Robert Jackman

Like The Joker, but less pretentious: The Penguin reviewed

If you can get past Colin Farrell's prosthetics, there's much to enjoy here

Colin Farrell as The Penguin 
issue 28 September 2024

Doctor Who fans may remember that after the show’s triumphant return in the early 2000s, we found out that showrunner Russell T. Davies had agreed with BBC mandarins to rid the franchise of some of its more unwieldy elements in order to make it palatable to casual viewers.

Gotham City has long been the perfect backdrop for old-fashioned noir, and the city is on fine fettle here

Watching the debut episode of The Penguin, HBO’s new crime series (available on Sky Atlantic), based on a popular Batman villain, I suspected a similar game was at play.

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