Arthur Conan Doyle Meets Batman In The 100-Episode Detective Series That's A Future Cult Classic

Published Aug 28, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT

Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek.

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Marvel might be dominant on the big screen, but for a long time now, DC has held the upper hand on TV. From Batman: The Animated Series to Smallville, the sprawling Arrowverse franchise to Colin Farrell's masterful The Penguin spinoff, Damon Lindelof's Watchmen series to Damon Lindelof's Lanterns series, DC has nailed the art of translating its superheroes to the small screen.

Still, the MCU's success has a lot to answer for, and DC's TV output over the past 10 years has certainly become more enamored with the trend of shared universes. In some cases, like the Arrowverse, that can be an advantage. In others, such as Peacemaker, it's more of a distraction. Overall, it's hard not to think that superhero TV shows were better off back when they existed on their own terms, and one of the final releases from that sadly bygone era was Gotham.

Initially billed as a Batman spinoff centered around a young Jim Gordon taking his first morally righteous steps in the GCPD, Gotham very quickly evolved into a full-blown Batman prequel. Pretty much every villain in the Rogues Gallery received an origin story, and Bruce Wayne's evolution into a future vigilante became as prominent as Jim Gordon's long road towards growing a mustache.

Gotham would run for five seasons, beginning in 2014 just as studios were starting to look toward Marvel as a franchise template, and ending in 2019, by which time, 'shared universe fever' had fully taken hold. Today, Gotham's brand of superhero-flavored network TV feels like a major throwback, a far cry from the current era of premium streaming, where pumping out 22 episodes per year is unheard of.

In hindsight, however, Gotham not only had a unique approach that's aging surprisingly well, it's a series that future generations could feel very differently about, coming to view it as a cult classic of the superhero genre.

Gotham Was A Batman Series Like No Other

Gotham never shied away from its comic book roots, and as the series unfolded, came to incorporate cartoonish ideas such as Lazarus pits and quasi-magic into its formula. At least in the beginning, however, Gotham was essentially a Batman-flavored police procedural series focusing on Jim Gordon's investigations into macabre murders and kooky criminals.

Living up to its name, Gotham never ignored the importance of Batman's home city, and strove to make the iconic locale a character in its own right. The end product was the closest DC has ever come to realizing Batman: The Animated Series' setting in live-action. Proudly distinct from the urban realism of Christopher Nolan, the garish neon of Joel Schumacher, or the playful quirkiness of Tim Burton, this Gotham City combined noir-ish gothic environments with an almost Victorian grime. Pressed into the mold of a procedural, Gotham vaguely resembled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's take on the superhero genre, or network TV execs adapting an Alan Moore comic (without his blessing, of course).

Against the current backdrop of shared universes singing from the same hymn sheet, a series like Gotham feels surprisingly bold and outlandish. Here was a DC project that stopped just a few inches short of being outright fantastical, yet still embraced its realm of overblown villains and imposing expressionist architecture. Even more unique, here was a DC series that, being contractually obliged to dance around Batman himself, had to frame every antagonist as the target of Jim Gordon's investigative eye, creating a truly one-off blend of detective drama and superhero silliness.

Why Gotham Is A Superhero Cult Classic In The Making

Gotham was never quite a fan favorite while airing. Some, yours truly among them, squinted to see past the sometimes-rough exterior and tout the virtues of a show that had its heart in the right place. Others, quite understandably, couldn't get past the wackier melodramatic elements: the twin Jokers, Batboy, the ever-changing love interests of Detective James Gordon.

Consequently, Gotham is either an underrated gem or a misguided forgotten chapter in Batman history, depending on who you're talking to. But time is working in its favor.

In an era where more and more superhero series are anchoring themselves to existing releases, shows of Gotham's ilk have become a dying breed. The closest DC has come since is probably Gotham Knights or Titans, both of which lacked the same level of execution, and only made their 2010s predecessor look stronger by comparison. Otherwise, it's very difficult to imagine DC allowing anything Gotham-like to happen today: a Batman series featuring almost every main character from the comic books, covering big comic storylines, and taking major swings. The benefit of hindsight makes it much easier to forgive the times Gotham missed the mark and applaud the fact it got a lot more right than wrong.

The other factor working in Gotham's favor is that, even when storylines weren't hitting the mark, the characterizations of some iconic Batman characters worked better than in most of the Caped Crusader's movies.

Cory Michael Smith is probably the best live-action Riddler DC has had. Not quite as 'out there' as Jim Carrey's face-bending puzzle merchant, but much more authentic than the scheming extremist Paul Dano would later play in The Batman. Sticking with the character for five seasons allowed Smith to fully answer Ed's enigma, poking into various facets of the comic character and even finding some brand-new ones along the way.

His partner in crime, Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin, proved just as watchable. While Colin Farrell's incarnation has since stolen the spotlight, Taylor perfectly captured the scheming, fragile, broken Penguin that can't decide whether he just wants to be loved, or just wants to stab everyone in the back and run away with their money. Like Riddler, Gotham gave Penguin the semi-sympathetic portrayal of an antihero, far more nuanced and detailed than a movie could ever have time for. It's not really an exaggeration to say that Riddler and Penguin alone make Gotham a worthwhile watch for Batman fans.

Another big beneficiary of the prequel treatment was Alfred Pennyworth. When Gotham premiered in 2014, Michael Caine's grandfatherly butler from the Dark Knight trilogy sat fresh in the mind. Along came Sean Pertwee to remind everyone that Alfred could also be a tough-talking fixer with a sharp right hook and the heart of a soldier. After Michael Gough was largely restricted to opening the front door and nudging "Master Dick" toward the Batcave, it was the most rounded that Alfred had ever been, and quietly set the stage for Andy Serkis' iteration years later.