One of the most exciting aspects of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels was the announcement that Nathan Lane landed a starring role; the veteran actor of both stage and screen should have gotten an opportunity to shine with a truly fascinating character, but is unfortunately wasted.
Lane joins a talented cast which includes Daniel Zovatto, Natalie Dormer, Adriana Barraza, and Rory Kinnear, who was featured in the first installment of Penny Dreadful as Caliban/John Clare. John Logan's new series, which is disconnected from the original, explores the Golden Age of Hollywood in 1938 Los Angeles. The setting change was a good decision for the series, as it allows the current climate of racial and social tension--particularly in the Hispanic community--to be explored through a historical lens.
Nathan Lane's character, Detective Lewis Michener, is a decorated member of the Los Angeles Police Department who has been partnered with the force's first Latino detective, Tiago Vega (Zovatto). With his background as a Jewish man causing him to value the necessity for difference where most other white cops will barely give Tiago the time or day or respect he deserves, their partnership goes through several tests throughout the show's first season, but is solid and built on a foundation of mutual respect and mentorship. Given the time period of pre-World War II, Michener's Jewish background comes into play interestingly through his ongoing investigation of Nazi sympathizers and leaders rooted in Los Angeles. Even so, what should have been a great stepping stone for Lane to throw his significant talent around and shine ended up being lackluster in execution.
Why City Of Angels Needs To Do More With Nathan Lane
Lane's talents are still fully on display in the role of Detective Michener, as he plays the grizzled detective with equal parts cynicism and wit, which hints to his stellar comedic ability. However, through no fault of the actor's, the character falls flat in delivery and doesn't always translate well to the screen. Michener's character has room for nuance and ample flexibility to transition between serious, heavy-hitting moments and light comedy--particularly through his interactions with Dottie (Lin Shaye), a long-time friend and associate. Lane has the skills to navigate both of these facets seamlessly; he has strength in comedy, but the restraint to pull back and handle the more sobering facets of the character as well.
Nathan Lane has been acting since 1975, an impressive 45 years spent in the industry. In that time, he's done everything from Broadway musicals to voice acting work, serious roles on film and television, and comedic roles in the same. Lane is known for his work in movies such as The Birdcage, The Lion King, The Producers, and Mouse Hunt. In 2006, Lane got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has been nominated for and won many awards during his career, including Tony Awards, Golden Globes, Daytime Emmys, Primetime Emmys, a Screen Actor's Guild award, and a People's Choice award. If anyone should have been a standout character—even amongst other talented actors—it was Nathan Lane.
Ultimately, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels suffers from too many loose ends and writing that can't quite tie them all together. Because Lane's character has so many elements and exists in several major aspects of the overarching narrative, it becomes murky and even jarring to see him try to bounce between one facet of his character and the next when the writing doesn't offer enough exposition to transition from one hat to another. Michener is equal parts Tiago's friend and partner, Nazi hunter, proud Jewish man, veteran detective, questioning his faith, and at odds with his fellow detectives all at once; it's a lot of juggling for anyone to do, and could be done with someone like Nathan Lane, if the writing was there to back it up. Should City of Angels get renewed for season 2, Nathan Lane's character should be given more room to grow and develop.