‘The Penguin’ “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, Surpasses ‘Agatha All Along’
Many fans were dubious when Colin Farrell was chosen to play Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The fans were worried that Farrell did not look the part, but the costume designers did a tremendous job of making him look like the real deal, and Farrell made up for a fantastic villain. The role became so successful, in fact, that HBO ordered a standalone spin-off series right away.
The television series, simply titled The Penguin, had its premiere on September 19, 2024, and it has received nothing but positive reviews from viewers and critics. They call it a worthy sequel to Reeves’ film and an amazing example of world-building, with fans claiming that the series showed them the best pilot episode of all time.
The Penguin faced solid competition in Disney’s Agatha All Along, but Gotham’s criminal managed to beat out the competition, and is now one of the biggest hits on television, receiving a fantastic score and a “Certified Fresh” status.
The Penguin premiered on September 19, 2024, on HBO Max, and the initial reactions to the series were absolutely amazing, with the series starting off with a 90%+ initial score before finally settling on 89% (critics) and 88% (fans) as of the time of writing.
At the time, the series managed to obtain a “Certified Fresh” tag in just one day, proving how great it was and how much the viewers loved it. Here is what the critics are saying:
“The Penguin” offers an intriguing push and pull between the grotesque and the grounded, a street-level crime drama nonetheless full of cartoonish mob stereotypes and over-the-top characters with elaborate axes to grind.
– Clint Worthington, RogerEbert.com
A superhero spinoff series serving as a Trumpian allegory at all is worth appreciating, as is Farrell burying his disarming charms behind 50 pounds of latex without concealing his considerable talents.
– Ben Travers, IndieWire
If The Penguin had to act tightly in service of a larger narrative, I doubt it would have as much snap and personality as it does. Which may be the Penguin’s dream realized: from chaos comes order.
– Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
This is a five star series that mafia film fans will adore. It’s very much an Italian-American gangster Penguin, with Farrell finding the sweetest of evil spots between Tony Soprano and De Niro’s Vito Corleone.
– Martin Robinson, London Evening Standard
It manages to tell an entertaining crime saga without leaning too much on the absent Dark Knight — although it still ends up falling prey to some of the weaknesses inherent in Batman adaptations.
– Christian Holub, Entertainment Weekly
It is also important to observe how The Penguin managed to beat out its major competitor this week, Agatha All Along, as the DC series outperformed Marvel’s significantly. The latter also managed to obtain a “Certified Fresh” rating, but it has a much lower score and there is not that much hype surrounding it, which is definitely a big win for DC, but it is also good to hear that both shows are doing well!
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