The first episode of  the DC miniseries “The Penguin” premiered last Thursday on MAX and it’s terrific. 

Starring Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb, the series follows Oz on his journey to the top of Gotham’s criminal underworld. After only one episode, Farrell captivated me with his performance, showing us a man whose ambition is only overshadowed by his humanity. 

Set a week after the events of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” Oz finds himself in a power vacuum created in the aftermath of the death of Gotham’s top crime boss, Carmine Falcone. 

You don’t need to have seen “The Batman” to start watching this show as they use a news clip montage in the opening scene to explain relevant information. I would argue it may be better to go in blind, so that you can see Oz with a clean slate and allow Farrell to build the nuance of the character as you go. 

If the show being based on comic book characters gives you pause, I assure you that “The Penguin” is more like “The Sopranos” than another comic book show. “The Penguin” is a mob story with comic book characters, not a comic book show about mobsters. 

The show is grounded and tense, with Oz’s current position in the criminal hierarchy on full display in every scene opposite a character with real power. The cinematography is superb, with seemingly every shot worthy of hanging on your wall, and Colin Farrell is just the best, creating a character that is somehow deplorable but also frustratingly likable.  

I would highly recommend this show to any fans of crime dramas and anyone who wants to be in the know before next year’s award season, as I am sure this show will win quite a few. 

New episodes will air every Sunday at 8 p.m starting Sept. 29 until Nov. 10.

Official Score: 10/10 

Categories: Arts & Entertainment