The Penguin was billed as a limited series but amid rave reviews and record-high viewership for HBO, there was chatter about a possible season 2 before the finale even aired.
We'd expected that to bridge the gap between The Batman 2 and The Batman 3, but with the former pushed to 2027, there's a chance The Penguin could reach us before Matt Reeves' sequel (if so, fingers crossed Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader makes at least a cameo appearance).
Talking to TVLine on the Golden Globes red carpet yesterday evening, executive producer Dylan Clark confirmed that there have been "quiet conversations" about bringing the award-winning series back for another season.
"If we could come up with an idea for what a second season might be, there’s a chance that [HBO CEO] Casey Bloys and the HBO team would want to pursue that," Clark said. "There have been quiet conversations about that."
The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc later said, "I mean, you know, I wrote it as a limited series. We're here today and it's nominated for that. I don't know. I love these characters. I think the world has incredible opportunity. If we can figure out the right thing and feel like we can outdo ourselves, there's always that door that's open. I don't know, I'm really proud of the season that we made."
The Penguin was a triumph, but does it need a second season? We've followed Oz Cobb's rise to power, so what's next if not a clash with Batman?
Well, given the positive response to Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone/Gigante, a second season could put an equal share of the spotlight on her time in Arkham, potentially adding The Joker and Catwoman to the mix. Meanwhile, we'd imagine Oz will need to figure out how to hold on to his newfound power in Gotham City.
As always, keep checking back here for updates as we have them.
The Penguin's cast includes Colin Farrell (Oz Cobblepot), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).
The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, and Bill Carraro.
Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, The Penguin is produced by Reeves' 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer.
All episodes of The Penguin are now streaming on Max.