Summary
The Penguinreceived rave reviews from critics in the lead up to its premiere onHBOon 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, withThe Penguinneeding to carve its own legacy.
HBO has had a string of successes sinceThe Sopranosended in 2007, but none have featured such a heavy resemblance to its flagship show, untilThe Penguindebuted 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
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
Craig Zobel
Episode Titles
Being compared toThe Sopranosis undoubtedly a compliment, but it’s not exactly an accurate comparison to DC’s new Mob-relatedThe Batmanspin-off.As dark asThe Penguinis, it is still very much part of the comic book world, and it doesn’t really compare to the world David Chase created withThe Sopranosback 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 Penguinhas drawn similarities to Tony Soprano, and when the actor attended the New York City premiere ofThe Penguinon Tuesday, September 17.Farrell told reporters:
I haveThe Sopranos,I haveBreaking Badand someday, when I grow up, I haveThe Wireto 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 toThe 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 Sopranos
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
Thereviews forThe Penguinare in, and they have been extremely positive, which bodes well for the future ofMatt Reeves’The Batmanexpanded universe.The series takes place just one week after the events ofThe 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 powerfulGotham crime familyboss Carmine Falcone. The subject matter ofThe Penguinhas led to obvious comparisons withThe 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.
What Have The Critics Said About The Penguin?
The Evening Standard’s reviewofThe Penguinsaid:
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 Timesbacked up the need forThe Penguinto avoid comparisons toThe Sopranosand 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.
