Thoughts on "The Batman"?

[RubberLotus]

General consensus still seems to be that this offbeat little show from the mid-00s is the low man on the totem pole when it comes to Batman shows. Plenty of people immediately hated it for generating the Bat-Embargo, plenty more hated it for pandering to small children, etc. etc.

And yet, there remain those few brave souls on the Internet who will defend it to their dying breath. It wasn't all bad, they say. It went places where the DCAU and even the Nolan movies never would have, they say.

What say you all about its quality?

[phonogram12]

IMHO, it really wasn't really worth watching until they introduced Robin. Before that, it just seemed that they took too many liberties to sell toys.

[Michael24]

I admit, I initially wrote it off in the beginning just because I didn't like the style. I thought it looked too anime-influenced, the designs (especially Joker) rubbed me the wrong way, and for some reason I was under the impression (because Batman was young in it) that it was somehow tied to the then-upcoming Batman Begins. However, after it had been on for awhile, I started seeing bits and pieces of reruns on Cartoon Network, and to my surprise I was liking what I saw. I finally caught one full episode and thought to myself, "Hmmm. This isn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be." Soon after, I found the first two seasons at Target for $9 each. On a whim, I bought them and ended up binging both seasons in two nights. I was hooked! I've actually never gotten around to seeing the fifth and final season, but I ended up really enjoying the show a lot. BTAS obviously remains the tops when it comes to Batman in animation, but for me, I thought The Batman was a lot better than The Brave and the Bold.

[EdwardNigma]

Is it the worst Batman show? No but it isn't great. I really did like the alternate take on the Riddler though.

[TheNewFiftyForum]

One thing about The Batman that really pinpoints the creators' sensibilities was that every villain suddenly became a physical threat. Riddler, Penguin, Joker... All turned into martial artists just so that the writers wouldn't have to think up stories that couldn't be resolved with a brawl. I guess what I'm saying is that the show desperately lacked narrative finesse.

[SiegePerilous02]

It was REALLY bad in the beginning. Even Greg Weisman's scripts were pretty atrocious. It did get a little better when Batgirl was introduced and better still when they brought Robin in, but even then it didn't hold a candle to the other DC cartoons. It will probably languish in obscurity eventually, and I can't say it's too unsurprising.

[godisawesome]

I think the main problem was that is was lacking in meat compared to its fellow bat-shows; it lacked the delicious development and occasional genius of BTAS (for every lackluster episode in the Timm series, there was at least one fairly complex one) and the pure refined ham of Brave and the Bold. It also didn't help to be airing at the same time as JLU.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

It actually had a few neat ideas, but they were drowned in a sea of mediocrity. The "young Bruce" aspect was dropped after the first season, Detective Yin was rid off quickly, Gordon's partnership with Batman was very forced and immediately increasingly downplayed when Babs came into the picture, Hugo Strange had a disappointing end, and even the highlight of the series, Ethan Bennett/Clayface lacked the proper build-up and handling to be memorable.

Alan Burnett, one of the masterminds of B:TAS, came in to salvage the show in the fourth season and mostly succeeded, but the fifth one lost its teeth due to demographic surveys and became very bland.

Weakest modern Batman series to me.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

It really suffers because on either side of it are two of the best superhero animated shows EVER, but it really is pretty 'meh' most of the time.

[Naked Bat]

it really is underrated. It's a great show, with a real sense of progression and great character development.

[Vakanai]

Didn't really see the series much to be honest, but I loved The Batman vs Dracula movie. If that film was any indication of the quality of the series it must've been alright.

[vitamin]

I liked it. Designs were great, Greg Wiseman did some fantastic episodes, Penguin was fun, and it's a shame Batman Hush DTV didn't get produced .

[PastTenseOfDraw]

I don't think I actually have seen a full episode (moments here and there really). What episodes would one recommend watching? This goes out to those that are fans and those who only like a rare episode here and there (if that). Figured in the year of the 75th, I should check out a few episodes of each iteration, and this one, I know little about. So yea, which ones should I check out?

[Mia]

I loved this show a lot. Or at least I loved the first two seasons. It showed a nice down to earth yet formidable Batman. I also liked the portrayal of the Joker, the meanspiritedness was really came to light. I still have the maquette for Batman from this show. It's one of my most prized possessions.

IMHO, it really wasn't really worth watching until they introduced Robin. Before that, it just seemed that they took too many liberties to sell toys.

I actually found it to be the opposite. The moment that they introduced Batgirl and Robin. The show became less about Batman. And more about Batman being a babysitter to Robin and Batgirl. In fact the whole 3rd season for me just became the animated version of Veronica Mars.

[LoneNecromancer]

I enjoyed it as a kid, but I doubt it'd hold up very well. I remember being confused by a number of the villain redesigns though, having already seen BTAS reruns before.

Liked Robin and Batgirl a lot too, and Barbara's costume design was great, and some of the original characters in Yin and Detective Cash were pretty fun.