With an impressive 8.2 IMDB rating through 10 episodes, “Gotham” has achieved the challenging feat of making familiar material fresh without alienating fans. As the first serious live-action TV take on the Batman mythos, it’s entirely possible that “Gotham” could end up being a beloved, definitive take on the saga 10 years down the road.
One big hurdle working against the show is that it’s on Fox, a notoriously impatient network when ratings drop. A wane in superhero popularity in a few years could see “Gotham” canceled before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman (something that presumably would happen in five years at the earliest, but probably more like 10 years).
But in the show’s favor is the previous popularity of “Smallville,” which spent 10 seasons telling Superman’s origin story. While I never caught on to “Smallville,” I think of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” as a show that initially seemed too boxed-in to have free-flowing stories, yet managed to expand its world over the course of six seasons, with several character and story arcs left unfinished.
“Gotham” Season 1 (2014)
Mondays, Fox
Creator: Bruno Heller
Stars: Ben McKenzie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donal Logue
I think “Gotham” is doing something similar: While it may seem absurd that we would wait around for six years for Catwoman to become a Big Bad, for example, I think we’ll find that “Gotham” will grow in such a way that we won’t be bored.
Still, the rogues gallery will always be a central appeal of “Gotham,” so here’s a look at what we’ve seen so far from the show’s new takes on familiar icons:
The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor)
He’s the Big Bad of Season 1, and it’s been interesting to see his step-by-step rise through the ranks of Gotham’s underbelly. This villain has hit the sweet spot of being clearly villainous, yet kind of sympathetic because 1) he’s been wronged by other villains (no one has been more beaten up on this show), and 2) most of the people he wrongs are fellow bad guys. I like how the wild string-driven Penguin theme music has gradually emerged, and in an upcoming episode, we’ll see another big step: He’ll insist on being called THE Penguin.
Catwoman (Camren Bicondova)
She’s not a rogue yet. Rather, the appeal of the future Catwoman (technically named Selina Kyle, but preferring to go by “Cat”) is that she has great chemistry with straight-laced teen Bruce Wayne (the excellent David Mazouz), she moves around with cat-like grace (thanks to the actress’ dancing background), and her costume design (black, and with binoculars perched atop her head) is spot-on.
The Riddler (Cory Michael Smith)
The portrayal of Gotham City Police Department peon Ed Nygma has arguably been a bit too on the nose, as he is regularly ignored, dismissed and casually insulted by his colleagues, particularly Bullock. His put-upon backstory is already being peppered in, like when he is rejected by his the filing clerk he has a crush on, and when we see him doing a brilliant job analyzing a corpse only to be chewed out when the actual coroner comes on the scene. Still, I always enjoyed the riddle-oriented mysteries on “Batman: The Animated Series,” so Nygma could be a fun Big Bad, perhaps in Season 2.
Two-Face (Nicholas D’Agosto)
He won’t be Two-Face until half of his face is disfigured and he starts using a coin-flip for all his decisions. For now, he’s Gordon’s (sort-of) ally, the (sort-of) principled lawyer Harvey Dent. Since Gordon needs allies more than enemies at this point, hopefully he’ll stay away from his Two-Face transformation for several seasons.
Poison Ivy (Clare Foley)
Bruce notes that Ivy Pepper (renamed from the traditional Pamela Isley) is “just a little girl”; Cat says, yeah, but she’s a scary little girl. Through only two appearances, the future Poison Ivy’s tragic backstory has begun, as she has been orphaned thanks to the GCPD wrongly accusing and killing her father, and her mother overdosing on drugs. Her obsession with plants isn’t there yet, but the craziness is, although Foley hasn’t had enough time to really dig into this character.
Rogues we haven’t met yet
The Joker – Although some theories hold that the comedian auditioning for Fish Mooney or smiling detective Crispus Allen is the future Joker, we probably haven’t seen Batman’s major villain yet. On one hand, it’s a high bar to compete with Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger. On the other hand, those diverse Joker portrayals were embraced, so perhaps a new one would be, too.
Mr. Freeze – While Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the definitive campy portrayal of Mr. Freeze way back in 1997’s “Batman & Robin,” it would be neat to see a serious live-action version of what “Batman: The Animated Series” did.
The Scarecrow – I think he could add a nice horror-movie vibe to “Gotham,” and while he served his plot purpose in 2005’s “Batman Begins,” a more nuanced portrayal of the character would be welcome.
Bane – Having recently been at the center of 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” I wouldn’t blame “Gotham” for staying away from this Big Bad for several seasons.