Should You Try It: The Penguin on Max

We’re in the big Fall rush now, providing plenty of new viewing options. Whether high-profile projects, or smaller series there are plenty of options vying for your time. But what of these shows are worth the investment? That’s why this series exists—to give you the information needed to make an informed decision. Today, it’s a hard-boiled crime series set in Gotham City.

Series: The Penguin

Where to Find It: The pilot is now streaming on Max, with subsequent episodes debuting on Sundays starting September 29.

What’s It About: In 2022, we got a re-boot of the Batman franchise. In a new film, The Batman, we got Robert Pattinson in the lead role and a new vision of Gotham birthed by writer/director Matt Reeves. While we await a sequel—coming in 2026—there is a new series that is meant to bridge the gap. It focuses on Oz Cobb, The Penguin (Colin Farrell), who was introduced in the film and played a pivotal role.

In it, he was a gangster working for Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Falcone was killed near the end of the film, leaving a void. This new series picks up with the closing events of the film as The Riddler (Paul Dano) has exploded bombs along the seawall flooding Gotham. That puts Oz’s business under water. That’s just one of the problems he’s facing as he tries to gain a greater foothold in the city.

The other is the matter of succession. Falcone’s son, Alberto (Michael Zegen), is poised to assume the mantle. He’s no fan of Oz, and the feeling is mutual. In a fit of rage, Oz lashes out, which creates additional problems. He recruits a young hood, Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), to assist as he puts his plan in motion.

A good bit of that includes dealing with Falcone’s daughter, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), who is crueller and more vicious than her brother. She steps into the vacuum when Alberto disappears, forcing Oz to go to extreme lengths to earn her trust and put himself in position to seize power in Gotham.

You Should Try It If: You’re a fan of crime dramas, a fan of Farrell, or a fan of Batman stories.

One Man’s Opinion of The Penguin

We’ve seen a few different series that tried to create content around the world of Batman without actually having Batman. We’ve been told The Dark Knight won’t appear in this series, but it will be an important bridge between the films. While not running the day-to-day, Reeves is involved as a producer. That makes this feel like essential viewing for fans of the franchise and provides it an extension on to the small screen like we’ve seen in Marvel projects.

And they picked a good character to build around. Farrell was good as Oz Cobb in the film and makes for a fascinating central character here. Seeing his work to build an empire before he—likely—faces Batman again in the sequel is an interesting idea. The pilot puts all the pieces of this limited series in motion well, too.

In addition, I liked Sofia as played by Milioti. She’s an engaging performer and she creates an engaging and vicious character in this series. The pilot was strong, setting up an engaging eight-episode series this Fall that will make for a nice addition to the Sunday lineup.