If you told me a Batman prequel TV series would make for a good cop show, I would have doubted you. The goal of the series Gotham (2014-2019) was to set up the backstory to the Batman narrative through a detective series.
Gotham accomplishes this goal remarkably well, hitting both the superhero world and cop action series in one show. The series was conceived and partially written by Bruno Heller (Rome, The Mentalist). He uses the character of a young Detective Jim Gordon (the future Commissioner Gordon) as the main character. Gordon teams up with an older, loose-cannon detective in Harvey Bullock.
Together they tackle the ever increasing, and ever more bizarre, crime in Gotham City. One of their cases is the infamous murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents. As the series progresses, we are introduced to the landscape of Gotham’s organized crime and the villainous characters that would come to define the Batman universe. The Riddler, Joker, Penguin, and others are portrayed here along with Gotham mobsters Carmine Falcone, Sal Moroni, and Fish Mooney.
At this stage in their development, there are fewer of the fantastical master plots to destroy the city. We see these future archcriminals committing more routine crimes like homicides, thefts, and typical organized crime that takes good detective work to solve. Gordon and Bullock are working cases and fighting the crime, corruption, and disorder to that would come to define Gotham City. Not every show is right up the middle crime – there are some episodes that are a little over the top – but this is a solid detective show.
Jim Gordon is played by Ben McKenzie (The O.C., Southland). He does a great job of bringing Commissioner Gordon’s character, dedication, and morality to this origin story. Detective Harvey Bullock is embodied in the roguish actor Donal Logue. Davis Mazouz is the young Bruce Wayne. Supporting actors include Erin Richards, Jada Pinkett Smith (of Chris Rock’s mouth fame), and Morena Baccarin.
There is a lot here for Batman fans - the writers stay true to the Batman narrative in many ways. However, you can certainly enjoy this show without having any interest in the superhero story. That being said, this series is probably not for everyone. Much like the crime in Gotham, the episodes and plots get wilder and more chaotic as the series progresses. Yet, the series keeps to its roots as a detective show, just with a pretty big twist. And it is a dark series in the theme of the newer Batman movies – no campy 1960’s Adam West and Burt Ward slapstick. This is a legit action series.
Gotham ran for 5 seasons and 100 episodes. Each episode runs about 40 minutes, so you can certainly knock a few out in each sitting. Gotham is available for free with an HBO Max subscription or you can buy a full season for $20 on Amazon Prime Video. This weekend, check out this innovative superhero/detective action series. It is very well done.
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