HBO's The Penguin is the rare franchise spinoff that manages to stand on its own, thanks in no small part to Cristin Milioti and Colin Farrell's volatile lead performances.” Multiple over-the-top characters and twists A TV-grade look that pales in comparison to The Batman A one-dimensional version of Gotham City Every second of The Penguin should be eye-roll-inducing.

Played by Colin Farrell under pounds of prosthetic makeup, the character anchors the latest superhero series, a bridge between “Batman” films that aims to be more than a mere brand extension.

Meanwhile, the recurring cast members for The Penguin are Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni, Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone, Theo Rossi as Julian Rush, François Chau, Craig Walker, and Jared Abrahamson.