The Penguin’s Odd Release Schedule, Explained

As a long-time fan of both DC and Marvel, I find myself intrigued by this strategic move between these two titans of the comic book world. The release schedules of “Agatha All Along” and “The Penguin” have created an exciting rivalry that I haven’t seen in quite some time.

Debuting on HBO and Max on September 19, 2024, “The Penguin” series garnered favorable responses from both viewers and critics. Serving as a follow-up and spin-off of the 2022 film “The Batman,” directed by Matt Reeves, this show focuses on the character Oz Cobb, more famously known as The Penguin, portrayed by Colin Farrell. However, those anticipating a weekly television schedule may be disheartened to learn that there will be no new episode airing on Thursday, September 26th.

Actually, the second episode of “The Penguin” won’t be broadcast ten days following its initial debut. Instead, HBO and Max have decided to shift the series to Sunday evenings. However, unlike the usual plan of airing a second episode on the Sunday after the premiere, which would have been September 22nd, Warner Bros. and HBO have opted for a more intricate release schedule for “The Penguin”. Here’s a breakdown of its revised broadcast schedule and the reasons behind this peculiar choice.

The Penguin Release Schedule Explained

In a casual and straightforward manner: The first episode of the show called “The Penguin” named “After Hours,” was released on HBO and Max on September 19th, 2024 at 6 pm Pacific Time / 9 pm Eastern Time. Episode 2, titled “Inside Man,” will follow ten days later on September 29, 2024. After that, new episodes will air every Sunday night, available simultaneously on HBO and Max.

This change occurred because ‘The Penguin’ moved from being a Max Original, where it could premiere on any day, to an HBO series. Notably, HBO is recognized for unveiling episodes of their successful TV shows like ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘The Last of Us’ on Sunday evenings. This practice dates back to the network’s early days when series like ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Sex and the City’ were aired, creating a tradition known as “water cooler television.” These shows became must-watch events before the start of the work week, making them topics of conversation at water coolers or other gathering places.

In total, The Penguin TV series will feature eight episodes, culminating in the season finale on November 10, 2024. The following table provides the titles and air dates for each episode of The Penguin:

If The Penguin were an HBO show, it would typically air on Sundays. So, why did its premiere episode air on a Thursday instead of the usual Sunday, with no new episode the following Sunday but rather the Sunday after that? This anomaly can be explained by the connection to Batman, another HBO series, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if you’re up for it.

The Penguin Was Released Around Batman Day

On September 19, 2024, the premiere of “The Penguin” was scheduled on HBO and Max. Interestingly, this date coincided with one day before Batman Day, a non-official holiday celebrated by DC and Warner Bros. to honor the Caped Crusader. To commemorate Batman Day, which fell on a Saturday, Warner Bros. decided to replay some Batman movies in theaters, including “Batman”, “Batman Forever”, and “Batman Mask of the Phantasm” at AMC from September 20, 2024. By releasing “The Penguin” on the day before Batman Day, Warner Bros. strategically positioned a big banner for the new episode centered on their latest Batman spin-off series to catch the attention of audiences who might have been logging into Max on Batman Day.

Why didn’t the second episode of The Penguin come out three days after its planned release on Sunday, followed by weekly Sunday releases for subsequent episodes? Normally, when a series premieres outside its regular schedule, it makes up for this by releasing a new episode shortly after the intended release date, on the actual day the series’ regular episodes begin. This is what happened with The Mandalorian when it premiered on Disney+ on November 12, 2019, and then aired a second episode three days later on November 15, 2019, which was a Friday. However, The Penguin didn’t follow this pattern by airing a new episode three days later on Sunday, and instead started releasing episodes on a different day.

It appears that HBO is strategically scheduling their shows, as “Industry,” which premiered its third season on August 11, 2024, has been occupying Sunday nights. The Season 3 finale of “Industry” will air on September 29, 2024, the same day that the second episode of “The Penguin” is set to broadcast. HBO wanted to ensure that “The Penguin” didn’t interfere with the final episodes of “Industry.” After the finale of “Industry,” Sunday night duties will be handed over to “The Penguin,” making it HBO’s main show for Sunday evenings. This scheduling decision also implies that HBO’s next series, “Dune Prophecy,” will likely debut on either November 10, 2024, the same night as “The Penguin’s” finale, or a week later on November 17, 2024.

It Was Agatha All Along

Another factor motivating The Penguin’s unorthodox release schedule was for the DC series to take a little bit of attention away from Marvel’s latest television series, Agatha All Along.Agatha All Along, a spin-off series of WandaVision focused on Agatha Harkness, had a two-episode premiere on September 18, 2024. Since Loki debuted to Disney+’s biggest numbers on Wednesday back in 2021, the streaming platform tends to release new series on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The Penguin notably did not debut on Friday alongside the Batman movie re-releases, on Saturday, which would have been Batman Day, or the traditional HBO Sunday. Instead, they picked Thursday, September 19th, one day after Agatha All Along premiered.

As a movie critic, I find myself captivated by the parallel releases of “Agatha All Along” and “The Penguin.” Both shows share striking similarities, making their simultaneous airing seem perfectly timed. They are spin-offs from renowned predecessors – “WandaVision” and “The Batman,” respectively – that delve into the lives of lesser-known villains: Agatha Harkness from “WandaVision” and The Penguin from “The Batman.

Although Marvel and DC are rivals, they typically avoid releasing projects too closely that they clash. However, the simultaneous debut of “Agatha All Along” and “The Penguin,” airing in the same weeks on their respective streaming platforms, represents a more direct competition between the two companies. The rivalry will intensify next year as James Gunn’s “Superman” is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025, followed closely by Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” set for release on July 25, 2025.

The gap of ten days between the first two episodes of “The Penguin” was intentionally set for several reasons: to coordinate with Batman Day, to give some breathing room for HBO’s series “Industry,” and as a subtle jab at Marvel. Fortunately, the enthusiastic response from viewers suggests that they are eagerly anticipating the second episode and are willing to wait the additional ten days for it.

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2024-09-25 05:01