Why Not a Straight-Up Batman TV Series?

So the only Live-action Batman TV series was in the 60’s.
And it was great! I’m the last guy who will ever knock it!
Now there have been a couple of live-action series set around the Batman universe, Birds of Prey in the 90s Gotham, Pennyworth, and even (arguably) Titans.
Plus there’s a new Gotham Central series supposedly in the works.
Now Batman has been a nearly constant staple in animation but he’s only ever had a personal presence in live action via Theatrical films from 1989’s Batman to this year’s The Batman.

Meanwhile, Superman has had at least two live action series (four if you count Smallville and Superboy)) as well as a couple of animated series.

Is there some reason Batman can’t have a weekly Television Series of his own? (Not a prequel, not a set in his universe but focused on the surrounding supporting cast)

I’d love to see Batman return to the small screen in. Full-time capacity, but it always seems that he gets relegated to either animation or Big Budget Cinema.

Is there some secret rule that prevents Batman from being on TV?

(Does anyone know?)

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I think a Batman series would be really cool- and maybe it’s just me but I’d love to see a series starring Battinson.

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Just like how they more or less embargo him from appearing in most shows. I think part of it may be they feel Batman is too big for TV and must be on the silver-screen. Same time, since '66 they’ve never tried it. Plus, the ‘bad taste’ (to some) and overall idea of Batman and people think Adam West is gone, and has been gone since '89. So they cannot fall back on that.

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I think you just need the right idea from the right creative team at the right time.

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Me too, Rob’s Batman is my favorite version of the character.

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Superman has actually had more than that. The 50’s Superman show, Lois and Clark and Superman and Lois. Plus Smallville and Superboy. Which is a nitpick but brought up as it further drives home the difference you are reffering to.

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Well, I was specifically just referring to the shows that came out after Batman ‘66 but I should have articulated that earlier.

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Sneak peek of a new Batman tv show in the works.

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Because those documentaries are too perfect to top.

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I really strongly agree with you, I was thinking if Daredevil can have his own TV series, and now a days shows are doing story arc, it’s about time to give a actual Batman TV show a try. Questions is which actors would be willing to play these characters? And of course finding a right writers to tell a good story.:slightly_smiling_face:

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Batman on TV could be tricky. Do you go full-on Daredevil style with long, introspective, character-driven story arcs? Or do you approach it as a procedural, weekly action-adventure series?

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Just film my bats giving them a time to shine.

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Definitely the first option.

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I personally would prefer a more procedural villain of the week style myself. I love the idea of Batman and his rouges gallery and mythos developing over years of a TV series.

But given this is 2022 I think it is a safe bet if someone made a true Batman series it would likely be a season long story arc. Even the Arrowverse with later series like Stargirl and SUperman and Lois had started going that route. Audiences except for cop shows seem to have moved away from mission of the week type TV shows. Or else TV gave them no choice since they think that is how you keep audiences coming back in the day of more and more competition.

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I think I would prefer the “villain of the week” procedural and eschew the season-long arc. But you can mix both with sub-plots (a staple of narrative storytelling in comics in the sixties and seventies) that develop character backgrounds, origins, and motivations and simultaneously move the narrative along until a satisfying payoff is reached. And that payoff does not have to be a season-long arc but can be multiple arcs that draw from seeds planted along the way. I think the one “big baddie” per season is what sunk the Arrowverse. Case in point: The Eva McCulloch/Mirror Monarch storyline that went on forever in The Flash in season six, and spilled over to season seven. It was a giant slog that finally drove me from the show.
Talented writers and show-runners should have the ability to come up with more than one villain per season for these super-hero shows.
Unless you are hiring the entire creative team from The Daredevil Netflix series to run your Batman show, I think it would be prudent to tell the tale(s) of The Dark Knight in multiple installments over one season. Oh, and keep it away from Greg Berlanti Productions.

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I can think of a few things:

DC thinks the public expects a Batman ‘66 type show that needs to be campy.

DC thinks they’re leaving money on the table with Batman on TV vs. Movies.

DC knows a Batman TV series will need production values to match the Movies and is too cheap to make the investment.

For my two cents, I don’t think the world could take the crushing morosity of a weekly modern Batman. If they did a Batman with the tone of the animated series it would be great.

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I’ve wondered about this too.

I’ve heard people say cost before but really thinking about it, with some good costumes and writing, it would be pretty cheap since any Batman show would be a lot of repeat locations and little cgi. Most villains and allies are just normal people, most locations are pretty common irl, fights are generally hand to hand or guns, and merchandise would sell. Lower cost than flash for example.

I’ve also heard people would expect it to be a movie tie in and then they can’t afford the actors and writing gets hard trying not to mess up continuity and leave movies to do their thing apart from show (Marvel’s SHIELD problem). I think this one has some weight to it but not making it a movie tie in solves most of those problems. I feel like genpop would catch on quick with the exception of the same kind of people who are still confused by Superman not showing up in Avengers. (I’ve had sooooo many conversations explaining stuff like that…)

I’d love it if they made one, preferably a more noir than realistic.

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I’m definitely in the poceedural villain of the week camp. I have no problem with the occasional arc for bigger villains like Ra’s Al Ghul. But I really want to have it to be able to have a one and done quality to the shows so that new audiences can jump in at any point and not feel lost.

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Villain of the week approach can only sustain itself for so long. This was a common trope with a lot of shows - I think they do better when they dive into heavy lore. It makes it so it rewards viewers who watch episodically instead of the random episode (which the villain of the week supports). With the age of streaming it makes syndication appeal less of a marketable approach to creating tv shows and more of who will be the home to the next hit show? The network forum isn’t dead by any means, it can still sustain itself - but streaming has a broader, global reach.

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@golddragon71

Is there some reason Batman can’t have a weekly Television Series of his own? (Not a prequel, not a set in his universe but focused on the surrounding supporting cast)

I’d love to see Batman return to the small screen in. Full-time capacity, but it always seems that he gets relegated to either animation or Big Budget Cinema.

Is there some secret rule that prevents Batman from being on TV?

(Does anyone know?)

As others have said, I suspect the reason is why would they give Batman away for “free” when they can charge a movie ticket price for him.

Similar to why there’s no James Bond television series. Why give him away for free when you can charge for him.

Warner Bros. gives Superman away for free on TV because he hasn’t had a successful movie in decades. So I don’t imagine he holds the same value to them.

Matt Reeves has his The Batman television projects, no Robert Pattinson in any of them though, that we know of…

Not a surprise. He apparently holds more value to Warner Bros. in the movies than he does to them on TV.

They don’t want to dilute the brand.

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