HBO’s The Penguin has turned out to be one of the biggest TV hits of 2024, with this spin-off of Matt Reeves’ 2022 movie The Batman taking viewers deep into Gotham’s criminal underworld and following the rise to power of Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot — aka, The Penguin. The show, which also stars Cristin Milioti as the daughter of notorious Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone, blends heart-pounding crime action with an intense, character-driven storyline. Something it does so well, in fact, that the show managed to achieve a super-rare feat.
In addition to holding steady at #1 on Samba TV’s Weekly Wrap Report streaming chart across its eight-week run, HBO’s newest hit drama also did something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, at least from an HBO show: Every single episode has a perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. “Depicting Gotham through bone-breaking punches rather than popping onomatopoeia,” reads the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus, “The Penguin is a grounded crime saga given gravitas by Colin Farrell and a scene-stealing Cristin Milioti.”
Episode 4, titled “Cent’anni,” was actually one of the best episodes of TV, period, that I’ve seen in years. It was feature-film quality in terms of Sofia’s character arc, Milioti’s acting, and that jaw-dropping resolution at the end — sort of like The Penguin‘s version of what happened in The Godfather after the baby’s christening. At any rate, now that the show has wrapped, all eight episodes are available to binge on HBO Max. And if you want to go even deeper, I highly recommend HBO’s official The Penguin podcast, hosted by film critic Amy Nicholson who explores Gotham through the eyes of Oz by chatting with the creators, cast, and crew for a closer look at the making of a supervillain.
I, for one, haven’t come across a crime drama this good in quite some time. The performances from Farrell as Oz and Milioti as Sofia Falcone/Gigante are nothing short of mesmerizing — much more nuanced and fleshed-out than you tend to see in stories connected to the world of superheroes. To a certain extent, this new HBO standout tells an old story: Power corrupts, and its children are betrayal and violence. Only the names have changed here, with Oz and Sofia set on a collision course as each episode builds suspense and tension, No wonder critics couldn’t stop raving about the show.
