Summary
- The Penguin received rave reviews ahead of its HBO premiere, drawing comparisons to The Sopranos.
- Even though The Penguin has similarities to The Sopranos, it is encouraged to forge its own path.
- Colin Farrell takes on the role of The Penguin and welcomes compliments comparing his performance to Tony Soprano.
The Penguin received rave reviews from critics in the lead up to its premiere on HBO on September 20. It has also been compared to the classic mob drama, The Sopranos, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Both shows are based on imposing Mafia figures and aired on HBO, but that is where the comparisons should stop, with The Penguin needing to carve its own legacy.
HBO has had a string of successes since The Sopranos ended in 2007, but none have featured such a heavy resemblance to its flagship show, until The Penguin debuted on the cable channel last week. However, the resemblances are very much surface based, with both shows actually being very different to each other. James Gandolfini's legendary performance as Tony Soprano will likely never be replicated, as good as Colin Farrell is as Oz 'The Penguin' Cobb.
The Penguin Has Been Compared To The Sopranos And As Much As It's A Compliment, The Shows Are Very DIfferent
|
The Penguin |
|
|---|---|
|
Cast |
Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Theo Rossi, David H. Holmes, Myles Humphus and Hunter Emery, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O'Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, Michael Kelly and Mark Strong |
|
Created By |
Lauren LeFranc |
|
Directed By |
Craig Zobel |
Episode Titles
- After Hours
- Inside Man
- Bliss
- Cent'Anni
- Homecoming
- Gold Summit
- Top Hat
- Great or Little Thing
Being compared to The Sopranos is undoubtedly a compliment, but it's not exactly an accurate comparison to DC's new Mob-related The Batman spin-off. As dark as The Penguin is, it is still very much part of the comic book world, and it doesn't really compare to the world David Chase created with The Sopranos back in 1999. Having said that, Colin Farrell's hefty make-up and fat suit do strike an eerie resemblance to Gandolfini's therapy-seeking mobster, Tony Soprano.
Colin Farrell's portrayal of The Penguin has drawn similarities to Tony Soprano, and when the actor attended the New York City premiere of The Penguin on Tuesday, September 17. Farrell told reporters:
I have The Sopranos, I have Breaking Bad and someday, when I grow up, I have The Wire to catch up on, which are the three I think of when I think of extraordinary television.
Clearly, Farrell hadn't been intentionally channeling the spirit of James Gandolfini in his preparation for the role, as he admitted he hadn't even seen the show. He was clearly honored by the comparisons to The Sopranos, and he elaborated on this:
That, kind of, in their time, changed the face of television and opened up possibilities for other shows. So what do I think of when I hear about those comparisons? Nothing but compliments. You know, they're revered and deeply loved shows by so many people. So they're cool comparisons. I think there are worse ones you could make.
The Penguin Is Probably Better Off Ignoring The Comparisons With The Sopranos And Being Its Own Thing
|
The Sopranos |
|
|---|---|
|
Cast |
James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Steven Van Zandt, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Edie Falco, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Dominic Chianese, Steve Schirripa, Drea de Matteo and Vincent Pastore |
|
Written by |
David Chase, Terence Winter, Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green and Matthew Weiner |
|
Created By |
David Chase |
The reviews for The Penguin are in, and they have been extremely positive, which bodes well for the future of Matt Reeves' The Batman expanded universe. The series takes place just one week after the events of The Batman. Gotham is in a state of ruin after The Riddler's brutal attack, but Oz Cobb sees it as an opportunity to take over the criminal underworld following the death of powerful Gotham crime family boss Carmine Falcone. The subject matter of The Penguin has led to obvious comparisons with The Sopranos. However, it would be wise for the creative team behind the new DC show to ignore these compliments and become its own entity. 'Our thing', as the Mafia refers to their criminal enterprise, doesn't have to extend to the mob portrayals on television screens.
The Penguin Key Facts
- Mark Strong plays the deceased Gotham crime boss, Carmine Falcone, in flashback sequences in The Penguin, taking over from John Turturro, who played him in The Batman.
- The Penguin debuted on HBO and HBO Max on September 20.
What Have The Critics Said About The Penguin?
The Evening Standard's review of The Penguin said:
The series is far too dense with twists and turns to write about in detail without spoilers, but 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.
The New York Times backed up the need for The Penguin to avoid comparisons to The Sopranos and other Mob classics in their review:
The Penguin sets itself up for lofty comparisons, invoking a gamut of gangster tales from The Godfather to Scarface to The Sopranos.
Watch The Penguin on HBO and HBO Max Now
The Penguin Could Open Up New Worlds For Superhero Media
By conducting a crime drama in the world of a stellar superhero franchise, The Penguin could enable constant experimentation and genres within genres.