NO SPOILERS! A tip of the beak to screendom’s original felonious fowl…
Did you watch the first episode of Max’s The Penguin, the spinoff of 2022’s The Batman? I can’t call it excellent yet because we’re only one episode in but the opener was definitely first rate and I recommend it without reservation.
Colin Farrell embodies the role in such a way that you forget there’s a handsome dude underneath all that make up. He is Oswald Cobb (as he’s named on the show — and no, I don’t have a problem with that).
Farrell’s Penguin is different from any other we’ve seen on the screen before — to his and the producers’ credit — but the folks behind the premium streaming show certainly have a lot of respect for the original: Burgess Meredith from the 1966 Batman TV show.
See, it turns out our protagonist — he’s a straight-up sociopath, by the way, not an antihero — lives above a jewelry store in Gotham’s Diamond District. Its name? Burgess Jewelry. Not just that, there’s a sign to the left depicting what looks like a jeweler with a monocle. It’s a loupe but there’s no doubt the sight gag is intentional.
The show is uploaded every Sunday at 9 p.m. If you haven’t, go check out the premiere, which went live Thursday, Sept. 19. I watched it a second time with my wife, who had to go to bed early Thursday, and I didn’t get bored for one second. (She dug it too.)
Very much looking forward to Episode 2.
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MORE
— A FOWL RETROSPECTIVE: The Single Greatest PENGUIN Illustration Ever. Click here.
— SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN: How THE PENGUIN Finally Got One Over on BATMAN. Click here.
September 22, 2024
The color of Oz’s car is also a nod to Meredith’s Penguin.
September 23, 2024
Not only that, but he wears a purple suite.
September 22, 2024
I love batman 66.. am 44 yrs old and wish I was a child in the 60s watching it. The show is so ahead of its time and watching it as a child & then as a adult is literally 2 different experiences. No disrespect to any other penguin actors , but burgess is the best.. hes so colorful , elegant and evil.. the batman 66 show in my opinion, is the greatest show ever created. I loved being a child n watching it mon-fri from 330-430 on wlvi 56… great memories!
September 23, 2024
Really enjoyed the first episode. Looking forward to more.
September 24, 2024
I also believe that’s mickeys gym from Rocky that they’re sitting in front of in the last scene of the episode.
September 24, 2024
Oh, that’s so decent of them to do!
November 12, 2024
Just watched the first episode and Burgess wasn’t the only former Penguin actor paid homage to: just before Oswald and Victor get on the train to Mom’s house, the camera lingers on “Danny’s Roofing Corp.” Perhaps a nod to Danny Devito?