quality matters, and there are few series out there, especially in this genre, that produce pound-for-pound the same sort of entertainment that we get here. Given the benefits it provides the network critically coupled with some international success, we feel like the right move for Showtime here is probably one more renewal at least, even if it gives you a final season with a chance to tie things up.

One of the last things to remember here is that even more so than other networks, ones on premium cable have an obligation to their viewers to try to finish what they’ve started. They’re not often perfect, but HBO has even worked to ensure that great shows like “Looking” and “Getting On” get a proper ending even if very few people ultimately watch them.