The Penguin: 7 things you need to know going into the HBO show

Carmine Falcone is dead. Long live Oz Cobb. Well for as long as the criminals and corrupt cops will let him. Oz will have a target on his head from the beginning of the season until the final episode. If you've seen The Batman, you know it's because he took Carmine Falcone's place. If not, I recommend watching the movie before starting The Penguin.

There are important things to know before starting The Penguin, but these are at the top. Let's start with how to watch the show.

Episodes

HBO is stepping away from their normal consistent releases. Instead of episodes coming out the same day, the season premiere will debut on a Thursday (September 19). The remainder of the season will be released on Sundays. Below is a complete schedule of The Penguin on HBO and Max.

• Episode 2: September 29, 2024
• Episode 3: October 6, 2024
• Episode 4: October 13, 2024
• Episode 5: October 20, 2024
• Episode 6: October 27, 2024
• Episode 7: November 3, 2024
• Episode 8: November 10, 2024

When does The Penguin take place?

HBO’s The Penguin happens a week after The Batman concludes. That means we’ll see Gotham City soon after he becomes the city’s savior. The innocent people of Gotham probably love him, but the underworld hates him. Oz and the other bosses' first meaning should be how to deal with this new threat. If Batman can take down Falcone, he can get anyone.

The most important part is The Penguin bridging the gap between the first and next Batman movies. For example, we can expect the introduction of new characters from the DC Comics lore that will affect The Batman universe like who the next villain will be. Look for Harvey Dent to make his debut sometime before the season finale.

He’s not Oswald Cobblepot

I’ve written Colin Farrell’s character as Oswald Cobblepot in multiple articles. That’s not his name. He’s Oz Cobb. Like in most DC Comics Elseworld stories, there will be changes to the source material. A name can be changed in cases like this (and Harley “Lee” Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux). However, Oz appears to be similar to his comic book counterpart. At the end of the day, what's in a name? The Penguin called by any other name would still run a criminal empire. At least I think that’s what William Shakespeare meant.

Carmine Falcone was recast

Carmine Falcone died during The Batman but will appear in flashbacks. Due to scheduling conflicts, John Turturro (who played Carmine in The Batman) didn’t reprise his role in The Penguin. Thankfully, another great actor (Mark Strong) will take his place.

Executive producer and showrunner Lauren LeFranc said, “Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn't make it work, but honestly, I'm so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on.”

OZ isn't in charge

Oz may have taken over for Carmine Falcone in the Iceberg Lounge, but he isn’t running Gotham City crime. A big part of this show is Oz doing everything he can to become the biggest dog in the yard. That includes (but is not limited to) robbery and murder.

Sofia Falcone

There will be people who don’t think Oz should be in charge. Among them is probably Sofia Falcone (played by Cristin Milioti). The previews show her working with Oz or at the very least formulating a plan, but that can’t be the whole story. Oz is partly responsible for her father being killed. She must want him dead.

Second, Sofia was sent away for being a bit crazy and allegedly killing people. The papers called her Hangman and the trailer shows her beating the tar out of an inmate. This writer recommends paying close attention to her. She could have the performance of the year.

One season

The Penguin is a limited series. The Batman spin-off will have one season and then Oz Cobb will waddle off into the sunset. It's disappointing but there’s hope for fans of The Penguin. If a show does well Warner Bros and DC will produce a second season. At the very least there will be spin-offs of other characters in The Batman universe.

Will you be watching The Penguin? What Batman topics would you like discussed? We want to hear from you. You can email us at entertainment@fansided.com