Gotham

[Morris Schæffer]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/commissioner-gordon-fox-tv-series-drama/

a new series about Commissioner Gordon before he knew Batman. Heck, before there was a Batman probably.

[Ezee E]

This has all the chance in the world to be great. Slightly disappointing that Batman isn't involved, even if it was as a background player. I think an entire season dedicated to Joker and the rise and fall of Batgirl would be perfectly suited for TV.

[number8]

Ooooof, what a missed opportunity. Pre-Batman means pre-villains, and an attempt to ground it in Nolan-like reality. I was excited for something Gotham Central-like before reading that premise. This sounds like it's going to be a typical police procedural.

[Raiders]

Yeah, before reading I assumed this was a DC answer to Agents of SHIELD and we would be getting to see how the police department works parallel to Batman's escapades while battling the villains of the city.

This just seems dull and rote.

[EyesWideOpen]

Well according to the article:

"It explores the origin stories of Commissioner James Gordon and the villains who made Gotham City famous." So I assume they'll be some famous villains in it.

[Skitch]

Ooooof, what a missed opportunity. Pre-Batman means pre-villains, and an attempt to ground it in Nolan-like reality. I was excited for something Gotham Central-like before reading that premise. This sounds like it's going to be a typical police procedural.

Exactly what I thought too.

[number8]

Heh.

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[Ezee E]

Ooooof, what a missed opportunity. Pre-Batman means pre-villains, and an attempt to ground it in Nolan-like reality. I was excited for something Gotham Central-like before reading that premise. This sounds like it's going to be a typical police procedural.

Surely some villains will make an appearance. Otherwise, why even exist?

[number8]

I'm sure there will be villains. What I want to know is if they'll be supervillains, or if they're going to be the Nolan/Arrow variety. I brought up Gotham Central because that comic is basically the cast of The Wire/Homicide ducking Mr. Freeze's ray guns and facing hostage situations where the perp is mind controlled by the Mad Hatter, that kind of stuff. I think that's interesting. A cop show that has regular cops going against regular mobsters like Penguin or Black Mask is somewhat less interesting than that. Here's hoping, though.

[D_Davis]

I'm sure there will be villains. What I want to know is if they'll be supervillains, or if they're going to be the Nolan/Arrow variety. I brought up Gotham Central because that comic is basically the cast of The Wire/Homicide ducking Mr. Freeze's ray guns and facing hostage situations where the perp is mind controlled by the Mad Hatter, that kind of stuff. I think that's interesting. A cop show that has regular cops going against regular mobsters like Penguin or Black Mask is somewhat less interesting than that. Here's hoping, though.

Now this is something I would be interested in.

[Ezee E]

I'm sure there will be villains. What I want to know is if they'll be supervillains, or if they're going to be the Nolan/Arrow variety. I brought up Gotham Central because that comic is basically the cast of The Wire/Homicide ducking Mr. Freeze's ray guns and facing hostage situations where the perp is mind controlled by the Mad Hatter, that kind of stuff. I think that's interesting. A cop show that has regular cops going against regular mobsters like Penguin or Black Mask is somewhat less interesting than that. Here's hoping, though.

Gotcha. Both can work. I don't know if a Mr. Freeze ray gun is anything I want to see attempted on Fox budget, but a Mad Hatter/Penguin/Riddler could certainly work.

[slqrick]

I'm sure there will be villains. What I want to know is if they'll be supervillains, or if they're going to be the Nolan/Arrow variety. I brought up Gotham Central because that comic is basically the cast of The Wire/Homicide ducking Mr. Freeze's ray guns and facing hostage situations where the perp is mind controlled by the Mad Hatter, that kind of stuff. I think that's interesting. A cop show that has regular cops going against regular mobsters like Penguin or Black Mask is somewhat less interesting than that. Here's hoping, though.

Yeah, agreed about the missed opportunity. Gotham Central type of show would've been amazing. The thing I loved about that series was the fallout that the cops had to deal with from being in situations like that. Having GCPD cops deal with PTSD after Joker burned one of their faces off woulda been inneresting.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, agreed about the missed opportunity. Gotham Central type of show would've been amazing. The thing I loved about that series was the fallout that the cops had to deal with from being in situations like that. Having GCPD cops deal with PTSD after Joker burned one of their faces off woulda been inneresting.

Yeah, I think an entire season of the Joker in the New 52 series would be interesting without a Batman to stop him.

[number8]

Yeah, agreed about the missed opportunity. Gotham Central type of show would've been amazing. The thing I loved about that series was the fallout that the cops had to deal with from being in situations like that. Having GCPD cops deal with PTSD after Joker burned one of their faces off woulda been inneresting.

Yup. I love that David Simon is actually a recurring character in it (http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4757/85681630.png), because that book really took a page from his approach by showing the human elements. Random cop gets frozen to death by Mr. Freeze in the first issue, we get to follow the officer's widow's grieving process, and then a year later we actually get to see Freeze on trial and how his insanity defense affects her closure. Just top notch stuff.

[MadMan]

Now this is something I would be interested in.Same here. Imagine a cop trying to battle Clayface.

[number8]

This is written by the creator of The Mentalist and directed by the director of the CSI franchise.

:|

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think The Mentalist is a witty show with solid character chemistry. Not anything I follow closely mainly because it's so repetitive in nature, but I wouldn't view it as a strike against an upcoming show to be written by its creator.

CSI, however...

[Raiders]

Heller also co-created and was a lead writer for Rome. I don't think Danny Cannon's involvement goes beyond the pilot, no?

[number8]

The Mentalist falls into that "Burn Notice" category of shows that a lot of people apparently really like judging from the amount of screenshots I've seen turned into image macros and gifs but I don't know if I've ever spoken to a single person who has seen them.

[Winston*]

The Mentalist falls into that "Burn Notice" category of shows that a lot of people apparently really like judging from the amount of screenshots I've seen turned into image macros and gifs but I don't know if I've ever spoken to a single person who has seen them.
What is Burn Notice?

[number8]

Kevin Reilly today announced that the series will include all of the classic Batman villains as well as heroes, including young Bruce Wayne. “The show will track Bruce from a child (around 12 years old) until he puts on a cape (in the finale),” he said. Also on tap are the Riddler, Catwoman, the Penguin. “We will see how they get to become what they are as Gotham is teetering on the edge,” Reilly said. “It is an operatic soap with a larger than life quality.”

Hurm.

[Neclord]

The reluctance (or inability) of these shows to put a hero in a suit and have him do what he's famous for is maddening. I am just not interested in another "tangentially about (superhero)"/origin show.

[Ezee E]

What station is this? In a crazy way, it could be awesome, but it seems like a CW Smallville idea in reality.

[Qrazy]

The reluctance (or inability) of these shows to put a hero in a suit and have him do what he's famous for is maddening. I am just not interested in another "tangentially about (superhero)"/origin show.

The new Batman TV show... this time told from the point of view of a pig on a farm 200 miles from Gotham City.

[Watashi]

The new Batman TV show... this time told from the point of view of a pig on a farm 200 miles from Gotham City.

I'd watch that.

[number8]

Ben McKenzie cast as Gordon.

lol demoted from Batman.

[number8]

Holy shit, Sean Pertwee as Alfred.

They've also cast The Penguin, Captain Essen, and Gordon's wife Barbara.

[Winston*]

Ben McKenzie cast as Gordon.

lol demoted from Batman.

Initially read Bret McKenzie. :sad:

[number8]

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[number8]

If anyone's curious, it's Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty, Gotham Central: Soft Targets, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Batman: Year One, and Batman: Earth One. That last one's inclusion is silly.

[number8]

Holy shit, terrier's Donal Logue is Bullock. Now I can't ignore this show, shit.

[Watashi]

I'd be excited if this show was on any other network.

[slqrick]

I'd be excited if this show was on any other network.

Yep.

[number8]

The little kid from that Kiefer show Touch is Bruce Wayne.

[number8]

http://assets.fox.com/shows/gotham/photos/GOTHAM_CAROUSEL_DESKTOP-carousel-1400x386.jpg


Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world's greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon's story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world's most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?

GOTHAM is an origin story of the great DC Comics super villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), GOTHAM follows one cop's rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.


Growing up in Gotham City's surrounding suburbs, JAMES GORDON (Ben McKenzie, “Southland,” “The O.C.”) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, BARBARA KEAN (Erin Richards, “Open Grave,” “Breaking In”), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version he remembers it was as a kid.

Brave, honest and ready to prove himself, the newly-minted detective is partnered with the brash, but shrewd police legend HARVEY BULLOCK (Donal Logue, “Sons of Anarchy,” “Terriers,” “Vikings,” “Copper”), as the two stumble upon the city's highest-profile case ever: the murder of local billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne. At the scene of the crime, Gordon meets the sole survivor: the Waynes' hauntingly intense 12-year-old son, BRUCE (David Mazouz, “Touch”), toward whom the young detective feels an inexplicable kinship. Moved by the boy's profound loss, Gordon vows to catch the killer.

As he navigates the often-underhanded politics of Gotham's criminal justice system, Gordon will confront imposing gang boss FISH MOONEY (Jada Pinkett Smith, “The Matrix” films, “HawthoRNe,” “Collateral”), and many of the characters who will become some of fiction's most renowned, enduring villains, including a teenaged SELINA KYLE/the future CATWOMAN (acting newcomer Camren Bicondova) and OSWALD COBBLEPOT/THE PENGUIN (Robin Lord Taylor, “The Walking Dead,” “Another Earth”).

Although the crime drama will follow Gordon's turbulent and singular rise through the Gotham City police department, led by Police Captain SARAH ESSEN (Zabryna Guevara, “Burn Notice”), it also will focus on the unlikely friendship Gordon forms with the young heir to the Wayne fortune, who is being raised by his unflappable butler, ALFRED (Sean Pertwee, “Camelot,” “Elementary”). It is a friendship that will last them all of their lives, playing a crucial role in helping the young boy eventually become the crusader he's destined to be.

GOTHAM is based upon characters published by DC Comics and is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Executive producer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) wrote the pilot, which will be directed and executive-produced by Emmy Award nominee Danny Cannon (the “CSI” series, “Nikita”).

[Grouchy]

I wish I could get more excited for this. That all sounds really lame and sort of like we've seen it already.

[Winston*]

But what is known of White's story and his rise from rookie journalist to editor of the Daily Planet?

[megladon8]

I was totally searching for the obligatory Bat symbol somewhere in that logo.

[number8]

http://i.imgur.com/e6V2zll.jpg

Donal Logue as Bullock.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Logue as Bullock is a good pull.

[Skitch]

I've always really liked that guy.

[Morris Schæffer]

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/03/tumblr_n2y94iRtD41t0qyojo1_128 0-610x1160.jpg

[Skitch]

YES.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d1zpt6k5OI

[Morris Schæffer]

Based on that, I will totally give it a chance, but it could all be merely okay too.

[MadMan]

Eh, although that cast is good. I guess The Joker won't come along until later. I wonder if they'll have Mr. Freeze or The Mad Hatter.

[megladon8]

Jesus that looks awful.

Also, I know this is a stupid question but it's a legitimate one - why is this on Fox?

[Grouchy]

That looks very bad. Good cast, though.

[Irish]

Jesus that looks awful.

What looked awful about it, aside from the CGI'd cityscapes?

Warners really perfected the prequel "before they were hero/villains" model with Smallville. This just looks like a Gothic version of that.

Not really that interesting but given Smallville and now Arrow, Gotham looks like exactly what I expected it to be.

[EyesWideOpen]

I really hope we can expect more out of WB then the Smallville/Arrow model because if not that's incredibly disappointing.

[number8]

Apparently the show features "'40s architecture, '70s fashion, '90s phones and computers." That's kind of interesting.

[Grouchy]

Apparently the show features "'40s architecture, '70s fashion, '90s phones and computers." That's kind of interesting.
Well, that does sound interesting, but to be fair, the Animated Series had a similar idea, minus the '70s fashion.

[Dukefrukem]

Netflix Reaches Global Licensing Pact With Warner Bros. for 'Gotham'

I'm wondering if anything in the deal also includes Batman TAS, which is currently only streaming on Amazon.

[Kurosawa Fan]

It's a big gamble by Netflix. I don't really understand paying as much as they are for a show that hasn't aired. They don't get to air the season until the usual timeframe, about a month before the second season hits the air. Seems a silly allocation of money that could be used for much better ventures, including more of their own programming.

[number8]

They struck the exact same deal for Arrow. They're probably trying to build a good partnership with WB. I can see them doing the same for Flash and Constantine.

Just imagine Netflix making the Marvel shows themselves while having exclusive streams of DC shows.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Interesting strategy, but television is such a huge departure from film in terms of predicting success. Just because DC is behind it doesn't mean it will pull ratings throughout an entire season. Still seems like a major gamble, especially if the rumored cost of $2 million per episode is true.

[number8]

Awful.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Awful.

Thank you. I was hoping this would be your reaction, if only because I didn't want to add another show to my viewing schedule. It's been getting enough praise (though sometimes faint) that I was considering it, even though it didn't look good at all.

[Dukefrukem]

Awful.

Will there be an art boiled write up?

[number8]

Thank you. I was hoping this would be your reaction, if only because I didn't want to add another show to my viewing schedule. It's been getting enough praise (though sometimes faint) that I was considering it, even though it didn't look good at all.

I dunno, SHIELD and Arrow were pretty terrible at first and now I dig them a lot. Maybe this show can turn around, too, but that pilot is so generic and full of nothing that it's just not even worth talking about. I'll probably keep fucking watching because it's fucking Batman, but I resent the fact.

[Barty]

Generic is the perfect way to describe it. Just a complete bore.

[number8]

This could be a criticism of the show.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtddl9_9kbQ

[MadMan]

The part where Seth asked them where Gotham is actually located was pretty hilarious.

I haven't been watching this show but based on the back read the reviews haven't been good. I think eternity is the only one I know who enjoys it on some kind of level.

[Dukefrukem]

So I've never watched a second of this show, but is this a full fledged Batman show now?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=56&v=5XRzRXUHNsU

[Morris Schæffer]

Me neither Duke so I cannot answer that question. Nevertheless, it's odd to realize I never jumped like a mad, frothing maniac on a new Batman show which got solid reviews. Must be because there are just so many quality shows these days, I can't really keep up.

[Skitch]

Previous season just hit netflix, so I'm behind. Havent seen a Batman yet. Will report.

[Dukefrukem]

Previous season just hit netflix, so I'm behind. Havent seen a Batman yet. Will report.

The trailer suggests he's going to be introduced in the last season.

[Skitch]

Man I watched the recap on last season...I don't think I've seen the one before that, I don't remember any of this.

[megladon8]

Sweet Jesus Bane is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

[Skitch]

Sweet Jesus Bane is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

Pretty big step down in costume design between Bane and the Scarecrow (I'm just now getting to that part of last season).

[Grouchy]

Yeah, I don't care about this show but that's pretty awful.