Imagine Batman as Arrow/Flash type of show

[batnbreakfast]

What if... audiences never connected that well with the caped crusader. His movies weren't well received and Hollywood would think of Bruce Wayne as too far out there like let's say Shazam, Martian Manhunter. Now Batman is ready to redeem himself as TV show. Audiences are finally ready. Smaller budget, unknown cast, closer to the comics.

[Flash Gordon]

It would be a sad day, for sure.

[RedQueen]

Something I wouldn't ever want to imagine. Though I believe there is already a discount Batman show called "Arrow".

[Jim Kelly]

Are the movies really that satisfyining? I think a TV show would work better. The problem with the movies is they have to cram in a lot in about two hours. At least three villains and their origin stories, if not Batman's as well. Some character development for Gordon, Alfred and whatever female actress they've wrangled for this movie. And the basic structure of every movie is virtually the same: A three act play, with the last act being some big set piece with lots of explosions and fighting (half of which is set in darkness so you have to strain your eyes to see what's going on).

A TV series gives a chance to slow that down and if they got away from the villain of the week, they could spend time developing characters and unfolding mysteries. For most of Batman screen time, we rarely get to see him being a true detective.

[Tony]

Got to agree with Jim other than Batman Begins being a really good movie I would much rather have a TV show. You just get so much more out of a season of television then a Movie every now and then. I hope this kid playing Bruce on Gotham hits the gym and when he gets old enough makes the transition we never got from Smallville. A dream I know but one I enjoy. Just started Watching Gotham. Seeing him poor over documents and put together a case board making connections and searching for clues.

[Frontier]

We'd probably have never had Arrow, or at least Arrow as it ended up being. And then the World's Finest of DC's TV universe would be Batman and Flash, unless we go with the idea that Superman also gets a TV show .

But I think it could work just fine, especially considering how I feel comic book TV shows sometimes do a better job of capturing the feel of the comics in a serialized TV medium compared to one-in-done movies, and can get in more content by comparison. Just my opinion in that regard .

Frankly, I think stuff like Arrow and Daredevil prove it's possible to actually pull off a modern live-action Batman show, not a prequel show like Gotham that has the surface of being a police procedural (however much that's kinda fallen by the wayside) but an actual full-on Batman show.

Heck, given Telltale does "episodes" for their content, the Batman game they're developing might come off like a Batman live-action show depending on how they handle it.

[Custodes]

Tune into Bats this week and watch Bruth explain for the 15th time, why he wasn't home late last night, when his main squeeze (insert female name) came by for a booty call.

[DamianThomas]

Didn't they already turn Oliver Queen into Batman on Arrow?

[HLOTS]

Didn't they already turn Oliver Queen into Batman on Arrow?

All that's missing is Arrow's Alfred.

[batnbreakfast]

Are the movies really that satisfyining? I think a TV show would work better. The problem with the movies is they have to cram in a lot in about two hours. At least three villains and their origin stories, if not Batman's as well. Some character development for Gordon, Alfred and whatever female actress they've wrangled for this movie. And the basic structure of every movie is virtually the same: A three act play, with the last act being some big set piece with lots of explosions and fighting (half of which is set in darkness so you have to strain your eyes to see what's going on).

A TV series gives a chance to slow that down and if they got away from the villain of the week, they could spend time developing characters and unfolding mysteries. For most of Batman screen time, we rarely get to see him being a true detective.

You said it much better than I ever could. As much as I love Batman Begins the last 30 minutes are explosions and I yet want to see Batman as noir/detective tale onscreen.

[neonrideraryeh]

Batman would work much better as an episodic thing than as movies. I've never much liked the Batman movies and I don't think they work much for the character. Batman in an ongoing serialised adventure on TV would fit much better. Then they could do full character development, have a different villain each week/arc that they can give time too and also have more time for detective work. I'd much prefer a TV show over a movie for sure. Gotham doesn't count, it's not a Batman show really.

[mr. k0]

Didn't they already turn Oliver Queen into Batman on Arrow?

Get the feeling that people who saw that Arrow Batman in another skin just don't know Batman.

[Aioros22]

Get the feeling that people who saw that Arrow Batman in another skin just don't know Batman.

Yup.

They say it because they use the League and co on the show but most of the themes and training/flashbacks work better with someone like Oliver. In the same sense, you wouldn`t pull well a Gotham format with a character like Oliver Queen either.

Different drives and character work. One of the main themes that sets the main plot of Arrow since S1 is how everyone remembered Queen as this irresponsible, entitled, playboy twat and then he comes back as this 180º opposite face. You can`t do that with Bruce.

[taylortexas]

I'll take the movies over a show if it's one thing or another but I may be in the minority on this board that doesn't really like any of the DC shows right now. The movies have bigger budgets suited to the type of story being told which also enables them to hire better (often bigger) actors who can convincingly portray the characters and more effectively deliver the story. I can never lose myself in CW's Arrow or The Flash due to so-so special effects, mediocre acting (this doesn't apply to everyone on these shows, mind you), eye-rolling dialogue, and a very soap opera-esque format. Those shows still manage to be successful though and I'm happy that they are. A lot of people love them and I consider the people producing those shows to be very ambitious. I'm glad it exists but it's not for me. I think I'd have an even harder time stomaching that treatment for a Batman show. Yes, he's a character that I love more than any other and it's for that reason that my expectations would just be too high.

I couldn't even keep up with Gotham after a couple of episodes. A police procedural in Gotham should have been the easiest show in the world to sell to me but it just felt like a weirdly lightweight version of a better idea.

Hey, if a Batman show were the only version of the character that I could get then maybe I'd be all over it. But as it stands right now I think I'd be much happier watching the movies over a hypothetical show (sans perhaps the Schumacher ones). Yeah, it would cover more of the world, mythos, and show us characters/villains that will probably never make it into the big screen but I'd rather see another Riddler done really effectively in a movie than a half-assed episode about KGBeast.

There's probably a great way to do a Batman show. I love Netflix's Daredevil and Jessica Jones and once DC puts out a show that can match the storytelling quality portrayed there then I'd have more confidence in a live action Batman show.