The Penguin Keeps Setting Records

The Penguin’s production company, Warner Bros. Discovery, reported that The Penguin‘s first episode racked up an astounding 5.3 million viewers following its debut on HBO and Max on September 19. This viewership wasn’t solely from the night of the series premiere, however, but was reported after four consecutive days of streaming numbers that crossed multiple streaming platforms. While the live airing of the show is in the Sunday evening time slot, subscribers could take in the new show beginning the Friday before which drastically elevated the show’s first episode viewership numbers.

The Penguin‘s first episode was seen that Sunday by 1.3 million viewers, with the second entry in the series seeing an astounding growth of 17 percent when 1.6 million people tuned in the following week.

Warner Bros. Discovery did not report viewership for The Penguin‘s third episode. However, the fourth week saw another jump in viewership, this time by 6 percent. The 1.7 million who tuned in to see the action were eclipsed by total Sunday evening watchers a week later, giving fans and the brass at Max hope that the show will continue to grow in popularity.

As the series continues its run, the numbers from its earlier episodes are continuing to grow. Warner Bros. Discovery reported recently that the debut episode has accumulated over 14.2 million viewers since it first aired. With this past Sunday’s episode of The Penguin being the show’s best single day of viewership and the growing number of viewers tuning in for previous week’s episodes, this signals a tremendous uptick in popularity.

The DC show was constructed from the 2022 film The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. The Penguin serves as a prequel series of sorts, exploring the backstory of one of Gotham City’s most notorious villains and his rise to power in the urban area’s seedy underworld.

The Penguin stars Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb, an organized crime boss who’s taking over for the deceased Carmine Falcone. Cobb’s rise to the top of his former boss’s criminal empire is challenged by Falcone’s daughter, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), after her recent release from Arkham Asylum. The series packs in a great cast of familiar faces in supporting roles, including Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Michael Kelly (House of Cards), Mike Strong (Kick Ass), and Aleksa Palladino (Boardwalk Empire).

The Penguin mini-series is slated for eight episodes, with the finale scheduled to air on Max and HBO Sunday November 10. The hit show’s previously aired episodes can be streamed on the networks’ respective apps.

Sources: Variety