Gotham TV Show

[Daryl]

Has a pilot ever been the best of a series or even one of the better episodes of the season?
For pilots, I thought this was one of the more decent ones. Not perfect but better than average.

The Walking Dead

[Crimson Knight]

The Walking Dead

Breaking Bad.

Game of Thrones.

But, for the most part, bar a few, or a number, of notable exceptions, Pretender would be right here, I think.

[Crimson Knight]

For those too young to have seen SCTV (which seems impossible--since it's been repeated in syndication)--POLYNESIANTOWN was a kind of parody of Polanski's CHINATOWN. SCTV regular blowhard Johnny LaRue (played by John Candy) is trying to make his own magnum opus--POLYNESIANTOWN--but he insists on having his own dazzling crane shot--which puts the movie over budget and gets him grief from the network.

I can't see a crane shot without thinking of the wonderful Johnny LaRue. Of course, GOTHAM probably doesn't use real crane shots (they can do so much with computers these days), but it's the same idea.

Ah. Sadly...I've never seen this show. Somewhere in Europe, I am, so maybe that explains it. Never, I think, heard of it until now either.

And, don't have the full extent of Sky, if you've ever heard of it, only the free channels, like E4, ITV, BBC etc.

[Crimson Knight]

I like AoS but I didn't see them being much more subtle, unless "WE'RE IN THE MCU TOO" is subtle.


I think even they were saying they put everything in the pilot they could. They want to show off that CGI hybrid city they've made but hopefully they know we've seen it now and can just let it be on it's own merits. We'll find out Monday night.

Hopefully you're right there. Watching it both the first and second time, just felt like a bit too much, especially for a TV show, wherew it wouldn't as spaced out as, say, a Spider-Man film.

[PretenderNX01]

Usually they are. At least in scripted television. That's the hook that's supposed to get you on board for the rest of the series. If it's all exposition and world-building, without that hook, most people don't bother tuning in (or in these days streaming) for the second episode. It also helps that they usually work on writing and rehearsing that pilot episode a lot longer than subsequent episodes.

If the pilot is the best episode of the season, they peaked early. I'm not saying deliberately be lousy to build from there, but you gotta build on what you set up and if it never gets better than the pilot then that just wasn't a good series.

There was a thread about X-Files a while ago so I re-watched the first few eps since I loved that show but oh boy was that pilot hammy and David Duchovny seemed like he had gone to the William Shatner school of over-acting (which was weird since I remember how cool and dry Mulder was) it got better as they sorted it out.

[CSTowle]

A pilot won't always be the best episode, nor will the finale, but because they're the two key episodes in any scripted television show's run they're usually going to be in the conversation. Again, usually they're written, rehearsed, reviewed, edited to the bone to get as good an example episode as possible to show to networks and test audiences. A strong pilot gets people coming back.

My argument was that knowing that (having watched way, way too much scripted TV in my time and particularly superhero shows) if this is supposed to be an example of a strong episode then my hopes are quickly sinking for a good "Gotham" show. You'll notice I also said I'd give it a few episodes, just in case it does need to find its feet. I just can't think of many TV shows I didn't enjoy from the first episode that I ended up loving by episode 7. I'm sure given time to think I'd come up with one, but I can't off the top of my head.

I also loved X-Files back in the day, but it really doesn't hold up. Some really great individual episodes, but the overall arc with the abductions, Scully's pregnancy, etc. was as bad as anything I've seen outside of Heroes (and at least they had the writer's strike to blame).

[inisideguy]

Maybe too much use of the lol acronym? I say 3 seasons because it's drawing from one of the most successful franchises in the genre, the world of Batman. It also has some big name actors (and the possibility of Jada's husband or, gods help us, her children making cameo appearances probably has the network smiling). So three seasons. If it were Aquaman with a pilot of this strength I'd give it the season.

Here is the deal. If it gets crap ratings it wont last more than a season. If it gets good ratings it will last more than that. Thats what it boils down to.

[Jim Kelly]

I hope the future for television is more scripted shows not less. They're likely trying to find a way to do scripted TV that will work in this social media heavy age. A TV show that has call-outs to other media might be an approach that will work. Batman isn't in the story; however, if you're watching the show with a digital device in one hand, Batman is in the story, because you're surfing between different platforms while watching the show.

[tabo61]

Selina finally spoke tonight. I liked how everything that comes out of Nygma's mouth was somekind of riddle.

[saul_on_the_road_to_damascus]

The episode was okay. One thing I hated was how at the end she made the cop go get gordon by threatening to scream and say he touched her. Its becoming a common ploy in movies and tv. (I say becoming but I remember the red headed girl in the wizard using it a couple of times in the movie.) I get that their are creepy bastards out there who do this sort of thing but the propigation that everyone could be guilty of it makes it such an ugly/scary world to live in.

[CSTowle]

Here is the deal. If it gets crap ratings it wont last more than a season. If it gets good ratings it will last more than that. Thats what it boils down to.

Unless they want to hold onto having a part of the Batman franchise. Unless they plan on making more comic-based shows and push this to succeed to get that going. Unless a million other possible things I'm guessing neither one of us is aware of. Unless you have some inside info you're not sharing with the class?

[saul_on_the_road_to_damascus]

The show has already made the network money by selling it's rights to netflix. They would be pretty stupid to cancel it early.

[maczero]

I finally figured out the tone this show is going for. It's not gritty realism nor is it straight up camp. It's trying to be dark and quirky like the Tim Burton Batman films. Not really what I wanted but I'll stay for the ride.

[Vidocq]

I finally figured out the tone this show is going for. It's not gritty realism nor is it straight up camp. It's trying to be dark and quirky like the Tim Burton Batman films. Not really what I wanted but I'll stay for the ride.

That's the vibe I get. More Hannibal the TV Show than Red Dragon.


Anyone noticed the obscure villain reference tonight?

[Vidocq]

The show has already made the network money by selling it's rights to netflix. They would be pretty stupid to cancel it early.

Look, it's Fox, who the hell knows how they work. For all we know ''That one actor be looking at me funny'', is in a couple documents somewhere under ''Reasons for cancellation.''