‘The Penguin’ Soars on HBO: Biggest Debut Since ‘The Last of Us’

HBO’s new series ‘The Penguin’ has made quite an entry, pulling in 5.3 million views across the U.S. within just four days of its premiere on September 19. This includes repeats on HBO and streams on Max, making it a record setter only second to ‘The Last of Us’ in January 2023. It even surpassed other HBO favorites like ‘Succession’s last season opener and ‘The White Lotus’ season two premiere.

The series, a spin-off and sequel to ‘The Batman’, has received glowing reviews, scoring a whopping 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it one of the best-rated DC Comics adaptations to date. Given these impressive numbers, it’s no surprise that HBO might already be considering a second season.

However, Matt Reeves, who envisions ‘The Penguin’ as a bridge to ‘The Batman – Part II’, might not have a second season in the immediate plans. But we can likely expect more spin-offs as HBO seems very confident in its DC series, with plans to also launch ‘Lanterns’.

Craig Zobel, who directed the first three episodes, shared a bit about the show’s creative process in a Collider interview. He discussed the memorable scene where ‘9 to 5’ plays as Victor gets into his car—a choice that was eventually made by showrunner Lauren LeFranc after much debate and various suggestions from the team, including Colin Farrell.

‘The Penguin’ boasts a stellar cast including Colin Farrell as Oz Cobblepot, Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, and Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar. The series also features Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Michael Zegen, Carmen Ejogo, and Theo Rossi in significant roles.

The show is a product of Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in collaboration with Warner Bros. Television. Along with Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark, executive producers include Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, Craig Zobel, and Daniel Pipski.

With such a powerful start and an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera, ‘The Penguin’ is already making waves and we can’t wait to see what’s next for this thrilling new series. Stay tuned for more updates on what promises to be an exhilarating ride through Gotham’s underbelly.

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