https://lebeauleblog.com/2017/11/10/worst-to-first-ranking-the-dc-superhero-tv-shows/
14. Birds of Prey
Ran from: October 9, 2002 February 19, 2003
Channel: the WB
Heroes: Huntress, Oracle and Black Canary
Villains: Harley Quinn
Notable Guest Stars: Batman, Catwoman and the Joker are partially visible during flashbacks. Lori Loughlin appeared as the version of Black Canary familiar to fans of the comic book. Versions of Batman villains Clayface and Lady Shiva also appeared
Whats Good: Birds of Prey was one of my favorite comic books. These characters had a lot of potential and it was great to see a team of female heroes get the spotlight. Dina Meyer was perfectly cast as Barbara Gordon.
Whats Bad: The show didnt seem to know what to do with a series set in Gotham City that wasnt about Batman. The solution they came up with was needlessly complicated. They set Birds of Prey in a future Gotham City that has been abandoned by Batman. The Joker and Catwoman are also MIA. The latter is important because the shows lead character, the Huntess, has been reimagined as the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. This gives her Cat-like powers because in this non-canonical universe her mother had super-powers.
The changes dont stop there. The comic books were all about the bond between Oracle and Black Canary. On the show, Black Canary has been demoted to a supporting role. She was also portrayed as a runaway teenager for some reason. Eventually, the adult Black Canary appeared as a guest star.
I dont want to give the impression that I am objecting to Birds of Prey as a comic book purist. I am merely commenting that the shows writers tied themselves in knots to fix a non-existent problem. The show could have easily been about the team of lead characters with Batman being referenced but rarely seen. The guy spends a lot of time in shadows, so shooting around him would have been ridiculously easy. Instead, the series was set up around the crazy concept of a future Gotham City in which Batman and Catwomans daughter is a super powered crime fighter.
As nutty as that premise is, you could build a decent show around it. Execution is whats important. Unfortunately, Birds of Prey was just a run-of-the-mill action-adventure show in Batman drag.
Verdict: Cheesy and rarely in a fun way, Birds of Prey wastes terrific characters.
8. Gotham (https://lebeauleblog.com/2017/11/10/worst-to-first-ranking-the-dc-superhero-tv-shows/7/)
Ran from: September 22, 2014 present
Channel: Fox
Heroes: James Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Bruce Wayne
Villains: The Penguin, Fish Mooney, Victor Zsasz, Jervis Tetch, the Court of Owls and the League of Assassins
Notable Guest Stars: Lili Taylor, Frank Whaley, Dan Hedaya, Julian Sands, Paul Reubens
Whats Good: Confession time: I dont like Gotham. I watched the first season and pretty much hated it. However, I realize that the show has an immense following and I hear it has gotten better in the intervening years.
So, whats good about Gotham? Ever since the success of Smallville, there were efforts to give Batman the prequel treatment. If youre interested in what the GCPD was like before the Dark Knight was there to clean up the streets of Gotham City, this is the show for you. It also helps if you like gritty crime procedurals. Gotham is like your average CBS cop show dipped in Bat-sauce.
Robin Lord Taylor is a stand-out as the Penguin. I have to give the show that much.
Whats Bad: I found the tone of the show to be wildly uneven. It was not uncommon in the episodes I watched for the good guys to kill in cold blood. The villains went on bloody killing sprees with regularity. On the other end of the spectrum, there were characters that felt like they had wandered off the set of the Adam West show.
Most of the cops were obviously corrupt and comically inept. The Batman villains were stuck in permanent stasis because they could never fully embrace their destiny. For me, the show spent a lot of time chasing its own tail.
Verdict: Some people like it. Id rather watch reruns of the show from the sixties Batman.
5. Batman (https://lebeauleblog.com/2017/11/10/worst-to-first-ranking-the-dc-superhero-tv-shows/10/)
Ran from: January 12, 1966 March 14, 1968
Channel: ABC
Heroes: Batman, Robin, Batgirl
Villains: The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, King Tut, Egghead
Notable Guest Stars: Everyone who was cool in the mid-sixties; Jerry Lewis, Dick Clark, Bruce Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Collins, Edward G. Robinson, Art Carney, Tallulah Bankhead, Roddy McDowall, Liberace, Ethel Merman, Milton Berle, Shelley Winters, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Whats Good: Batman gets a bad rap. Following the shows enormous success, it was all too easy to dismiss comic books and superheroes as silly kids stuff. The show spoofed the genre so effectively that casual audiences couldnt see superheroes any other way. Even today, you will still see headlines that use Biff! Bam! Pow! as short-hand for comic books. But thats not Batmans fault.
Taken on its own, the show is clever and often laugh-out-loud funny. The stories can be enjoyed as adventure stories by kids and satire by their parents. Batmans pop art style is bright, colorful and visually engaging. And unlike so many other superhero shows that pitted their protagonist against regular criminals, Adam Wests Batman had a rogues gallery of comic book villains.
Bonus points for having given the world Batgirl.
Whats Bad: If youre looking for a serious take on the Dark Knight, this is not the show for you.
Verdict: Im in the camp that thinks the sixties Batman is fun in small doses.
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