The Penguin Review: HBO Series Is Sopranos by Way of DC Comics

HBO’s The Penguin Is DC’s Answer to The Sopranos

One of Batman’s most famous rivals, the Penguin, made his first appearance in 1941 and has been a staple in comics, cartoons, TV shows, and films ever since. But while that kind of longevity is impressive, the character hasn’t aged well.

The campy, umbrella-toting Burgess Meredith version of the Penguin from the 1966 Batman TV series and the freakish, humorous Danny DeVito iteration in Batman Returns are tame by today’s supervillain standards. And while Robin Lord Taylor’s up-and-comer in Gotham stretched the possibilities of the role, the Penguin seemed destined to side character status. But not anymore.

In the 2022 film The Batman, director Matt Reeves and actor Colin Farrell gave the Caped Crusader’s long-time foil a much-needed makeover. Portrayed as a mid-level crime boss, this take on the bad guy seems like he would fit in as well in The Sopranos as in a noir comic book film. It’s this version, with an unrecognizable Farrell as the lead, that viewers are treated to in this dark and engrossing eight-episode series from HBO that hones in on a part of Gotham City that most stories in this world gloss over.

The limited series picks up where The Batman leaves off. Carmine Falcone (played by John Turturro in the film and Mark Strong in the show) is dead, Gotham’s poorest neighborhoods remain flooded thanks to The Riddler’s machinations, and the city’s biggest organized crime family is a disorganized mess.

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With a gap in leadership, there are plenty of candidates who want to take over the Falcone empire. This includes Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) and Luca Falcone (Scott Cohen), Carmine’s son and brother. Then there are capos who want to improve their seat at the table, like Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly) and Milos Grapa (James Madio), as well as long-time rival Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), who is hoping to take advantage of the Falcone’s restructuring.

Between all those Italian surnames, the organized crime, and this series taking place in an area modeled after New York and eastern New Jersey, you’d be forgiven for thinking this HBO series is like a modern day version of The Sopranos. And the similarities don’t end there. A lead that’s an anti-hero with an unhealthy relationship with his mother? Check. The Penguin, aka Oz Cobb (the character has historically been known as Oswald Cobblepot but goes by Oz Cobb in this series), does anything for his mother, but in a way that can make their relationship uncomfortable to watch. Mental health playing a surprisingly important role in a character’s motivation? Check. More on this later. Lots of death, torture, and blackmail to move someone’s career forward? Check and mate. This show is great at lulling you to sleep and then murdering someone unexpectedly.

Even Oz’s gradual climb up the mob boss ladder has a Sopranos-esque feel. Before the events of the show, Carmine was the one person in the family who gave him some responsibility, and Oz was in a good place as a result. He was making money, driving a flashy car, and had a crew of guys loyal to him. But with Carmine dead, Oz has to start over, and he’s quick to understand that absolutely no one in the Falcone organization respects him. Oz is essentially Bobby Baccalieri, but without an Uncle Junior to take care of him, so he’s viewed as useless. It’s a bad position to be in.

This, however, is where The Sopranos comparisons end. Everyone is wise to mistrust the Penguin (a nickname he hates) because they all know he’s a narcissist, a killer, and will do and say anything to advance himself. However, he’s also conniving, fearless, and a surprisingly good public speaker who can motivate his underlings. If Oz Cobb were on The Sopranos, he’d be running The Bada Bing in a week because, as one character sarcastically says, he’s a “man of the people.” It’s something Oz truly believes, however.

The Penguin’s rise from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap is complemented by two disparate characters. Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) is a street-level crook Oz takes under his wing. Raised by honest and hardworking parents, Vic has fallen on hard times since the Gotham flood. It’s through his innocent eyes that we see how desperation can make people do things they normally wouldn’t.

While Vic is The Penguin’s moral center, Oz’s rival, Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), is nearly his undoing and one of the best parts of the series. The daughter of Carmine Falcone, Sofia’s journey to power makes Oz’s rise look like a trip to Disneyland. Convicted for murder and given the nickname the Hangman, she’s recently been released from the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane and is another person searching for her place in the family business. Sofia and Oz already had bad blood before her incarceration, and the battle to become Gotham’s new crime lord further ramps up the intensity between the two, making for a showdown that’s brutal, full of twists, and fun to watch. It also helps that Cristin Milioti’s performance as Sofia is excellent.

But although The Penguin is riveting, it’s not without flaws. The series can drag at times, and while Oz’s struggle is well-told, it could’ve been completed in two fewer episodes. There are also some glaring errors in Sofia’s strategy with Oz—there are times she could have eliminated him but doesn’t, and her interest in the family dynamic between Oz and his mother, Francis (Deirdre O’Connell), doesn’t quite make sense. That said, these are minor quibbles.

While it’s set in a superhero universe, you won’t find any capes in The Penguin. To be sure, there are plenty of Batman easter eggs, but you’ll have to look hard to find them. This series tells a gritty, convincing, and compelling story with no heroes to be found, which works just fine. However, it’s the well-timed surprises I enjoyed the most.

For example, throughout the season, we see Oz perform all sorts of dastardly deeds, and one character even tells him, “You have always been a monster.” But even considering all he does, there’s still a part of you that believes the Penguin’s lies because he is so damn charming. Maybe he is just a guy from the bottom who has to break some rules along the way to work his way up? But then, near the end of the season, Oz does something so heinous, so unconscionable, that you finally understand what he really is: a remorseless sociopath. Through these kinds of shocking moments, The Penguin delivers a version of this character like nothing Batman fans have seen.

The Penguin premieres Thursday, September 19th on HBO and Max.

Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot, and aspiring hand model. When he’s not glad he avoided moving to Gotham City after getting a job offer at Wayne Enterprises, you can find him hiking in the mountains of Colorado. You can follow him on Twitter @terryterrones.

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HBO’s The Penguin Is DC’s Answer to The Sopranos