'The Penguin' is a darkly engrossing entry into the Batman cannon

By David Bianculli

Published September 20, 2024 at 12:19 PM EDT

With no costumes, no superpowers and no Batman, HBO's The Penguin is less like a comic book series than a crime drama — closer to The Sopranos than to the Batman movie from which it came.

David Bianculli

David Bianculli is a guest host and TV critic on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. A contributor to the show since its inception, he has been a TV critic since 1975.

See stories by David Bianculli

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