‘Platonic’ Creators Reveal The Origin Of Season 2’s Hilariously Cringe Nickname, Penguini: “There Was Something So Horrible About It”

A minute into Platonic‘s superb sophomore season, as besties Will (Seth Rogen) and Sylvia (Rose Byrne) are revving up a bright yellow sports car to test drive in a dealership parking lot, Will answers his phone and hilariously harshes the vibe: “Hey Penguini, how’s it going?”

The call only lasts 19 seconds, but in addition to chaotically code-switching to a calm, chipper demeanor and swapping swears like “WTF” with “What the fudge?” Will utters that mysterious word, “Penguini,” four times. When he finally hangs up, Sylvia rips into him, mocking his comically cringe nickname for fiancé Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom). And he snaps, “It’s fucking adorable! What the fuck do you want from me?!”

Later in the episode, when Sylvia’s husband Charlie (Luke Macfarlane) asks, “He calls her Penguini? Because they like penguins?” it’s clear that the nickname is on its way to becoming one of Season 2’s most iconic runners. To maximize Penguini’s comedic potential, Platonic slips penguin accents into Will and Sylvia’s engagement party, and in Episode 2, Will even wears a shirt with penguins on it to bed. On one hand, the cutesy nickname holds real significance, as it helps highlight Will’s identity crisis in his relationship with Jenna. On the other hand, it’s just plain funny!

Thanks to Rogen’s delightfully deadpan delivery, each Penguini drop in Platonic Season 2 hits as hard — if not harder! — than the last. So naturally, while video chatting with co-creators/EPs/writers/directors/real-life spouses Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco ahead of the comedy’s return, I had to ask about the origin of our dear, sweet, spectacularly silly Penguini.

“I think we remember exactly which writer in our writer’s room thought of Penguini. I don’t think it was one of us. But what we do know, is that the minute it was said out loud, It was like ‘Game over!’” Delbanco told Decider after a good Penguini-inspired giggle. “No one pitched another name. There was something so horrible about it. It’s that like cloying, sounds cute, you would die if anyone ever overheard it, and once you hear it you can’t un-hear it kind of nicknames.”

“I try not to bring [embarrassing nicknames] out into the real world. You know what I mean?” Platonic star and EP Rogen told Decider via Zoom. “But Penguini? That was humiliating. That did hit a little close to home.”

While never explicitly explained, like Charlie, viewers will assume that the mortifying nickname was inspired by a shared love of penguins. And they’re right! For those who are curious, Stoller said the team even wrote, and ultimately removed, a Penguini backstory from the season.

“We wrote and shot a backstory for the Penguini nickname, and then realized you don’t want a backstory. I think the backstory was that on an early date, they went to the like, aquarium, or they went to the zoo. Yeah, the San Diego Zoo. And they liked the penguins,” Stoller laughed. “It was such a boring backstory, and we ended up cutting it, and we were like, it’s actually funnier if you never know why they call each other Penguini.”

While it’s true that the mystery is part of the Penguini’s charm, knowing the nickname was discussed so heavily in the writers’ room that a whole backstory was shot — and wisely cut — only adds another layer of comedy.

Long live Penguini, and long live Platonic.

New episodes of Platonic Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.