“Pennyworth” premiered on Epix over the summer, flashing back to the formative years of future “Batman” butler extraordinaire Alfred Pennyworth (played here by Jack Bannon). That DC Comics connection makes it one of the highest profile shows this year for the premium cable outlet, and it has been renewed for a second season. But it’s not the first “Batman” prequel to grace TV screens. FOX’s “Gotham,” which recently wrapped after five seasons, explored the title city from the point of view of future commissioner Jim Gordon. Could “Pennyworth” follow in its awards footsteps?
“Gotham” was never nominated for Best Drama Series by major industry groups, but its technical accomplishments were frequently recognized. The series premiered in the fall of 2014, and in its first awards season it earned one bid apiece from the Art Directors Guild and the Motion Picture Sound Editors, plus two nominations from the American Society of Cinematographers (for its pilot and for the episode “Spirit of the Goat”).
Similarly, the action and world building of “Pennyworth” lend themselves to consideration for crafts. Its production designer Mark Scruton is already an ADG Award winner for his work as an art director on “Gravity,” and most of the show’s cinematography (including the pilot) was done by Mark Patten, a British Society of Cinematographers winner for the Tom Hardy drama “Taboo.”
A new show like “Pennyworth” also has potential at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards, which are often open to anointing new shows and actors (though “Gotham” didn’t get any Globes attention). So don’t count out Bannon in Best Drama Actor races. Breakout stars often score nominations at the Globes especially, including Rami Malek (“Mr. Robot“), Wagner Moura (“Narcos”) and Stephan James (“Homecoming”) in recent years.
Though in that case Bannon’s biggest challenge might be the competition he faces from within his own network: specifically Forest Whitaker (“Godfather of Harlem”) — Globes voters love Oscar-winning movie stars too. Still, we’ve seen DC Comics produce unlikely awards contenders before (Oscar winner “The Dark Knight”). With “Joker” also in the running forwards this season, maybe we’ll see more than one in the coming months.
Be sure to make your Golden Globe predictions so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions until nominations are announced. And join in the fierce debate over the 2020 Golden Globes taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our TV forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
