How to watch 'The Penguin' online and stream 'The Batman' spin-off from anywhere — release date, TV channels

Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb/Penguin in "The Penguin" on HBO and Max
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery)

Colin Farrell as you've never seen him before (unless, of course, you saw "The Batman") leads the much-anticipated "The Penguin" miniseries as its titular villain. Here's how you can watch "The Penguin" online around the world and from anywhere with a VPN.

'The Penguin' streaming details

"The Penguin" premieres on Thursday, Sep. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT (2 a.m. BST on Fri.)
• U.S. — HBO/Max
• U.K. Sky Atlantic/Now
• CAN
— HBO/Crave
• AUS Binge 7-day free trial/Foxtel Now
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN risk-free

Farrell's barely recognizable turn as Oz Cobblepot in "The Batman" (the name has been shortened to Oz Cobb for the TV show) was one of the movie's most enjoyable aspects — blending dangerous gangster don with maniacal sociopath in a much needed update to the cartoonish Penguin of old. Over eight episodes, we'll see the character fleshed out even further in a quintessential crime saga that perhaps has as much in common with "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos" as it does with its comic book origins.

Cobb's avian eyes are well and truly focussed on the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone. But this is Gotham, and there are plenty of other players with their sights on the dubious honor of the city's criminal overlord. None more so than the deceased's own daughter Sofia (deliciously played Cristin Milioti), recently released from the infamous Arkham Asylum.

"This is one of the best shows of 2024 so far," said Malcolm McMillan in his opinion piece on "The Penguin" for Tom's Guide. So to see what all the hype is about read on and discover how you can watch "The Penguin" online with all the streaming details you need below.

How to watch 'The Penguin' online in the U.S.

HBO

"The Penguin" gets its big HBO premiere on Thursday, September 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. (Note it will go out on Sundays from episode 2 onwards — see the full schedule at the bottom of this article).

If you don't have access to HBO, the best way to watch "The Penguin" online is via its Max platform.

Max prices start at $9.99/month if you don't mind ads, going to $16.99/month for ad-free and $20.99/month if you want the option to watch content on up to four devices and in 4K. For even better value, you can pay for a whole year upfront and effectively get 12 months for the price of 10 on any of its tiers.

Max is also the place to watch "The Batman" online.

HBO can also be added to OTT streaming services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus.

Traveling outside the States? You'll need to use a VPN to unblock Max when abroad.

Max is no. 1 on our best streaming services list for its vast, high-quality library, including all of HBO’s prestige series like "Game of Thrones", "The Last of Us" and "Succession", plus recent offerings among the best Max shows such as "House of the Dragon", "True Detective: Night Country" and "The White Lotus".

Watch 'The Penguin' from anywhere in the world

If you're traveling overseas and "The Penguin" isn't airing where you're currently located, that doesn't mean you have to miss the show while you're away from home. With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you are.

We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN you can get right now is NordVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. You can try it risk-free for 30 days if you take advantage of NordVPN's no-quibble money-back guarantee.

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Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the U.K. and want to view a U.S. service, you'd select a U.S. server from the location list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to your streaming service app — so Max, for example — and watch "The Penguin" online from wherever you are in the world.

Watch 'The Penguin' around the world

How to watch 'The Penguin' online in Canada

You can watch "The Penguin" in Canada on HBO and the Crave streaming service. The first episode goes out on Thursday, September 19 from 9 p.m. ET/PT and you can see our full episode guide at the bottom of this page for when future episodes air.

Crave subscriptions start at $9.99/month for its Basic plan (720p video, includes ads) all the way up to $22/month for Premium (ad-free, 4K, downloadable shows).

Those on vacation away from Canada will need one of the best VPNs to log in back home to use Crave as it will be geo-blocked when not at home.

How to watch 'The Penguin' in the U.K.

"The Penguin" premieres on Sky Atlantic in the U.K. at 2 a.m. BST in the early hours of Friday, September 20, and is then shown again at the more reasonable time of 9 p.m. From episode 2, instalments will go out at the same time on Mondays from September 30.

It will also be available for Sky subscribers to watch via the Sky Go app, which is available on smartphones, computers, games consoles and a host of TV streaming devices.

Not a Sky subscriber? Plans currently start from £31/month.

Alternatively, Sky Atlantic content is also available to watch with a flexible Now Entertainment Membership. Prices usually start from £9.99/month, though a special offer is currently allowing new subscribers to sign up for £6.99/month.

Those on vacation away from the U.K. will need a good streaming VPN to log in back home to use Sky Go or Now as they will be geo-blocked when not at home.

How to watch 'The Penguin' online in Australia

Aussies can watch the first episode of "The Penguin" on streaming specialist Binge from Friday, September 8.

Binge offers a free 7-day trial to check out the streaming service. After that, the Basic plan costs AU$10/month, with more pricey options if you want to ditch ads and stream on more than one device.

Or if you have a Foxtel Now subscription, you can watch episode one a few days later on Monday, September 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. AEST (or on-demand), with episode 2 going out the week after at the same times.

'The Penguin' trailer

The Penguin | Official Trailer | Max - YouTube The Penguin | Official Trailer | Max - YouTube
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'The Penguin' episode guide

Here is the full episode schedule for "The Penguin":

  1. "After Hours" — Thursday, September 19
  2. "Inside Man" — Sunday, September 29
  3. "Bliss" — Sunday, October 6
  4. "Cent'Anni" — Sunday, October 13
  5. "Homecoming" — Sunday, October 20
  6. "Gold Summit" — Sunday, October 27
  7. "Top Hat" — Sunday, November 3
  8. "Great or Little Thing" — Sunday, November 10

'The Penguin' cast

  • Colin Farrell as Oswald "Oz" Cobb (a.k.a. Penguin)
  • Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone
  • Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar
  • Michael Kelly as Johnny Vitti
  • Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni
  • Deirdre O'Connell as Francis Cobb
  • Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni
  • James Madio as Milos Grapa
  • Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone
  • Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone
  • Theo Rossi as Julian Rush
  • Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo

More from Tom's Guide

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Contributor

Adam was the Content Director of Subscriptions and Services at Future, meaning that he oversaw many of the articles the publisher produces about antivirus software, VPN, TV streaming, broadband and mobile phone contracts - from buying guides and deals news, to industry interest pieces and reviews. Adam can still be seen dusting his keyboard off to write articles for the likes of TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide, having started his career at consumer champions Which?.