’I’m gonna force them to their knees. It should be fun…’
There has been a subtle shift in the commodification of pop culture in recent years that has seen popular cinematic franchises finding a new life on television. Like so many modern trends, it seems to have originated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the many TV shows that particular pop culture juggernaut has wrought. It is this development that has led to The Penguin – an eight-episode spin-off of 2022’s The Batman, and somehow, against all odds, it’s superb…
Created by Lauren LeFranc for HBO, The Penguin brings back Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobb and flanks him with Cristin Milioti as mob boss Carmine Falcone’s daughter Sofia (recently released from Arkham Asylum) and Rhenzy Feliz as Vic – a homeless teenager turned mob boss enforcer.
While it shares an aesthetic and general tone with The Batman, LeFranc wisely opts to completely ignore the Caped Crusader despite the fact that the events of this show take place immediately after that of the film that preceded it. Indeed, as with Todd Phillips incarnation of the Joker, The Penguin could have been set in New York instead of Gotham and stood on its own as something totally separate from the world of Batman. Farrell, superb in The Batman, delivers one of his finest performances here. Totally unrecognisable and sporting the thickest New Yoik accent this side of Bill Burr, Farrell’s imposing physicality and devious vulnerability are a joy to behold, but he is matched every step of the way by his co-stars, particularly Milioti who is a revelation as Sofia Falcone (a wonderfully written character with both depth and nuance) and Deirdre O’Connell who memorably portrays The Penguin’s Alzheimer riddled mother.
In short, The Penguin is better than it has any right to be – the most surprising TV success of the year.
