The Penguin TV Review – Colin Farrell Brings Out Vulnerability in His Villain in Batman Spinoff

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“At the end of the day, it’s all about the money.” The words come from a member of the Falcone Crime Family, but they could just as easily have been uttered by someone at Warner Brothers. If there’s one thing that both gangsters and Hollywood executives know how to do, it’s bring in murder to Gotham City. Over the next month, the inexhaustible DC IP will pull double duty, hitting the big screen in joker: Foil for two in October and on TV in The Penguin — a new spin-off and sequel to the 2022 film The Batman.

The Penguin arrives with muted expectations, following showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s confirmation that the masked crusader will be taking a breather before returning for Batman Part II in 2026. In its absence, this latest installment in the franchise feels superfluous, even if an eight-hour digression about mob soldier Oz Cobblepot (aka The Penguin) is expertly crafted and occasionally engaging.

Colin Farrell – hidden under layers of makeup, pounds of prosthetic flab and a plump New Yoik accent — plays the big, brash gangster who previously brightened the gloom of Matt Reeves’ emo epic. Now he’s been promoted from scene-stealer to series lead, a shift that yields uneven results.

The story takes place after the death of drug lord Carmine Falcone and The Riddler’s devastating attack on Gotham at the end of The Batmanfollows The Penguin’s attempts to establish himself as the new emperor of the city’s underworld. Distrusted for his transparent ambitions but underestimated for his physical deformities, Oz is quick on his feet as he plays his rivals off against each other. Chief among those standing in his way is Falcone’s daughter Sofia (Cristin Milioti), newly released from Arkham Asylum—a gruesome realization in a flashback.

Once a thorn in Batman’s side, Oz is now his own worst enemy, easily driven to self-sabotage. But for all the character’s over-the-top qualities, Farrell manages to find vulnerability and even some tenderness beneath his violent, volatile exterior. This is particularly evident in scenes involving Oz’s domineering but ailing mother (Deirdre O’Connell) and his young chauffeur, Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), a recently orphaned teenager whom The Penguin takes under his wing.

Through Victor, a mild-mannered boy caught up in the maelstrom of crime, the series gives us a rare glimpse into what’s at stake for ordinary Gotham citizens, not just the vigilantes and villains fighting for the city’s soul. The Penguin may be heavy-handed, but the interest in the human experiences and societal failings that created someone like Oz and corrupted someone like Victor still makes for compelling television.

★★★☆☆

Premiere on Sky Atlantic from September 20th at 9pm and on HBO in the US from September 19th. New episodes released weekly