Does Hollywood have an unhealthy fascination with a DC universe without Batsy? It’s not a bizarre claim by any stretch of the imagination. While little is seen of the Caped Crusader himself, we are mostly served corners of Gotham that this grungy version of Batman seldom inhabits. The latest entrant from HBO, The Penguin, doesn’t buck this trend; instead, it embraces it fully.
This is, however, not the hot mess of a Joker: Folie à Deux or Suicide Squad, (almost forgot about Birds of Prey here) but rather a look at a grimy Gotham in the aftermath of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film. More often than not, the show does not feel like it is DC or Batman; it feels like a flippin’ gangster series and a Frank Miller comic-book delight.
Many may feel the urge to casually dismiss The Penguin as yet another “Batman-without-Batman” offering. The show, nevertheless, distinguishes its pedigree in more than one way. With a return of the ‘prosthetic-upped’ Colin Farrell and a hop-step-and-jump away from old DC, the show has all the makings of a masterpiece. So, here are four reasons why The Penguin might just go down as one of the greatest TV shows in recent history.
4. A nuanced take on Gotham’s crime families
This is not Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Gotham anymore. With Reeves pitching this as a bridge to his 2022 film, in this post-The Batman world, Gotham City’s power structures are destabilized, and in the vacuum left by the Riddler, Oswald Cobblepot smells opportunity. “He’s more of a specter in the city,” Reeves tells Esquire about Batman’s presence in this context. He further adds:
“One of the things that was really exciting about the opportunity to do a show was to let it really focus on that rogues’ gallery character and change points of view. The whole movie is done very deliberately from Batman and Bruce’s point of view. The only scenes that aren’t from his point of view are from Riddler’s point of view. And that was done to make you think for a moment: Wait, is that Batman or Riddler’s point of view? This was like: What if we could just go down that alley and follow Oz in the wake of what happened in the movie?”
One can easily imagine an emo Robert Pattinson sulking in some corner. Oz’s rise to power, however, isn’t straightforward. He is caught between Gotham’s two major crime families—the Falcones, led by Alberto (Michael Zegen) and Sofia Falcone, and the Maronis, led by Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) and Nadia Maroni (Shohreh Aghdashloo)
Rather than simply rehashing well-worn mob tropes, the show uses Gotham’s underbelly to explore themes of power, legacy, and identity. The Falcones and Maronis, as the show progresses, almost transform into the very institutions as old as the city itself.
Of course, all of it does boil down to respect, who would have thought, right? It is about proving to everyone who ever doubted them that they can be the boss.
3. A character-driven psychological drama that is not afraid of its grit
No wonder comparisons are being made with HBO’s own holy grail of shows – The Sopranos, and not just because of its focus on mob life. The tone for this is actually set in the first few episodes. While some may think of this as comparing apples to oranges, let’s just say that Tony Soprano and Ozzy have more in common than they are different. Impulsive, a blustery ego that leads you down dangerous paths, but the vulnerability, the yearning to be respected and feared, make the ride compelling. Sounds familiar?
What The Penguin does right is that it takes its time. With everything. It allows moments to breathe. This patient, almost meditative pacing is a rarity in today’s genre television and it actually speaks to the show’s ambition to be something more than just another comic book adaptation. It’s far more pulpy for those who like that, and equally esoteric for someone looking for pleasures of the mind.
2. It is a Colin Farell-Cristin Milioti magic show
Greatness is rarely achieved alone. So naturally, this magic show needs a strong supporting cast, and that is delivered in spades here. Freshly released from a decade-long stint in Arkham Asylum, Cristin Milioti’s portrayal of Sofia Falcone is a force to be reckoned with. Milioti, previously known for her roles in Palm Springs and How I Met Your Mother, brings both raw emotion and dark humor to Sofia.
Sofia’s relationship with Oz is the central conflict in the series. But what sets their rivalry apart is how personal it feels. Sofia, like Oz, has been underestimated her whole life—by her father, her brother, and even society. Milioti’s ability to seamlessly move between moments of vulnerability and steely resolve makes sure that Sofia is more than just a foil for the Penguin. She’s fully realized, and her presence only strengthens the show’s already impressive ensemble.
Colin Farrell, meanwhile, is simply beautiful. And also, at the center of it all, his portrayal of a wounded and doleful Oswald Cobblepot may very well be Tony Soprano with a limp. He genuinely does elevate the character beyond the caricature of a waddling villain with a top hat and monocle. Colin Farell drives a plum sedan and listens to Dolly Parton when nobody’s listening. His hero is an old gangster from his childhood who helped people. They gave him a parade when he died. A parade.
1. A visual and tonal break from the stale superhero norms
As it happened with Amazon’s The Boys, and one of the primary reasons it was propelled to such fame, The Penguin pulls away from the typical trappings of superhero shows. And kudos for that. Perhaps one of the most refreshing aspects of The Penguin is its departure from the superhero formula.
With superhero fatigue deeply set in, and audiences growing tired of the same repetitive plots, over-the-top CGI battles, and one-dimensional characters (fight me over it, Marvel fans), The Penguin manages to avoid these pitfalls by grounding itself in something far more icky, far more slimy, oddly human—and yet brutal.
The show doesn’t shy away from violence, but it also doesn’t revel in it for the sake of shock value. Each act of brutality feels earned. What many have come to love about Reese’s imagination of Gotham is that the city itself is as much a character as any of the crime bosses. The city feels alive, shapeshifting constantly with a strong feeling of decay.
The Penguin moves beyond its genre. It is an argument against this superhero saturation; which shows that when done right, and when studios don’t take the mickey out of you, it works. With standout performances from Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti and a visual style that feels intimate, moody, and epic, the series has a solid potential to stand alongside the greats of television.
