Just the first epi and one of the later ones. Much is focused on Eva Green’s character, but there’s romance, character interplay, and horror.
If by that you mean is it like the movies LOEG and Buffy, then no, not like them at all, except that there are some of the same characters depicted.
As for the slow pace; yeah, I can see that to an extent; however I do think it’s progressed fairly well considering how many characters they’ve had to introduce and give some meat to, so to speak. And my own preference tends toward character-driven rather than plot-driven shows, so there’s that, too.
And tonight is the season finale. I’ve really enjoyed this show so far.
Anyone else think Hartnett is a werewolf?
That theory (that Hartnett’s character is a werewolf) has been floating around for a while.
I’m sorry, I hadn’t seen anyone mention the werewolf theory in this thread, and I wasn’t sure. Carry on. 
No, the werewolf theory didn’t come up here. That may be because there hasn’t been much discussion here. But it has come up in the recaps I’ve read (on The AV Club and The New York Times’ websites).
I was about to mention Anno Dracula too. Not only does it mix characters from Bram Stoker’s Dracula with both historic figures and other fictional characters in an alternate version of Victorian London, but it also has the Ripper murders as a major part of the plot.
I also wanted to mention a 1985 comic book called Blood of the Innocent. I’ve never read it, but it was about Dracula and Jack the Ripper. The Jack the Ripper media box at the bottom of the Wiki article includes several other works that apparently include Dracula and/or Sherlock Holmes.
Then I really have to venture out and read other articles and boards on Penny Dreadful as well. Thank you! 
On a recent flight I watched the first four of these and found myself ambivalent. On one hand, I liked the first episode a lot, and found the staging, characters and ambiance were great.
On the other hand, it seems like they’ve already introduced a dozen plot strands in four episodes, most of them personal to the characters, and so it has the overall plot direction of a soap opera…it’s ambling its way toward something, but taking its time by wallowing in the interpersonal. [and Dorian Gray may be one character too many]
Did any of you stick with this? Does it get better, get worse, or hold its course?
It’s OK. They started the second season a few weeks ago.
I revived this rather than starting a new thread. I started watching this series because I was bored one day, fully expecting to hate it. Surprisingly, I found myself pulled into the story. For a vampire/monster/werewolf/whathaveyou program, it’s pretty well done, and has a good cast. I particularly like the interpretation of Frankenstein’s creature. Eva Green does a great job of being possessed. It’s a different take on the genre, and while I originally thought that bringing all of these elements together in one package would be just silliness, it actually works. On to season two!
Just finished watching the series. Quite engaging.
I’ll note some loose ends —
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Ethan never discovered what happened to Bronagh
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Dr. Jekyll never uses his formula on himself
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Not really sure where Lily and the Creature are headed
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Dorian Grey’s painting remains intact
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What happens to a city when an army of prostitutes trained to kill is loosed upon it?
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Why did Ferdinand Lyle get put on a bus right before the end? Catriona was a great character (though she mispronounced her own name), but we didn’t really need another new character so late in the story
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Did I miss what happened to Kaetenay at the end?
I was surprised that we never got to see Vanessa as a vampire before the resolution.
Also, at the end of season 1, what happens to Vincent Brand and the other actors at the Grand Guignol between John Clare’s dismissal and the vampire infestation? I expected to see them all in vampire form.
Having seen the whole thing, I have to say that the detour to New Mexico was a waste of screen time, although I love Brian Cox.
Oh and there’s this —
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Dr. John Seward = Dr. Florence Clayton Seward
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Quincey Morris = Ethan Lawrence Talbot Chandler
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Arthur Holmwood = ?
And I thought I saw a parallel for Lucy Westenra, but she has slipped my mind.
Bringing things back to Alan Moore, there’s going to be a comic book that continues where the show left off.