THE PENGUIN Showrunner Explains Why Joker and Harley Quinn Weren't Shown in Arkham Asylum

The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc recently talked about the fourth episode of the series, which was set in Arkham Asylum. The episode specifically focused on Sofia Falcone’s story and her time in the mental institute.

Some fans were hoping to see some classic Batman villains in Arkham like Joker, Harley Quinn, and The Riddler, but that was never really in the plan. The creative team didn’t want anything distracting from Sofia’s story.

LeFranc shared in an interview with The Direct: “Honestly, for that episode, we thought just about Sophia, like Sophia’s journey. It’s a tricky episode because it’s only about an hour long, and we told a lot of story in it.”

LeFranc further explained: “We didn’t want to throw the kitchen sink at us, and we didn’t want to have a character that would detract from her experience.”

She went on to emphasize that they wanted viewers “to be immersed in her perspective, in her world.”

All the decisions they made for this episode were the smart ones and it ended up being one of the best and strongest episodes of the series.