'Penny Dreadful' season 4 renewal news: Series creator talks Vanessa Ives' end

The show creator for "Penny Dreadful," John Logan, regrettably has sad news for those who have closely followed the series. The show has seen its final run and will not be returning for a fourth season. It was revealed that the plan for the show all along had been for it to culminate in its third season. Showtime has cancelled the show based on Logan's decision that the third season was enough to showcase Vanessa Ives' (Eva Green) story, which, for Logan, was what the show had been all about.

Since Ives' struggle with her faith has run its course, according to Logan, a season 4 is not necessary. This had been decided "a while ago."

David Nevins, the president of Showtime, said, "John has decided the show really, at its core, has always been Vanessa Ives. John has said three seasons is enough and I think it's really interesting that we live in this world where every show can have its own rhythm and create its own destiny."

Nevins added that it was a case where the creator himself said that closing up was the best thing for the series and that he just pointed out that its end should be done well.

Logan told of how he came to the decision two years back as he was planning for season 3.

"I thought the idea of her scratching her way back to God and finally achieving some of apotheosis was the appropriate ending. As the season began to dance about in my head, I realized where it was going to have to go and have to end."

He said he believed it was the right way to end the show. He then had a talk with Green about it as well as Nevins, who had not spent a long time trying to dissuade the show creator, since he had also seen that the end was the right way to go. However, the show could not continue without the lead character, so Nevins quickly said yes to the plan.

The recent season 3 finale found the characters working together to save Vanessa from Dracula (Christian Camargo), but the lead character found death as well as peace as she took over her own destiny, the fitting end which Logan envisioned for her. Vanessa had placed a pistol in Ethan Chandler's (Josh Hartnett) hand in the final scene, telling him that for as long as her struggles remained, no peace would come over the earth. It had been her choice. The two spoke the Lord's Prayer before Ethan finally shot her.

Vanessa's last words to him were, "Oh Ethan, I see our Lord."

This was a truly surprising end to the story, one the fans had not counted on happening. They could not imagine how the show could go on without its lead protagonist. And as it turns out, it won't.