A History of Batman on TV - IGN (original) (raw)

The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which promises to feature "nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief." Making appearances in the series will be Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, and Aquaman.

In celebration of the release of the Caped Crusader's latest cinematic feat, IGN TV is taking you on a history trip through the Batman's television adventures on the small screen so far, both live-action and animated.

Batman (1966 - 1968)

This show holds a complicated place in the history of both Batman and comic book adaptations in general. Batman was a hugely popular series, and it's the reason Batman became one of the most recognizable and popular comic book characters in the world. Beyond that, it also made icons out of several Batman villains – The Riddler was an almost forgotten character until Frank Gorshin's gleeful portrayal and thanks to this show everyone soon knew who The Joker, Catwoman and Penguin were.

Of course where this show causes problems for modern fans is the tone – the epitome of camp, Batman, didn't take the title character, his "chum" Robin, nor anything else in Gotham City seriously. While Batman was played with mock seriousness by Adam West, this was clearly a very jokey, very tongue in cheek series. Let's put it this way: is there any other incarnation of Batman where the Caped Crusader and the Joker are in a surfing contest with each other?

Because of this show and its popularity, comic book heroes would be perceived by many in the mainstream as very silly creations, something it's taken years to undo – and there are still articles about Batman that can't resist a "Holy something, Batman!" or "Bam!" joke in the headline.

The thing about the 1960s Batman though is that it's a very well done and very funny show. The show was intentionally played a certain way, and in that respect, it's a success. There are some completely hysterical, wacky sequences throughout this show, which is very much a product of the '60s, in all its trippyness. We all now know Batman as The Dark Knight, and that's how it should be these days. But this series showed that if you did play Batman for comedy, it could be legitimately funny. One of the things that's so glaring about Batman & Robin is that it not only made the mistake of trying to once again play Batman in a campy manner, well past the era when that was appropriate, but it did it so in such a horrible way, with jokes that weren't actually funny. For an example of how to get a campy Batman right, look no further than Adam West and Burt Ward.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which promises to feature "nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief." Making appearances in the series will be Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, and Aquaman.

] The Batman/Superman Hour (1977 - 1982)

Airing on CBS and produced by Filmation, this Saturday morning animated series was the first TV series not to feature Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. Voicing the characters instead were Olan Soule and Casey Kasem.

The Batman segments of the Batman/Superman Hour consisted of a two-part story and a one-part story in each episode. All the usual supporting characters appeared, including Alfred (voiced by Olan Soule), Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl, voiced by Jane Webb), Commissioner Gordon, The Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler (all voiced by the multi-talented character actor Ted Knight, who also served as the narrator for the series).

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972 - 1973)

The New Scooby-Doo Movies was the second series starring the ever-popular paranormal investigating dog and his human friends. The episodes were an hour long – certainly unusual for a cartoon, though still a bit questionable to be called a "movie." On this show the Scooby gang teamed with a different guest star each week – some were real life celebrities, some were fictional characters.

An example of the latter is when none other than the world's greatest detective teamed up with Scooby-Doo. It's a bizarre pairing, and it actually happened twice – Batman and Robin were among a handful of repeat guest stars on The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

In both episodes, the villains were Joker and Penguin, both now widely known thanks to the Adam West series. That show's influence is certainly still felt here, as Batman & Robin don't act that dissimilar to the Adam West/Burt Ward incarnations.

Obviously, viewed now this is all ridiculous – It's Batman teaming up with Scooby-Doo! Of course, if you're a little kid, this is kind of the best, most amazing thing ever - It's Batman teaming up with Scooby-Doo!

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Super Friends (1973 - 1974)

For years the general public's main perception of Batman came from the Adam West TV series and this Saturday morning animated show. Of course, both portrayals of the Caped Crusader were just about as far removed from the popular Dark Knight incarnation of today as you could get, and yet the cheeseball, kindly, father-figure style Batman remains near and dear to many a viewer's heart for those of us who were a certain age when Super Friends began airing in the mid-'70s.

Featuring an eponymous version of the Justice League called the Super Friends, because, you know, these guys are all friends, the show starred Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and Robin, the latter of whom the show's creators apparently felt was inseparable from his mentor. Debuting in 1973, the program was no doubt barely tolerable for adult comic-book fans -- and this in a time when superhero programming was much harder to come by -- but the kids loved it. Variations on the program would air with different titles and an ever-widening range of heroes and baddies almost continuously through 1986.

Many of Batman's enemies found their way onto the show, including the Penguin, the Scarecrow, and the Joker. Adam West, apparently deciding he had no choice but to embrace his Batman persona after years of avoiding it, voiced the character in the final two seasons of the show, though character-actor Olan Soule and his stentorian-yet-gentle delivery handled the vocal chores for the bulk of the show.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] The New Adventures of Batman (1977 - 1981)

Holy cheesiness, Batman. This Filmation-produced animated series (originally airing as part of The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour) had Adam West and Burt Ward revisiting their roles as Batman and Robin. The Dynamic Duo were joined by Bat-Girl (voiced by Melendy Britt, who would later be the voice of She-Ra) and a completely bizarre character named Bat-Mite (voiced by Lou Scheimer, who would go on to voice many characters in Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, such as Orko). Bat-Mite was an annoying little creature from another dimension who considers himself Batman's biggest fan, sometimes helping him but most often just getting in the way. Not appearing in the series at all is Alfred (Bat-Mite probably drove him away).

Featuring a lot of the same campy humor and cheesy dialogue as the live-action 1966 series, The New Adventures of Batman is a far cry from The Dark Knight of today. While the series was on the air for four years, there were only sixteen original episodes created (ah, the wonders of kids willing to watch reruns). Thirteen of those episodes are available to watch for free on AOL's In2TV, while the complete series was released on DVD in 2007.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Legends of the Superheroes (1979)

Some Batman fans hate the 1960s Adam West series for its campy nature. Well, if you don't like that show, you might well implode when watching this. Adam West and Burt Ward donned the tights one last time for this bizarre pseudo-variety show, which does for the DC heroes what The Star Wars Holiday Special did for that franchise. And yes, that means horror beyond imagination.

Batman and Robin are joined here by a large group of other DC heroes and villains here, for what could be seen as the first-ever live-action incarnation of the Justice League. Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Huntress, The Flash, The Atom and Black Canary all got their live-action debuts, joining Captain Marvel on a show that for some of the above is still their only time to date appearing outside of comics and animation.

But don't get excited, because Legends of the Superheroes, which only aired two episodes, is truly, mind-numbingly awful. It's all played as broad, pun-filled comedy and not a lick of it works. There's one groaner after another, and seeing West, Ward (way too old to be playing "The Boy Wonder") and Frank Gorshin (back as the Riddler) doing such terrible material, it only elevates the legitimately funny '60s Batman series they appeared in more.

The first episode is at least watchable in a train wreck sense, as the heroes go outside and into action to try to stop a team of villains -- including Riddler, Solomon Grundy and Sinestro -- from their plan to blow up the entire world… a plan which the villains don't seem to have thought through, all things considered.

The second episode is even worse and watching it may cause harm to your soul. The episode is all contained on the shoddy set of the show, with a seemingly never-ending superhero roast, featuring Ed McMahon as MC. We only wish we were making this up.

How bad is this show? Well, there's a black superhero featured on the second episode, who goes by the name of Ghetto Man. Yes, really. Bad, stupid and offensive! It's a superhero trifecta! This would be the last time Batman would be seen in live-action until Tim Burton's first film – much like Batman & Robin, a long rest was greatly needed for Batman after this disaster.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Batman: The Animated Series (1992 - 1995)

A lot has been said about Batman: The Animated Series, but it's still probably not enough. It's a rare achievement in both style and substance, and still stands as the best portrayal of Batman in moving images. Paul Dini's excellent writing explored depths of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego while fleshing out the world of Gotham City in a way nobody has since matched. Bruce Timm's visual style managed to capture the spirit of the '30s and '40s of Batman's early days while simultaneously managing to create something with a contemporary feel. It's a big city netherworld that exists unto itself, which is perfect for the iconic and immortal appeal of Batman himself.

This series also firmly established actor Kevin Conroy as the voice of both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Conroy never overacted, and conveyed menace and pathos in his performance. It seemed an easy choice to have Conroy continue as Batman in subsequent series as both a regular and a guest. As good as Chris Nolan's movies are, this animated series captures the style and soul of Batman in a way that is simply beyond the ability of a live action film.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Batman Beyond (1999 - 2001)

Four years after the end of Batman: The Animated Series, Warner Brothers decided to try a reboot of the franchise, setting Batman Beyond more than forty years in the future, when an elderly Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman. In 2050, an athletic high schooler named Terry McGinnis (voiced by Will Friedle) gets into trouble with a gang of Joker-idolizing thugs called the Jokerz, and meets Bruce while fighting off the gang. Terry discovers the Bat Cave and "borrows" a high-tech batsuit; Bruce eventually allows Terry to become the new Batman.

Batman Beyond had a nice mix of fast-paced action and humor, with a creative cast of villains for the Batman to battle. After three seasons and 52 episodes, Batman Beyond wasn't picked up for a fourth season and ended without a true finale in December 2001. Beyond fans would have to wait until 2005 for a group of three Justice League Unlimited episodes to get more of a conclusion for Terry McGinnis.

In January 2001, a Batman Beyond spinoff called The Zeta Project debuted, focusing on Infiltration Unit Zeta, a government robot designed to destroy and impersonate its targets. Batman guest starred in the episode "Shadows," in which Zeta and an evil Infiltration Unit robot, IU7, destroy a mall in the course of a fight and Batman suspects Zeta to be the one responsible. Much like Beyond, The Zeta Project ended without a true series finale, after two seasons and 26 episodes.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001 - 2006)

As the DC animated universe largely overseen by producer Bruce Timm evolved throughout the 1990s, starting with Batman: The Animated Series and continuing with the likes of Superman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond, it was inevitable that a team show would eventually be made. And so it was in 2001 when the excellent Justice League debuted to great critical and fan response.

Batman was naturally included in the lineup of founding members, alongside heroes Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Hawkgirl. Voice actor and fan favorite Kevin Conroy returned from the earlier Timm shows to bring the Caped Crusader to auditory life on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, which the former show evolved into after its first two years, featuring an expanded roster of heroes.

The portrayal of Batman in these series was as spot-on as ever for the Timm shows, with the character often serving as the sort of conscience for his team of super-powered partners. The only mere mortal in the starting JL lineup, Batman nonetheless can hold his own in battle… and yet, he is all too aware of the godlike abilities of Superman and the rest and he is ever-vigilant in that regard. Also, Batman develops a quasi-romantic relationship with Wonder Woman in this series, while also getting the opportunity to face threats that his standard Gotham City adventures typically wouldn't provide (time traveling -- including to Batman Beyond's time, giving that series a finale -- fighting space aliens, and getting turned into a gorilla come to mind…).

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Static Shock (2000 - 2004)

Static Shock is something of an oddity, especially when it comes to Batman. The character "Static" began in a comic book series that was part of the "Milestone" imprint. Milestone comics were (like Wildstorm, and in some cases Vertigo) printed through DC comics but were not considered part of the "DC Universe." So in the early part of the Static Shock series – Batman was as fictional as he is in our own world.

Later on, however, it seemed that Static had his own personal Crisis moment and ended up in the DCU – enabling guest appearances by established heroes – including the Dark Knight himself. Static would also travel to the future to the Batman Beyond era and meet that Batman, Terry McGinnis.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Birds of Prey (2002 - 2003)

This relatively recent failed TV series took some of the basic conceits of the comic book of the same name, but with several changes. This version of Birds of Prey took place in a time many years after Batman had left "New" Gotham City, never to return. The main characters included a wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon, and the Huntress, who like her silver age counterpart was Batman and Catwoman's daughter. The pilot episode included several flashbacks to the events surrounding Batman's final fight with the Joker, and Batman himself was shown, albeit in very brief shots, and with no dialogue. Joker, Catwoman and Barbara in costume as Batgirl were also glimpsed in the flashbacks and in just a minute or two of footage, Dina Meyer certainly made a more credible Batgirl than Alicia Silverstone.

Batman himself was played in the Birds of Prey pilot by Bruce Thomas, the same actor who had played the role in a series of OnStar commercials, and he is seen wearing a costume much in line with what we knew from the Tim Burton/ Joel Schumacher films – sadly, we don't get a good enough look at the costume to settle the "nipple or no nipples?" question no doubt gripping the audience. The brief fight between Batman and Catwoman is clearly inspired by the look and feel of Batman Returns. Catwoman doesn't speak either, but the Joker does – while a different actor is actually physically playing the role, Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series) got to once more voice the Clown Prince of Crime, which was a nice touch.

None of this is meant to infer that Birds of Prey was a good show mind you – it wasn't. But the glimpse at Batman and so many of his supporting cast (plus Alfred, who was actually an ongoing character on the series) was a fun inclusion for Bat-fans waiting for the Dark Knight to make his live-action return in his own project, which would eventually be given to us via Christopher Nolan.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] Teen Titans (2003 - 2006)

Although Batman himself never appeared in the 2003 series Teen Titans, he was often the elephant in the room. After all, it's difficult to have Robin starring in a series and never mention how he got started, who trained him, gave him the costume, etc. However, this series seemed to exist outside the larger universe that previous DC animated series – like The Justice League openly embraced.

There were many references, in-jokes and allusions to the caped crusader. The biggest allusion in the series was in the season three episode "Haunted." In a brief silhouetted sequence, Robin is getting his costume and taking an oath in what appears to be the Batcave. The dark knight appears in a recognizable but mostly obscured silhouette, where die-hard fans armed with a freeze frame can make out his distinctive cowl design.

[The Dark Knight arrives in movie theaters this weekend, in one of the most critically acclaimed sequels in recent memory (currently at 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

This fall, Batman returns to television in Cartoon Network's

] The Batman (2004 - 2008)

This series premiered in 2004 and was the first time that the revered Timm and his colleagues were not handling the animated TV adventures of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego since The Animated Series debuted back in 1992. Based on the style of comics artist Jeff Matsuda (a producer, art director, and the chief character designer on the show), the characters have a much more kiddie and cartoonish feel than those seen in the Animated Series and its kin.

The show also depicts a younger Batman, one who has been on the job for just a few years and hence has no Robin, no Justice League, and less experience than most previous animated Batmans. In later seasons, Batgirl, Robin, and a variation on the Justice League would make appearances, however, but initially the show was designed essentially to play off of the then-upcoming Batman Begins film, which also featured a younger, more inexperienced Dark Knight.

Rino Romano voiced the character this time around, leaving behind the rasp of Kevin Conroy for a less seasoned sound, and in fact that's largely the gist of the show. It's mostly geared towards children, who won't mind the various batsuits and gadgets and mucho action scenes that show up (and are so clearly meant to inspire toys those same kids can buy). The show, which just ended its run last spring, never won over diehard fans the way The Animated Series did, but it did manage to last for five seasons all the same.

What's your favorite TV version of the Batman? Comment below or email us and share your opinion.