Watch the film before the series
Our recommended route is Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022), followed by the eight episodes of The Penguin, which premiered in 2024. The series continues the criminal world introduced in the film and centres on Oz, with Colin Farrell returning to the role. You do not need every Batman film as preparation for this continuity.
For a first watch, treat the film as the entry point and the series as the expansion that follows. There is no need to alternate individual scenes or build a combined edit simply because both stories take place in Gotham. Complete The Batman as its own film before moving to Oz’s perspective.
Identify The Batman by its year and lead actor
Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne and Batman in the 2022 film directed by Matt Reeves. It introduces his relationship with Gotham, its criminal investigation and figures in that environment, including Farrell’s Oz. This is the starting title to find even if a service promotes the newer television series more prominently.
Check the year rather than relying on a familiar logo. Batman, The Batman and The Dark Knight are not interchangeable catalogue names. Seeing an earlier adaptation does not provide the same story context as this film. Reading particular comics is not a prerequisite either: the film-and-series route works as a screen-viewing plan in its own right.
The Penguin follows Oz’s side of Gotham
The Penguin is an eight-episode series following Oz within Gotham’s criminal world. Its original US premiere began on September 19, 2024. That date identifies its initial release; it should not be mistaken for a fresh weekly premiere awaiting viewers in 2026 or assumed to be the launch date in every territory.
The connection to The Batman is direct, with Colin Farrell reprising the character from the film. The centre of the story changes, so approach the series as a crime drama concerned with Oz’s world and relationships of power. Its title does not promise a television series led by Batman, and its eight chapters are not a retelling of the film’s investigation.
Keep Christopher Nolan’s trilogy on a separate list
Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) form Christopher Nolan’s trilogy with Christian Bale. Watch those in their own sequence if that is the route you want. Do not insert The Batman as a fourth Nolan film or treat The Penguin as the continuation of Bale’s Gotham.
Actor and year provide a quick way to distinguish them: Pattinson and 2022 identify this guide’s entry point, while Bale and 2005 identify the start of Nolan’s cycle. Shared character and city names are not enough to establish narrative continuity. Keeping the lists separate prevents a viewing plan from becoming a search for connections it does not require.
Where this Gotham sits among DC productions
DC screen stories do not all occupy one continuity. Matt Reeves’ The Batman world is separate from DC Studios’ shared universe. Elseworlds is a label used to distinguish stories outside that shared core; it is not an instruction to watch those stories before or after every other DC-branded film.
For this route, ask whether a production continues the specific world established by The Batman. The Penguin does. A shared publisher, logo or city name does not automatically add another film to the sequence. You do not need to include other Batman adaptations, Justice League films or Joker stories to complete the two connected blocks covered here.
Build a plan without reading the endings
Allow one session for The Batman and eight more if you prefer one Penguin episode per evening. For paired viewing, schedule episodes 1–2, 3–4, 5–6 and 7–8 over four sessions. These are practical time divisions, not officially designated story arcs. Check each episode’s running time and add your breaks before deciding which evenings will fit.
If you last saw the film a long time ago, rewatching it preserves more of the experience than reading an ending explanation. To choose this route without spoilers, you only need to know that Oz belongs to the film’s criminal environment. Check access in your country separately for the film and series: a narrative connection does not guarantee that both are included in the same subscription, service or purchase bundle.
Where preparation ends and a different perspective begins
Matt Reeves’s The Batman (2022), starring Robert Pattinson, establishes this version of Gotham. The Penguin (2024) continues that setting through Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, shifting attention towards organised crime and its struggle for power. We recommend the film followed by the eight episodes of the first season.
That change of protagonist matters when choosing what to watch: the series focuses on alliances, family pressure and ambition rather than promising another Batman-led investigation. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Ben Affleck’s films do not need inserting. They belong to other interpretations, not missing chapters of this route.
Reserve time for the eight episodes
The planner link loads The Penguin season one only. If you have not seen The Batman, reserve a separate session for that film first. Then choose S1 E1, or select your next unwatched episode if you have already begun the series.
The planning allowance is an estimated hour per episode, not an official uniform runtime. Two available hours fit two estimated entries each day; one hour fits one. Check the runtimes of your edition, especially before committing an evening with someone else. Replace individual estimated minutes as needed: the planner will allocate sessions without splitting episodes.
From this guide to your calendar
The Penguin · Season 1
Estimated minutes per entry for reserving time. Adjust runtimes for your edition in the planner.
| Order and entry | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 1. The Penguin · S1 E1 | ≈ 60 |
| 2. The Penguin · S1 E2 | ≈ 60 |
| 3. The Penguin · S1 E3 | ≈ 60 |
| 4. The Penguin · S1 E4 | ≈ 60 |
| 5. The Penguin · S1 E5 | ≈ 60 |
| 6. The Penguin · S1 E6 | ≈ 60 |
| 7. The Penguin · S1 E7 | ≈ 60 |
| 8. The Penguin · S1 E8 | ≈ 60 |
| Total | ≈ 480 min |
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