The Penguin Review: Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti Fight for Power in HBO’s The Batman Spinoff

A couple of years after the release of The Batman (and with a direct sequel taking its time getting made), HBO’s The Penguin arrives to offer fans their first follow-up to Matt Reeves’ hit film. And while it can’t quite deliver the thrills of seeing Batman himself in action, it provides an entertaining and involving detour, diving further into the pivotal mobster side of Gotham City that fuels many of the Dark Knight’s adventures.

With Reeves serving as an executive producer, Colin Farrell reprises his role from the film as one of Batman’s most famous enemies — Oswald “Oz” Cobb. (The series abbreviates his traditional surname of Cobblepot, in what feels like a silly attempt to make it sound less silly.) Following the events of the 2022 movie, Gotham is dealing with the aftermath of the flooding, death and destruction caused by the Riddler, while there is a power vacuum in the crime world fueled by the death of mob boss Carmine Falcone. Amid this chaos, Oz sees opportunity, wanting to rise from his longtime lackey role into something far more prominent and powerful.

Farrell was terrific in The Batman but was only in a handful of scenes. Here, he’s center stage, and continues to offer a wonderful, truly transformative performance that is unlike anything else he’s done. The show rides a tricky line, needing to make Oz a dynamic and charismatic central character, while not forgetting he’s a villain. Series creator/showrunner Lauren LeFranc (Chuck, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), her writing team and Farrell do very well in this regard, letting us see moments where Oz is open and empathetic to others, while always reminding us that he is capable of terrible acts. From outright murder to the dismissive way he thinks of the drug addicts that make these gangsters money – he doesn’t care at all when warned their product might be contaminated – Oz is a bad guy, but Farrell makes him a fully realized character you’re intrigued to spend time with.

Of course, there’s also the truly incredible makeup he’s wearing, designed by Mike Marino. It’s simply astounding how much Marino changes Farrell’s appearance, while looking completely credible and not at all like a man buried beneath prosthetics. The combination of how he looks and how he speaks and carries himself make it very easy to forget at times that we’re even watching Farrell on-screen, which is a testament to what Marino and Farrell have created together.

Oz is given a terrific foil in the form of the late Carmine’s daughter, Sofia Falcone, played by Cristin Milioti. Recently released from Arkham — and dubbed “The Hangman” by the press for the murders she committed — Sofia is on a personal quest for vengeance. Her goals end up colliding with Oz’s in a very fun and continually evolving manner, moving back and forth between antagonistic and cooperative, depending on the situation.

Primarily known for comedies like How I Met Your Mother and Palm Springs, Milioti is excellent here, imbuing Sofia with a dangerous and determined energy. Sofia understands her history often has those around her on edge, and sometimes cleverly plays into that, while begging the question of just how “rehabilitated” she actually is. Milioti is able to give the character just the right vibe of beguiling oddness, as she takes part in her own decidedly dark acts while also conveying the pain and betrayal her character feels. Together, she and Farrell make The Penguin work start to finish, and their scenes together shine. There’s a stretch in the middle of the eight-episode season that loses a bit of energy, and a Sofia-focused episode (filled with Arkham flashbacks) doesn’t quite hit the mark, but the two always keep the overall story and their characters compelling.

The third crucial character is Victor Aguilar, played by Rhenzy Feliz (Runaways), a teenager who Oz catches trying to steal his hubcaps (comic book fans will note this is similar to how Batman met the second Robin, Jason Todd, in an amusing parallel). Oz takes a liking to the kid and gives him a job, and Vic is soon surrounded by Oz’s criminal lifestyle. Feliz gives a strong and endearing performance, with he and Farrell showing the need their characters would have to find a connection with the other, even as Vic’s becoming immersed in a life we know is a terrible choice to embrace.

Some of the supporting characters are better served than others. The always-great Clancy Brown has an engaging subplot as the Falcone family’s rival, the imprisoned Salvatore Maroni. But others, like the object of Oz’s affection, Eve (Carmen Ejogo), or Theo Rossi’s Dr. Julian Rush – a psychiatrist with a history with Sofia – feel like they could have used a couple of additional scenes to better convey their perspective and motivations.

The Penguin isn’t breaking any new ground and, Batman-connections aside, it’s a variation on a story we’ve seen many times before about gangsters with aspirations for more and the in-fighting between them. And yes, plenty about Oz’s demeanor and his complicated relationship with his mother (Deirdre O’Connell) will remind viewers of The Sopranos. But while this isn’t going to join that beloved series or the likes of Goodfellas or The Godfather among the pantheon of Best Mob Stories Ever, it’s an entertaining and well-told tale in its own right.

This is a dark and violent series, but LeFranc is able to still give it moments of levity that add to this world without feeling distracting or out of place. Farrell had some disarmingly funny moments in The Batman that continue here, such as Oz proudly pointing out his car’s air freshener or complaining about too few pickles on his sandwich in the middle of committing a heinous crime. This goes for Sofia, too, with a funny running bit about her penchant for ravenously eating with her hands that manages to also add to her feeling a bit off.

The eight-episode series culminates in a satisfying manner, on the heels of some appropriately big events and weighty revelations, setting the stage for Oz’s already-announced role in The Batman sequel. However, at least one storyline feels ready-made for a second season of The Penguin, should it occur, which would be welcome…

…though if that were to happen, hopefully they can better figure out how to deal with Batman’s offscreen presence. It’s fine to not have Robert Pattinson in his cowl and cape actually pop up in the series – we know Gotham City is plagued by so much crime that we can imagine other events are keeping Bats busy! – but enough notable things occur throughout the show to make it distracting that the costumed crimefighter is continually not just unseen but also unmentioned. Just throw us a bone with a news report or two about what he’s up to, so he’s accounted for!

Originally developed as a Max original, The Penguin now will also air on HBO, starting with a Thursday, Sept. 19 at 9/8c premiere, before moving to its regular Sundays-at-9 slot starting Sept. 29 (with Episode 2).

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: The Penguin is a fairly straightforward yet involving mobster story powered by Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti’s terrific performances.