While Netflix is for the binge-watchers out there, Max remains old school, primarily sticking to weekly episode drops. So is the case with The Penguin, the spinoff series starring Colin Farrell as Gotham's Gentleman of Crime.
Stemming from 2022's The Batman, the new spinoff series is The Sopranos meets DC. With Gotham plunged into chaos after Riddler's flood, Farrell's Oz Cobb seeks to rule the city by pitting notable crime families, the Falcones and the Maronis, against each other. As part of the Falcones gang himself, the situation offers all the betrayals, shifting allegiances, and violence one expects from a proper crime drama.
Although episode 1 aired on Thursday, September 19, 2024, The Penguin's proceeding episodes will switch to Sunday nights, starting with episode 2, which hits Max on September 29, 2024, at 9 PM ET. See below for all episode release dates:
Matt Reeves has been quite clear in saying that The Batman belongs to its own universe, one untouched and uncomplicated by the DC Extended Universe.
While Penguin remains one of Batman's most fearsome villains on the page, his roles have been rather limited in live-action. Burgess Meredith first donned the top hat in the 1960s Batman series before Danny DeVito went darker in Batman Returns. Both are iconic performances. However, camp limited Meredith's depth while runtime hurt DeVito's. As a result, Gotham served as one of the most significant and in-depth looks into Penguin's origins, complemented by Robin Lord Taylor's chilling performance.
Reeves told The New York Times that The Penguin aims to be more than a "mere brand extension," offering a character study of the villain like none other. Episode 1 has already laid the bones of that. The Penguin jumps right into the day-to-day of Oz Cobb by introducing a host of key characters, like Francis Cobb (Deirdre O'Connell) and Sofia Gigante Falcone (Cristin Milioti), who play just as big a role in Oz's mob boss uprising as he does himself.
The Penguin only has eight episodes to tell its story, which isn't much when it appears to be shooting for Sopranos heights. What's in store for Farrell's Oz is still unknown, but one can expect it to build on the complicated interpersonal relationships and politics we saw in episode 1. Let's just hope it comes with a bit more action.