Like HBO, Showtime can be merciless when it comes to killing off major characters and while Penny Dreadful managed to make it through its first season without too many casualties, the wider scope of season 2 could prove deadly.

Patti Smith Performs For 'Penny Dreadful' Cast & Crew 

The Victorian supernatural drama lost a ton of supporting characters by the season 1 finale, including Sir Malcolm's (Timothy Dalton) daughter, Mina. As an ensemble production, however, the survival of all the leads seems to be going against the grain.

Fan favorite dramas like HBO's Game of Thrones and AMC's The Walking Dead are known for the abrupt and violent deaths of major characters, which often lead to "water cooler" moments. Even Showtime's own Dexter made sure to knock off a lead or major guest each season.

'Penny Dreadful' Gets An 'Extraordinarily Famous' Visitor On Set 

With plenty of talent and danger at every turn, it would seem that Penny Dreadful is overdue for a shocker. The question then is who will it be? Sir Malcolm? Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney)? Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett)? Eva Green's turn as Vanessa Ives remains one of the show's biggest assets, drawing much critical attention, and so it's unlikely Showtime would be willing to drop the character so soon.

"The uniqueness of TV is that you're telling an ongoing story," claimed series creator John Logan during an interview in the October issue of Variety. Logan has promised to create a bigger world for the characters to explore this season, which is bound to make for more elaborate storylines.

During the finale, Sir Malcolm and company discovered that the evil they faced in searching for Mina was only the beginning. There is something much darker coming, and with such darkness inevitably comes more casualties.

Penny Dreadful returns to Showtime for its second season in 2015.

Tags: Penny Dreadful showtime television