WGA Listing Confirms ‘The Penguin’ Season 2 Is in Development With Its Showrunner and a ‘Mad Men’ Veteran Already Onboard
When ‘The Penguin‘ arrived on HBO in September 2024, few expected a show built around a secondary Batman villain to become one of the year’s most celebrated television events. Colin Farrell’s transformation into Oswald “Oz” Cobb, alongside Cristin Milioti’s magnetic turn as mob boss Sofia Falcone, earned the series universal critical praise and a staggering collection of awards. What began as a limited spinoff designed to bridge two blockbuster films quickly became something audiences and the industry simply were not ready to let go of.
The series pulled in 24 Emmy nominations, placing it as the second most-nominated program of the year, trailing only Apple TV+’s ‘Severance.’ At the 2025 Writers Guild Awards, ‘The Penguin’ took home the prize for Best Limited Series, cementing its reputation as one of the finest pieces of prestige television produced in recent memory. That kind of momentum does not simply fade, and the industry has been watching closely to see what comes next.
Now, a significant update has arrived that changes the conversation entirely. The Writers Guild of America website officially lists ‘The Penguin Season 2’ as a confirmed project scheduled for development through 2025 and 2026. What makes this particularly meaningful is that only a writer or production member in the WGA can edit and approve listings on the site, making the update a much stronger indication of active development than an unverified entry on a platform like IMDb.
Lauren LeFranc is confirmed to return as showrunner, a role she held throughout the acclaimed first season, which earned her a WGA Award for Best Limited Series alongside the series itself. Her commitment to the project carries institutional weight. LeFranc had previously signed a two-year overall deal with HBO and HBO Max and launched her own production banner, Acid and Tender Productions. Speaking to Variety at the time of that deal, LeFranc said she hoped Acid and Tender would become a “haven for writers and filmmakers who seek to tell authentic, off-kilter, character-driven stories, no matter the genre.”
Joining the creative team is Semi Chellas, who will serve as consulting producer on the second season. Chellas is best known as a writer and co-executive producer on ‘Mad Men,’ where she earned six Emmy nominations, bringing serious dramatic television pedigree to what is shaping up to be an ambitious continuation. Her addition alongside LeFranc signals that the writers room is assembling with genuine intention.
The news arrives as a pointed counterpoint to public skepticism that had been building around the project. Colin Farrell, speaking with ComicBook, described himself as having a “negativity bias” and said he would “bet against” another season going into production, though he acknowledged that “the powers that be” had been developing storylines that could justify the additional episodes. Part of his hesitation stemmed from the narrative challenge of fitting a second season between ‘The Penguin’ and ‘The Batman Part II,’ which reportedly picks up only weeks after where the series finale left off.
Despite those concerns, the WGA listing tells a different story. HBO boss Casey Bloys had already described a second season as “definitely possible,” noting that talks had occurred between Matt Reeves and LeFranc, and this latest development suggests those conversations have moved well past the speculative stage. For a series that ended with Sofia Falcone imprisoned and Oz’s psychological grip on Gotham firmly established, there is plenty of story left to tell.
With Oz Cobb’s grip on Gotham tightening and Sofia’s arc left wide open, where do you think ‘The Penguin’ should take its story in a second season?
