It’s nearly time for Colin Farrell to don the exquisite costume and makeup of the iconic DC villain The Penguin once again. Following the eye-popping events of 2022’s The Batman, Lauren LeFranc‘s TV spinoff looks to continue the story that the movie began and usher in a new era for this legendary superhero tale.
In an interview with Collider, Matt Reeves, director and co-writer of The Batman, confirmed that The Penguin will pick up from where things were left off in The Batman, and lead directly into The Batman: Part Two. Reeves then later confirmed in another interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub that the plan was to still complete the trilogy of Batman movies. With so much excitement on the way, this really feels like it could be the dawn of another golden period for the caped crusader. In the meantime, there’s the small matter of one of the greatest comic book villains to attend to. So, with that in mind, here’s a look at exactly how you can watch The Penguin.
When is ‘The Penguin’ Coming Out?
The Penguin will officially premiere on Thursday, September 19, 2024. The series will run for eight episodes in total, finishing on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
Is ‘The Penguin’ Premiering on Television?
Yes! As a product of Warner Bros. Television, and given their partnership with HBO, The Penguin will be available on HBO on Thursday, September 19 at 9 p.m. EST. Ready to go all in on their biggest new series, HBO has committed to re-airing the premiere several times that same weekend, including in the famous Sunday, 9 p.m. slot, previously held by House of the Dragon.
Is ‘The Penguin’ on Streaming?
As is customary for every HBO series, The Penguin will also be available to stream on Max, joining the plethora of eye-catching content also coming to the streamer that month. This includes the likes of the fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend, A24’s huge 2024 hit Civil War, and the viral horror flick I Saw the TV Glow which comes to Max on September 20.
Watch on Max
For those without a subscription to Max who will need one to see Farrell become Cobblepot again, here is a handy breakdown of the many options available to new subscribers:
Plans |
What is included? |
Price |
---|---|---|
With Ads |
|
$9.99 per month |
Ad-Free |
|
$15.99 per month |
Ultimate Ad-Free |
|
$19.99 per month |
Can You Stream ‘The Penguin’ Without Max?
Unfortunately, Max will be the only way to stream The Penguin when it arrives on September 19. However, if you prefer your media physical, there is certainly a high chance the series will come to DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K at some point following its full release. This is customary with several of HBO’s biggest shows, including House of the Dragon, with the most recent second season receiving the home media treatment on November 18, 2024. Given the five-month gap between debut and DVD release, it’s fair to assume that The Penguin may receive a physical release in February 2025.
Watch ‘The Penguin’ Trailer
Several teasers and trailers for The Penguin have been released over the past weeks and months, with the fullest and most recent of the bunch available to watch above. This trailer gives fans their biggest glimpse yet at the dark and brooding world that awaits them, with the trailer giving a better look at the power plays Oz makes in the wake of Carmine Falcone’s death. Seemingly heavily inspired by gangster movies and series of the past, this trailer oozes style, with an overwhelming sense of foreboding haunting every word. Gotham is flooded, and Cobblepot looks to rebuild the City’s criminal underworld in his warped image. The crime genre’s influence on The Penguin is something touched on in Chase Hutchinson’s review of the series for Collider, in which he said:
“Having been watching a lot of the spectacular series that is
The Sopranos
lately, there is something profoundly absurd about the way a show like
The Penguin
plays around with similar ideas and characters while still being what is often a silly supervillain origin story. The longer one watches, the more difficult it becomes to overlook the way
The Penguin
almost seems to be riffing on familiar emotional beats — from a troubled son struggling with his mother as she grows older to the way the soul can become corrupted by violence. This is not necessarily a problem, as many shows have thrived in the shadow of theDavid Chase
classic, though they’ve never had a great Farrell grumbling his way through them. This
darkly comedic yet still committed central performance
makes the series into something that holds together even when the often less subtle story does not. Namely,
The Penguin
loses its steam when it falls into overlong flashback portions and severs us a bit too much from the present, making it an experience of waiting for the series to jump forward again. Its good parts
are
good, largely because Farrell is fantastic as the chaotic character yet again.”
What’s ‘The Penguin’s Episode Schedule?
For those needing to plan their diaries around this eye-catching new release, here is a breakdown of The Penguin‘s episode schedule based on all the information we currently have available.
Episode: |
Title: |
Description: |
Director: |
Writer/s: |
Release Date: |
1 |
After Hours |
“The DC Studios drama The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell in the title role, continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros Pictures’ global blockbuster.” |
Craig Zobel |
Lauren LeFranc |
Thursday, September 19, 2024 |
2 |
Inside Man |
TBC |
Craig Zobel |
Erika L. Johnson |
Sunday, September 29, 2024 |
3 |
Bliss |
TBC |
Craig Zobel |
Noelle Valdivia |
Sunday, October 6, 2024 |
4 |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
John McCutcheon |
Sunday, October 13, 2024 |
5 |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Breannah Gibson, Shaye Ogbonna |
Sunday, October 20, 2024 |
6 |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Nick Towne |
Sunday, October 27, 2024 |
7 |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Vladimir Cvetko |
Sunday, November 3, 2024 |
8 |
TBC |
TBC |
TBC |
Lauren LeFranc |
Sunday, November 10, 2024 |