Most critics welcome The Penguin as a grounded crime drama with enough character depth to work beyond its Batman connections. Praise centres on Colin Farrell’s ambitious, resentful Oz Cobb and Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone, with both performances winning approval even in less enthusiastic reviews. The favourable notices find the struggle for power compelling and the storytelling confident, often treating the resemblance to The Sopranos as a strength.
The spread is wide, however, and those same mob-drama influences strike some critics as overfamiliar. Reservations cluster around sluggish early episodes, lengthy flashbacks and supervillain elements that interrupt the psychological drama. The Telegraph finds that strong acting cannot rescue the dreary pacing or justify the assumed interest in Oz’s origins. Den of Geek’s assessment is limited to the pilot, but also questions Oz’s appeal as a lead while finding more promise in Sofia and the mob intrigue.