Pennyworth (TV series)


Pennyworth is an American crime drama television series, based on characters published by DC Comics and created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, that premiered on July 28, 2019, on Epix. The series is executive produced by Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon and stars Jack Bannon as the title character, alongside Ben Aldridge, Emma Paetz, Ryan Fletcher, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith, Polly Walker, and Jason Flemyng.
Season two was confirmed on October 27, 2019, to begin filming in January 2020.

Premise

Pennyworth explores the early life of the titular Wayne family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who is forming his own security company in an alternate London which combines aspects of London in the 1950s and 1960s with invented events and practices. Alfred becomes a target of the 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/Batman.

Cast and characters

Main

Production

Development

On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Epix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The pilot episode was expected to be written by Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon, both of whom were also set to executive produce the series. Production companies that were slated to be involved with the series include Warner Horizon Television. On February 6, 2019, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour that the series would premiere in June 2019. On April 24, 2019, the premiere date was revised to July 28, 2019, on Epix.
Season two was confirmed on October 27, 2019, to begin filming in January 2020.

Casting

In October 2018, it was announced that Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Ryan Fletcher, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith, and Jason Flemyng had been cast in series regular roles. On December 4, 2018, it was reported that Polly Walker had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.
On March 20, 2019, Emma Paetz and Jessica Ellerby were cast in the series as Martha Kane and The Queen, respectively.

Filming

Principal photography for the series commenced on October 22, 2018 at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England.
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. Various scenes were filmed at the Dockyard Chatham in Kent, where the streets stood in for East London in the 1960s. Principal photography for the series wrapped on May 24, 2019.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 72% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 7.41/10. 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." On Metacritic the series has a weighted average score of 60% based on reviews from 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Writing for The A.V. Club, Sam Barsanti gives the program a C, noting:

Broadcast

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. Pennyworth season one received its UK premiere on StarzPlay on Friday, October 25, 2019.