"Analysis of the flaws in the Batman TV series"

Batman's difficulties on television

On television, Batman often took a back seat, giving way to companions, original characters and budgetary constraints. The Gotham series failed to focus on Batman's evolution and revealed his Batsuit in live-action too late. The Titans series tried to distance itself too much from being a children's show, resulting in a dark tone that missed the mark.

A Tumultuous History

Batman has had a tumultuous history on live-action television, with no series focusing on the character's mythos being unquestionably good. Since 1966, Batman has appeared in several live-action TV shows, with Adam West being the first live-action Batman to really popularize DC's main hero. Despite the Dark Knight's long history on TV, his legacy on the small screen is far from immaculate, with each series having its own flaws.

Gotham: Getting around Batman

Being a prequel series, Gotham served more as an origin story for the city itself, taking place right at the beginning of Batman's first steps towards becoming the fearsome vigilante known and loved today. With James Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department taking the lead protagonist roles, a young Bruce Wayne is left to slowly develop into the Caped Crusader with the death of his parents still fresh in his mind.

Adam West's Batman: A Different Figure

In many ways, the cheesy character of the original 1966 Batman series has aged gracefully. However, it's hard to reconcile this image of the modern Batman with the one seen in the 1966 series, injected with Silver Age camp.

Gotham Knights: A Batman Series without Batman

Gotham Knights took things to the next level by killing off the Caped Crusader in the very first episode. Unfortunately, Gotham Knights failed to sell its Batman successors as being more interesting than a show simply centered on the Dark Knight would have been.

Gotham: Messing with the Timeline of Batman Mythology

By keeping Bruce Wayne so young, Gotham had a difficult problem on its hands - how to sow the seeds of classic Batman villains without having their arc finished by the time of Batman's debut.

Gotham Knights: Losing Batman's Son

Gotham Knights had an excellent opportunity to put Robin front and center. Instead, Gotham Knights opted to try out a totally original and totally normal character, Bruce Wayne's hitherto unknown adopted son, Turner Hayes.

The Batman of the 60s: Relying Too Much on His Exaggerated Charm

The eccentricity of the 1966 Batman show was not just a concept that needed to be lived up to, but the main attraction of the series in the first place. But the conscious decision to adopt such a silly tone doesn't excuse all the show's shortcomings.

Titãs: Trying Too Hard to Make Sure It's Not for Kids

From the very first episode, Titans had a clear problem with tone. Knowing that the general public was most familiar with the superhero team from the Teen Titans cartoon series, Titans was desperate to ensure that viewers knew that the live-action series was not for children.

Titans: Losing Cyborg

In addition to its edgy tone, Titans also received a justifiable amount of criticism for the absence of a certain mechanized hero among the main Titans cast. Victor Stone, also known as Cyborg, was nowhere to be seen in the series, despite being one of the best-known members of the Young Titans in popular culture.

Birds of Prey: More X-Men than Batman

Birds of Prey told the story of Batman's successors in a Gotham that no longer had his protection. Where Birds of Prey gets really confusing as an adjacent Batman story is the introduction of the metahuman narrative, which made the series feel more like an X-Men series.

Batwoman: Going from Kate to Ryan

Few Batman series have been as ill-fated as 2019's Batwoman. From season 1 to 2, the title of Batwoman is passed from Bruce Wayne's cousin Kate Kane to Ryan Wilder, an unruly homeless woman with no connection to the Batfamily.