How (and when) to watch The Penguin in Australia

Matt Reeves' The Batman (2022) was the best thing to happen to DC movies since Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and that's just a fact. There was a lot to love about that movie and every one on board was throwing nothing but heaters; Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, John Turturro, the entire cast gave it their all. But the person clearly having the most fun on and behind the camera, was Colin Farrell.  Unrecognisable under the mountain of prosthetics, Farrell killed it in the role as the up-and-coming Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin. Behind all that makeup, Farrell somehow made one of the most cartoonish DC villains likeable. It was no wonder then, when DC and Warner Bros. were scouting for opportunities to extend The Batman universe that The Penguin was the most obvious choice for a spin-off series. 

Now, Max's The Penguin has finally arrived on our screens and it's off to a great start. Here in Australia, The Penguin is streaming exclusively on Binge. 

Typically Max (formerly HBO Max) TV shows end up on Binge or Foxtel Now or both (and occasionally on Stan) but The Penguin will be streaming on-demand exclusively on Binge and airing later on FOX8 via Foxtel. 

Binge is Foxtel's streaming service that's closer to something like Netflix than it is its pay TV forefather Foxtel. It's a no-contract situation with three plan tiers ranging from $10 to $22 per month. Here's how each Binge plan compares: 

When we last saw Matt Reeves and Colin Farrell's version of The Penguin, Oz Cobb was a somewhat downtrodden lieutenant to John Turturro's Gotham crime lord Carmine Falcone who, briefly, became an useful companion for Robert Pattinson's Batman— emphasis on briefly. Before long, the two were engaged in an explosive car chase that put most of the Fast & Furious franchise to shame. For those who still haven't seen The Batman, close this tab now (but only after clicking an affiliate link) because major movie spoilers are coming in 3... 2... 1..

Welcome to spoiler town. 

Once Paul Dano's Riddler methodically deals with most of Falcone's henchmen, and eventually Falcone himself, Oz Cobb is left in charge by a simple process of elimination. Or so it would seem. 

The Penguin picks up just a week after The Batman's end and show's Oz Cobb formally attempting to assert leadership over the Falcone Crime Syndicate. Fate has other plans in store, however, as more suitors for the throne emerge from the shadows, such as Falcone's daughter and recently rehabilitated Arkham patient, Sofia Falcone (played by the wonderful Cristin Milioti.)

If you're interested in revisiting Matt Reeves' The Batman, you're going to have to cough up for a Foxtel Now subscription (or a Stan sub.) Otherwise, there's loads of Batman on Binge to pass the time with, including Batman Returns (1992) where Danny Devito plays an arguably less nuanced version of the Penguin. Here's how those services compare with other streaming services available in Australia: