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The Penguin

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Overview

With the city in peril following the seawall's collapse, Oswald "Oz" Cobb seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone and finally give his mother Francis the life he's always promised. But first, Oz must confront his enemies and his own demoralizing reputation as "the Penguin."

Media

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Colin Farrell on reprising the Penguin in the future & what makes a great villain | BAFTA

Cast

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Clancy Brown

Colin Farrell

Carmen Ejogo

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Creator:

Lauren LeFranc

Fist Air Date:

2024-09-19

Episode Runtime:

undefinedm

Production Companies:

6th & Idaho, Dylan Clark Productions, Warner Bros. Television, DC Studios

Genres:

Crime Drama

Keywords:

amused based on comic betrayal bold crime boss criminal drug trafficking gangster miniseries mob family mother son relationship organized crime spin off villain violence

More Show Details

Vote Average: 8.4/10

Vote Count: 1308 Votes

Show Popularity: 12.1284

Show Status: Ended

Show Type: Miniseries

Spoken Languages: English

Review

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Insomniacs Reviews
- 04 May 2026 at 1:48 pm

9 Based on 1 Votes

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⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10 THE SUMMARY Picking up just days after the events of The Batman (2022), Gotham is a flooded, chaotic power vacuum. Oz Cobb—better known as the Penguin—isn't the kingpin yet; he’s a mid-level mobster with a limp and a massive chip on his shoulder. With Carmine Falcone dead, Oz spots an opening to climb to the top of the criminal underworld, but he has to contend with Carmine’s terrifying and unpredictable daughter, Sofia Falcone. It’s a gritty, street-level crime saga that trades capes for concrete, focusing on the backstabbing politics of the mafia rather than superhero theatrics. THE PROS This is a 9/10 because Colin Farrell is completely unrecognizable and utterly magnetic. Under layers of incredible prosthetics, he portrays Oz as a desperate, calculating underdog who is as vulnerable as he is violent. Cristin Milioti is the show's secret weapon as Sofia Falcone; her performance is haunting and gives the series a psychological depth that elevates it above a standard mob story. It hits Epic status because it feels less like a spin-off and more like a prestige drama in the vein of The Sopranos. The world-building is top-tier, making Gotham feel like a living, breathing character rotting from the inside out. THE CONS It misses the 10/10 mark because it occasionally leans a bit heavily on familiar "rise of a gangster" tropes that we’ve seen in plenty of other crime dramas. While the Gotham setting adds a unique flavor, the core plot beats—the double-crosses and power grabs—can be somewhat predictable for seasoned fans of the genre. It settles at a 9 because, while it's a masterpiece of atmosphere and acting, it doesn't quite reinvent the wheel of the criminal underworld narrative. THE VERDICT A massive 9/10. It’s a dark, brutal, and incredibly well-acted expansion of the Batman universe that stands perfectly on its own two feet. It isn't a 10 because it sticks a little too close to the mob-movie playbook, but for pure quality, it’s a genuine winner. If you want a crime drama with teeth and a lead performance that will go down in history, this is the one to get on with. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA • Transformation Mastery: Colin Farrell spent roughly three hours in the makeup chair every single day to become Oz. The prosthetics were so convincing that even his co-stars admitted they felt like they were working with a completely different person when the cameras weren't rolling. • Breaking the Bat: The showrunners made a conscious decision not to include Batman in the series. They wanted to prove that the villains and the city of Gotham itself were interesting enough to carry a high-stakes drama without a single Batarang being thrown. • Musical Cues: The score by Mick Giacchino (son of film composer Michael Giacchino) uses heavy, industrial sounds and discordant strings to mirror the Penguin's clumsy but relentless march toward power, shifting away from the more heroic themes of the main film. THE VIBE Like a cold night in a dark alleyway where the puddles are oily and the neon signs are flickering. It smells like cheap cigars, damp concrete, and gunpowder. It’s heavy, tense, and very grim. It makes you want to watch your back, keep your mouth shut, and realize that in Gotham, the "good guys" are just the ones you haven't caught yet.

TV Show Poster

Season 1

8 Episodes

Air Date: 2024-09-19

Following the events of The Batman, a post-flood Gotham City is experiencing a power vacuum in its criminal organizations after the death of Carmine Falcon. In the midst of all this chaos, low-level mobster Oswald "Oz" Cobb, nicknamed "The Penguin", attempts to make a grab for control of the streets, which brings him into direct conflict with Carmine's daughter, Sofia Falcone, and the Maroni Crime Family.

Videos

Colin Farrell on reprising the Penguin in the future & what makes a great villain | BAFTA

Colin Farrell & Cristin Milioti Get To Know | The Penguin | Max

Welcome To The Penguin | The Penguin | Max

The Penguin | Official Promo | Max

The Penguin | Official Trailer | Max

The Penguin | Official Teaser 2 | Max

The Penguin | Official Teaser | Max

The Penguin | In-Production Teaser | Max

Cast

Clancy Brown

Colin Farrell

Carmen Ejogo

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Cristin Milioti

Rhenzy Feliz

Michael Kelly

Deirdre O'Connell

Theo Rossi

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Reviews for

The Penguin

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 4 May 2026 at 2:48 PM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 9/10

THE SUMMARY
Picking up just days after the events of The Batman (2022), Gotham is a flooded, chaotic power vacuum. Oz Cobb—better known as the Penguin—isn’t the kingpin yet; he’s a mid-level mobster with a limp and a massive chip on his shoulder. With Carmine Falcone dead, Oz spots an opening to climb to the top of the criminal underworld, but he has to contend with Carmine’s terrifying and unpredictable daughter, Sofia Falcone. It’s a gritty, street-level crime saga that trades capes for concrete, focusing on the backstabbing politics of the mafia rather than superhero theatrics.

THE PROS
This is a 9/10 because Colin Farrell is completely unrecognizable and utterly magnetic. Under layers of incredible prosthetics, he portrays Oz as a desperate, calculating underdog who is as vulnerable as he is violent. Cristin Milioti is the show’s secret weapon as Sofia Falcone; her performance is haunting and gives the series a psychological depth that elevates it above a standard mob story. It hits Epic status because it feels less like a spin-off and more like a prestige drama in the vein of The Sopranos. The world-building is top-tier, making Gotham feel like a living, breathing character rotting from the inside out.

THE CONS
It misses the 10/10 mark because it occasionally leans a bit heavily on familiar “rise of a gangster” tropes that we’ve seen in plenty of other crime dramas. While the Gotham setting adds a unique flavor, the core plot beats—the double-crosses and power grabs—can be somewhat predictable for seasoned fans of the genre. It settles at a 9 because, while it’s a masterpiece of atmosphere and acting, it doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel of the criminal underworld narrative.

THE VERDICT
A massive 9/10. It’s a dark, brutal, and incredibly well-acted expansion of the Batman universe that stands perfectly on its own two feet. It isn’t a 10 because it sticks a little too close to the mob-movie playbook, but for pure quality, it’s a genuine winner. If you want a crime drama with teeth and a lead performance that will go down in history, this is the one to get on with.

INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
• Transformation Mastery: Colin Farrell spent roughly three hours in the makeup chair every single day to become Oz. The prosthetics were so convincing that even his co-stars admitted they felt like they were working with a completely different person when the cameras weren’t rolling.

• Breaking the Bat: The showrunners made a conscious decision not to include Batman in the series. They wanted to prove that the villains and the city of Gotham itself were interesting enough to carry a high-stakes drama without a single Batarang being thrown.

• Musical Cues: The score by Mick Giacchino (son of film composer Michael Giacchino) uses heavy, industrial sounds and discordant strings to mirror the Penguin’s clumsy but relentless march toward power, shifting away from the more heroic themes of the main film.

THE VIBE
Like a cold night in a dark alleyway where the puddles are oily and the neon signs are flickering. It smells like cheap cigars, damp concrete, and gunpowder. It’s heavy, tense, and very grim. It makes you want to watch your back, keep your mouth shut, and realize that in Gotham, the “good guys” are just the ones you haven’t caught yet.

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