There is no episode 9 of The Penguin, but don’t rule out a second season! 

It seems we’ve got a case of another series with a strange number of episodes as HBO’s The Penguin episode 9 is not happening. In fact, if you’re hoping for more episodes from a second season, that seems very unlikely, too. 

I’ll admit that I had my doubts about The Penguin when the series was first announced. Maybe DCEU fatigue is to blame, but I still tuned in for Colin Farrell. He’s a brilliant actor and I knew he would portray Oswald “Oz” Cobb perfectly. The series also stars Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown. Overall, a brilliant cast. 

The Penguin premiered on HBO (and Max) on Sept. 19, and continued to release weekly episodes. The finale was episode 8, titled “A Great or Little Thing,” which was directed by Jennifer Getzinger. No spoilers here on what happened in the season 1 finale! If you have yet to watch it, please know that all eight episodes are available to stream now on Max. 

The Penguin season 2 could still happen 

Now, as for a second season, here’s why we think it’s not happening. At the time of this writing, a season renewal has not yet been announced, but neither has a cancellation. However, in an interview with Total Film Magazine, Farrell shared that it was a burden “emotionally and physically” to transform into the iconic villain. When asked if he would like to return as Oswald Cobb, Farrell said: 

"I don’t know, man. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it – but it got in on me a little bit. By the end of it, I was [redacted] and moaning to anyone who would listen to me that I [redacted] wanted it to be finished."

This may sound like Farrell is done with the role, even commenting that “I never want to put that [redacted] suit and that [redacted] head on again.” Later on in the interview, though, Farrell said that “maybe in a year I would [play Oswald again].” So it seems like the actor is only in need of a long break. Of course, it's not entirely up to Farrell, but when the main star doesn't rule out returning for more, it's a great sign!

Stay tuned! As soon as we learn more details, we’ll update this post!