The Penguin finale becomes one of the highest rated TV episodes of all time

The Penguin finale has been lauded as one of the best TV episodes of all time, entering the upper echelon of television on IMDb next to some legendary shows.

The Batman may be one of the best superhero movies ever made, but viewers were right to be skeptical about The Penguin, especially after the MCU’s track record of spinoff shows (Secret Invasion, I’m looking at you).

Incredibly, it may be even better than the original film. It’s been a grim joy to watch Oz Cobb’s story unfold, and his inevitable rise to power culminated in last Sunday’s Episode 8.

A lot went down – Oz killed Vic, his mother had a stroke, and Sofia ended up back in Arkham. It was an incredible finale, and it’s been revered so highly that it rivals some of the highest-rated episodes in the history of TV.

HBO

The Penguin Episode 8 is currently sitting at 9.7 on IMDb. That makes it the 177th highest-rated TV episode of all time – hardly a ranking to boast about on paper, but it’s in the company of greatness.

Here’s a few episodes that share the exact same rating: ‘Forks’ from The Bear Season 2, the Severance Season 1 finale, ‘Pine Barrens’ from The Sopranos, ‘The One Where Everybody Finds Out’ from Friends, and ‘Blackwater’ from Game of Thrones.

The Penguin maintained strong IMDb ratings across its eight-episode run; its lowest rating is 8.5 for Episode 2, while three other episodes – Episodes 3, 4, and 7 – are rated 9.0 or higher.

Sadly, if you’re hoping for The Penguin Season 2, you’re out of luck (for now, anyway). Next up is The Batman 2, and that isn’t coming out until 2026.

For more coverage of The Penguin, find out more about Magpie, why Oz Cobb limps, and a secret QR code that’ll unlock a Riddler Easter egg. You can also learn why Dr Julian Rush may be a Batman villain in disguise and how The Penguin finale could have made one change to set up The Batman 2.