Tonight Gotham makes it’s UK debut, at 9pm on 5. It’s the latest in the comic book based TV shows to hit the airwaves, but what’s it like? We had the chance to get a sneak peek at the first episode and below is our spoiler free look at how the series is set up.
Gotham, for those of you who don’t know, is a show focused on Detective Jim Gordon and the people who will eventually become some of Batman’s most famous enemies. But don’t expect to actually see Batman, this is way before his time. In fact the show begins with the shooting of Thomas and Martha Wayne, witnessed by the young Bruce, and Gordon’s on the case to track down the killer.
The first thing that struck me about the show is the casting, some of it is great while others didn’t quite click for me. Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue are great as GCPD detectives Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock, while Jada Pinkett Smith didn’t impress me much as mobster Fish Mooney. But it is early stages and Mooney’s not a character from the comics, so it may just be me getting used to her.
Another thing to expect is a lot of familiar characters popping up, all in their pre-villain lives. In the first episode alone we get obvious hints to The Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman and Poison Ivy. Whether this trend continues in later episodes or not we’ll just have to wait and see, but I’m actually hoping they hold back on more of the iconic villains and spend more time with the relationship between Gordon and Bullock, which looks set to be extremely interesting.
The two early exceptions to that rule are Oswald Cobblepot, who’s transformation into the Penguin looks like it could be an interesting one, and the mobster Carmine Falcone who has the potential to be a more interesting version of the character than the one we saw in Batman Begins.
The pre-Batman Gotham is also shown in all it’s “glory”. It really is a crap-hole and is shown off perfectly with some great shots of the city, the dark and dingy apartments and the crowded police station. It’s clear that this is a city that needs someone to try and clean it up and, while we wait for young Bruce Wayne to grow up, it’s down to Jim Gordon. This is a Gotham full of corruption and Gordon, new to the city, is the one man who can’t be bought.
“Jim, you seem like a nice guy, but this is not a city for nice guys.”
In short this show is dark, gritty and has the potential to be something more than just a superhero sidekick show or a cop procedural. My only worry at this stage is that the UK audience will suffer going up against The Walking Dead.