Skip to main content

The first ‘Penguin’ reviews are out: Here’s what they’re saying about the ‘Batman’ series

The series is a spin-off of the new Robert Pattinson version of 'The Batman'

Colin Farrell in 'The Penguin.'
Max

It may have seemed like a strange and maybe even foolish choice to make an entire spin-off series to The Batman focused on Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot. Farrell is only in the movie for a few key scenes, and crucially, he doesn’t exactly resemble the handsome Irish movie star Farrell usually appears on screen as.

Now, The Penguin is on the verge of arriving on Max, and the first reviews for the new series have been released. Those reviews have been generally positive, with many suggesting that the show feels more like a gangster series than something set in the world of The Batman. They’ve also had praise for Farrell and Cristin Milioti, who plays Sofia Falcone in the film.

Recommended Videos

Some reviews, though, have pointed out Batman’s absence from the story, or wondered about whether we even needed a Penguin series to begin with. Here’s what they say:

The Hollywood Reporter wasn’t very impressed, calling the show “an accelerated clash that rushes through three or four seasons of plot in these eight episodes.”

Their fellow trade publication, Variety, was more generous to the series calling it a “masterful examination of criminality, the show is twisted, disturbing and deeply enthralling.”

Entertainment Weekly said the show was somewhat successful, but added that “viewers may be left wondering around the fifth or sixth episode of this eight-part series, ‘Wait, why am I watching a show about the Penguin again?'”

Total Film, meanwhile, singles out one specific performer even as they praise the show as a whole. “More gangster saga than comic book adaptation, The Penguin is a fresh take on its titular villain, but it’s Cristin Milioti who really shines as the brutal and captivating Sofia Falcone.”

Rolling Stone was less positive, though, saying that whatever story the show was trying to tell “it needs to tell a much more interesting version of one, with a more compelling protagonist, than what we get here.”

Joe Allen
Contributor
Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…
What is Dexter: Resurrection? What we know about the new spinoff
If you're a Dexter fan, here's what to get excited about
Michael C. Hall in Dexter

Dexter is having quite the revival on Showtime and streaming on Paramount+ as of late. The prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin, debuted in December 2024 to widespread fanfare. Now, Dexter fans can rejoice at even more morbid, murderous adventures with Michael C. Hall in Dexter: Resurrection. The award-nominated TV star will reprise his titular role once again in the fourth confirmed series in the franchise. Hall was a surprise guest at Comic Con 2024, where it was announced that he would be donning Dexter's khakis and flannel yet again all these years later. Hall has appeared in other great stuff outside the Dexter world, such as one of Netflix's Harlan Coben series.

We know Dexter: Resurrection is a sequel series, so it will take place after the events of Dexter and Dexter: New Blood. It's not a reboot or redo of the original show, so everything will fit into Dexter's timeline in a way that allows audiences to see even more of Dexter's life.

Read more
Need a laugh? Here are the best comedy shows streaming right now
From 30 Rock to Seinfeld, these are the best and funniest comedy shows ever made
Steve Carell in The Office.

Comedy has been a fixture of television since the medium was in its infancy. Making truly great TV comedy is no simple thing, though, and it's even harder to make a great TV comedy that endures. Comedy is always changing, and what is funny to one generation isn't always funny to the next.

In spite of that, these are the best comedy shows that have endured and gotten me through some of the hardest moments of my life. When you're looking for shows that will make you laugh and some that might make you cry just a little bit, we've got the perfect list for you. While I have a stronger attachment to some of these shows than others, the list as a whole is pretty undeniable. These are the best comedy shows ever made.

Read more
The ‘Severance’ creator says none of the fan theories have gotten it ‘exactly right’
The show is returning for its second season after almost three years off the air.
Britt Lower in Severance Season 2

As fans prepare for the return of Severance, many are also revisiting the theories they first posited about the show back in 2022. While there's been plenty of speculation about what might be going on in the series, creator Dan Erickson says no one has totally nailed it...yet.

"I love all of them and some of them are kooky, but the show is kooky, so it makes sense," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I would not say that I've seen anybody get it totally right. We are trying to lay down the seeds of where it's ultimately going, and I do think that people notice that. 'They said this in episode 2, and so I bet that's going to pay off in this way,' and sometimes that lines up a little bit with what we're doing. But I don't think that I've seen anything where I'm like, 'Oh God, they got it. Time to leave the country and change my name.'"

Read more