Pennyworth is an American television series that premiered on July 28, 2019, on Epix, based on DC Comics's Batman character of the same name. The series is executive produced by Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon and stars Jack Bannon as Alfred Pennyworth, a younger version of the iteration of the character previously portrayed by Sean Pertwee in the Fox series Gotham (2014–2019), alongside Ben Aldridge, Emma Paetz, Ryan Fletcher, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith, Polly Walker, James Purefoy, and Jason Flemyng.[2]
Pennyworth | |
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Also known as | Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler (season 3)[1] |
Genre |
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Based on | |
Developed by | Bruno Heller |
Starring |
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Composers |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Running time | 50–71 minutes |
Production companies |
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Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network |
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Original release | July 28, 2019 (2019-07-28) – present (present) |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Gotham |
The second season began filming in January 2020, but the filming was paused in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The second season premiered on December 13, 2020.[4] In October 2021, the series moved to HBO Max for the third season.[5] The third season, marketed with the subtitle The Origin of Batman's Butler, is scheduled to be released on October 6, 2022.[1][6]
Pennyworth explores the early life of the titular Wayne family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British soldier of the Special Air Service (SAS). After serving in the Malayan Emergency, he aims to form his own security company in an alternate history[7] London which combines aspects of the early 1960s with invented events and practices, such as a modern civil war and televised public executions.
Alfred becomes a target of the fascist Raven Society, a group conspiring to take over the British government, and begins working against them alongside American agents of the No Name League, Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane, the future parents of Bruce Wayne.[8]
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
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First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
1 | 10 | July 28, 2019 (2019-07-28) | September 29, 2019 (2019-09-29) | Epix | |
2 | 10 | December 13, 2020 (2020-12-13) | April 11, 2021 (2021-04-11) |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Danny Cannon | Bruno Heller | July 28, 2019 (2019-07-28)[lower-alpha 1] | |
Former British SAS soldier Alfred Pennyworth becomes caught up in the conflict between American agent Thomas Wayne and the shadowy Raven Society. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "The Landlord's Daughter" | Danny Cannon | Bruno Heller | August 4, 2019 (2019-08-04)[lower-alpha 1] | |
Alfred's side job as a security consultant brings him to the attention of local crime lord John Ripper. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "Martha Kane" | Bill Eagles | Bruno Heller | August 11, 2019 (2019-08-11)[lower-alpha 1] | |
American No Name League agent Martha Kane hires Alfred to assist her on a dangerous mission. | ||||||
4 | 4 | "Lady Penelope" | China Moo-Young | Bruno Heller | August 11, 2019 (2019-08-11) | |
Martha enlists Alfred to help get the name of the new leader of the Raven Society. The episode title refers to British mid-1960s Thunderbirds television series character Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "Shirley Bassey" | Rob Bailey | Bruno Heller | August 18, 2019 (2019-08-18) | |
In the wake of Esme's murder, Alfred is slowly pulled out of his depression by Ripper, who insists that an enemy of Alfred killed her. The episode title refers to 1960s British singer Shirley Bassey. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "Cilla Black" | Bill Eagles | Bruno Heller | August 25, 2019 (2019-08-25) | |
Ripper sends Alfred to a witch who gives him clues to find Esme's killer. Lord Harwood's memory returns. The episode title refers to 1960s British singer Cilla Black. | ||||||
7 | 7 | "Julie Christie" | Clare Kilner | Seth Sinclair | September 8, 2019 (2019-09-08) | |
While Thomas and Martha visit Crowley's mansion seeking Patricia, Alfred closes in on Esme's killer, Captain Curzon. Arthur Pennyworth actively participates at a Raven Society meeting. The episode title refers to 1960s British actress Julie Christie. | ||||||
8 | 8 | "Sandie Shaw" | Jon East | Danny Cannon | September 15, 2019 (2019-09-15) | |
As Alfred hunts down Curzon with help from Bet, Lord Harwood plots his return to power. The episode title refers to 1960s British singer Sandie Shaw. | ||||||
9 | 9 | "Alma Cogan" | Rob Bailey | Bruno Heller | September 22, 2019 (2019-09-22) | |
Alfred is offered a way out of prison as the Prime Minister plots against both the Raven Society and the No Name League. The episode title refers to 1960s British singer Alma Cogan. | ||||||
10 | 10 | "Marianne Faithfull" | Danny Cannon | Bruno Heller | September 29, 2019 (2019-09-29) | |
While Lord Harwood stages a coup, Alfred, Bazza, and Dave Boy help Thomas and Martha rescue the Queen from the Sykes sisters. Lord Harwood, Francis Gaunt, and the Sykes are arrested. Alfred is pardoned, but finds himself trying to stop his father from assassinating the Queen and Prime Minister. The episode title refers to 1960s British singer Marianne Faithfull. |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |||
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11 | 1 | "The Heavy Crown" | Danny Cannon | Bruno Heller | December 13, 2020 (2020-12-13) | |||
Several months passed since the last season. Lord Harwood escaped and his Raven Union has the British Army's backing, having taken over most of the UK. The Queen and what remain of the League are besieged in London. Alfred runs a bar and does side jobs for both sides, being paid by Aziz - now a League council member - to kidnap Salt, a supposedly minor Raven Union functionary. He is collecting money to leave the country for the USA. Meanwhile, Martha Kane has risen to lieutenant position in the League, and meets with a returning Thomas Wayne, now named CIA section leader, who tells her that the USA will remain neutral in the conflict, and that he is engaged to be married. Bet Sykes now works as a captain in an interrogation center of the Raven Union, and unhappy with her job, kills her superior and escapes with an art student prisoner. Salt is sprung from Aziz's team by Gully, Alfred's old SAS captain, and is revealed to have been working with him. It is also shown that Salt is working on project Stormcloud, a poison gas weapon. | ||||||||
12 | 2 | "The Burning Bridge" | Danny Cannon | Bruno Heller | December 20, 2020 (2020-12-20) | |||
The CIA tasks Thomas Wayne to find dirt on Archbishop Potter, as he is an open opponent of nuclear warfare. He meets with Alistair Crowley who agrees to ruin the Archbishop's reputation for a kiss. Alfred and his friends get ready to leave the country with the money they accumulated. Alfie feels conflicted over leaving Sandra behind and gets into arguments with his mum, who wants to stay. Mrs. Gaunt learns about Stormcloud and seemingly talks Harwood out of using the poison gas. Amateur criminals kidnap Alfred's mother on the behest of a masked "Mr X" in return for the money, but it is revealed it was Lt. Aziz who set up the whole thing and shows up as Alfred frees his mum, resulting in the kidnappers getting away with the money. Meanwhile, Bet and Katie stay in hiding as Bet realizes she cannot contact Lord Harwood. | ||||||||
13 | 3 | "The Belt and Welt" | Rob Bailey | Jimmy Dowdall | December 27, 2020 (2020-12-27) | |||
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14 | 4 | "The Hunted Fox" | Rob Bailey | Seth Sinclair | December 27, 2020 (2020-12-27) | |||
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15 | 5 | "The Bleeding Heart" | Jon East | Hannah Boschi | March 7, 2021 (2021-03-07) | |||
Mrs Gaunt meets with Prime Minister Aziz and warns him in vain to surrender or risk Stormcloud being deployed in London. Salt tells Lord Harwood about Gaunt's secret meeting, who, no longer trusting her, has her imprisoned. Martha and Thomas deepen their relationship, while Thomas receives a message from Lucius Fox asking to be extracted. Katie learns all the terrible things Bet has done, but still decides to stick by her and try to help her change. Alfred learns from Thomas that the tickets to America cost more than he assumed, making it necessary for them to work with Gully Troy again. They plan to rob a fixed wrestling match and make off with the winnings, however due to the fighters getting into a squabble, the match ends sooner than expected. An unmasked Banjo, one of Gully's men, kills several civilians in the chaos following the explosion heard from the safe being blown up. Alfred's mother realizes where he got the money from and expels him from her house. Alfred gives in to the advances of Gully's wife, Melanie, and they have sex. Meanwhile, Gully takes Banjo to the woods and executes him. | ||||||||
16 | 6 | "The Rose and Thorn" | Jon East | Bruno Heller | March 14, 2021 (2021-03-14) | |||
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17 | 7 | "The Bloody Mary" | Catherine Morshead | Jimmy Dowdall | March 21, 2021 (2021-03-21) | |||
The CIA forbids Thomas and Lucius to alert the League about Stormcloud - as long as the US government doesn't know about a chemical weapon, they won't intervene and they want the conflict resolved quickly. Against their orders, they go to Martha and give the footage to Aziz, both of them deciding to stay in England. Thomas decides to go to medical school. Meanwhile, Alfred is approached by Gully with a job offer, but declines. Gully, suspicious of him, attacks Melanie and tries to kill her, but she wounds him and escapes to Alfred. He buys her a ticket as well, but in the end decides to stay in England and fight, his mother and Daveboy staying with him. Melanie boards the plane to America with Patricia Wayne. In Harwood manor, Bet and Peg Sykes overpower the guards and try to rescue Lord Harwood, but get surrounded by the army. Realizing that with him dead, Salt will not have the legitimacy to lead the Raven Union, Lord Harwood pretends he wants to surrender to Salt directly, but then draws his weapon on him calling him a traitor and gets shot dead, distracting the army for the Sykes sisters to escape. | ||||||||
18 | 8 | "The Hangman's Noose" | Catherine Morshead | Seth Sinclair | March 28, 2021 (2021-03-28) | |||
After Lord Harwood's funeral in London, Salt demands the unconditional surrender of the Queen, threatening to unleash Stormcloud. Martha tells Thomas she is pregnant, but refuses when he wishes to marry her. Bet and Peg kidnap Vikki, Salt's mistress, but Katie talks Bet out of hurting her. Alfred goes to visit Gully and resolve things, but his gang ambushes him. Gully leads Alfred to the woods, stabs him then hunts him. While wounded, Alfred gets the upper hand after creating a trap from branches, however he refuses to kill Gully. Delirious from his wound, he swears to an apparition of Bazza that he wants to make a difference and serve a higher purpose. Daveboy and Mrs Pennyworth arrive and save Alfred. Meanwhile, the Raven Union high council elects Salt as Chancellor, and it’s revealed that Alfred's father is alive, bound to a life-support wheelchair. | ||||||||
19 | 9 | "Paradise Lost" | Rob Bailey | Hannah Boschi | April 4, 2021 (2021-04-04) | |||
Thomas, Martha and Lucius approach Alfred for assistance in breaking into the Raven Union to steal Stormcloud much to Mrs. Pennyworth’s disapproval. Alfred finds Sandra and makes love with her before embarking on the mission. Martha seemingly agrees to Thomas’s proposal of marriage. Bet and Peg force Vikki to arrange a meeting with Salt. Alfred manages to secure Stormcloud and escape but not before Salt captures them. Salt sends Mr. Pennyworth to talk with Alfred to his disbelief. Alfred refuses his offer to join the Raven Union. Meanwhile, Bet and Peg locate and free Mrs Gaunt. While escaping, Bet runs into Alfred and releases them before parting ways. Alfred and the team fail to escape and gets trapped again. Salt grants Mr. Pennyworth another chance to persuade Alfred to join the Union. Mr. Pennyworth betrays the Union as Alfred kills the guards and they steal Stormcloud before leaving the Raven Union compound. On the way out, Alfred calls Aziz to inform him about their success. | ||||||||
20 | 10 | "The Lion and Lamb" | Rob Bailey | Bruno Heller | April 11, 2021 (2021-04-11) | |||
Mrs Pennyworth learns her husband is still alive. While everyone celebrates at the League HQ, Gully storms in looking for Alfred and accidentally breaks the capsule, revealing it to be inactive. Salt reveals Stormcloud is already in London and arrests General Thursday, intending to detonate it despite the League's surrender. Martha says yes to Thomas and Aziz marries them on the spot. Having second thoughts about letting his family die for his cause, Mr Pennyworth tells Alfred Stormcloud was smuggled into London inside Lord Harwood's coffin. Alfred and Daveboy locate the bomb and Lucius tries to inactivate it. Meanwhile, Salt is attacked by the Sykes sisters in his penthouse and beaten up, but manages to get the detonator and trigger it. Alfred offers to swallow the capsule, but Gully volunteers - the detonation is averted, but he turns blue and dies. Mr Pennyworth says goodbye to his wife and then unplugs his life support to pass away. Six months later, the New Raven Alliance, led by Frances Gaunt, assaults London, while Martha gives birth to a baby girl. Alfred leads the counterattack with Daveboy, Bet and Kathie, and are joined by a revived Gully who now has life-draining powers. |
Epix gave the production a series order for the first season consisting of ten episodes in May 2018, a prequel to the Fox series Gotham.[2] The pilot episode was written by Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon, both of whom are also executive producers. Production companies involved with the series include Warner Horizon Television.[8][12][13][14] At the 2019 Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour held in February, the series was confirmed to premiere in June 2019.[15] The premiere date was revised to July 28, 2019, on Epix.[16]
Season two began filming in January 2020;[3] it premiered December 13, 2020.[4]
Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Ryan Fletcher, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith, and Jason Flemyng had been cast in series regular roles in October 2018.[17][18][19][20][21] Polly Walker had joined the cast in a recurring capacity in December.[22]
Emma Paetz and Jessica Ellerby were cast in the series as Martha Kane and The Queen, respectively in March 2019.[10]
Principal photography for the series commenced on October 22, 2018, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England.[17] Additionally, a number of shots were taken in London, including selecting the landmark building Florin Court as the home and neighbourhood of one of the series lead characters.[23] Various scenes were filmed at Chatham Dockyard in Kent, where the streets stood in for East London in the 1960s.[24] Principal photography for the series wrapped on May 24, 2019.
On Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 has an approval rating of 73% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "While intriguing characters and impressive set-pieces make for an engaging spy-thriller, Pennyworth doesn't add much to the greater Batman mythos."[25] On Metacritic the series has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on reviews from nine critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26]
Writing for The A.V. Club, Sam Barsanti gives the program a C, noting: "[Pennyworth] would almost be more entertaining if you changed some of the names and jettisoned the comic book connection entirely—at least then there'd be no distracting questions about why Thomas Wayne has a sister and why he's secretly working for the government instead of becoming a rich doctor back home. As it stands, though, the show is as entertaining as it is frustrating, feeling sort of like an adaptation of a comic based on Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies (with all of the Britishness that implies)."[27]
On Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 has an approval rating of 60% based on 5 reviews.[28]
In the United States, the series premiered on July 28, 2019, on Epix. In Canada, the series premiered on Showcase on September 4, 2019, six weeks behind the Epix schedule.[29] Pennyworth season one received its UK premiere on StarzPlay on Friday, October 25, 2019.[30] The series is moving to HBO Max starting with its third season with Epix receiving a second-run window.[31] The third season, subtitled The Origin of Batman's Butler, is set to premiere in October 2022 on HBO Max.[1]
A tie-in comic of the titular character, set after the events of the show during the Cold War, was released in August 2021. The story is written by Scott Bryan Wilson with interior art duties handled by Juan Gedeon.[32]
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