10 TV Shows Star Trek Actors Want You To Forget

4. Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels - Brent Spiner

Brent Spiner Penny Dreadful
Showtime

The recent Penny Dreadful spin-off, City of Angels, aired for a single season on Showtime before it was cancelled. There were several factors that contributed to its demise.

Where the original series was a tightly structured piece of gothic theatre, this show was immediately lost in what it wanted to be. It was spread over several different genres, from horror to comedy to drama. That is not to say that the performances weren't strong - Natalie Dormer in particular shines. However, Spiner's role as the chief of police pales slightly when compared to the others.

This was one of Spiner's first returns to long-form storytelling in years and with its unceremonious end-of-season cancellation, that leaves his appearance in Star Trek: Picard as his most recent television appearance. Penny Dreadful: City of Angels should have been a sure bet. The original creative team returned, the talent in front and behind the camera were top notch and the setting was superb. Unfortunately, the whole could not properly utilise its parts and the show was dead on arrival.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"