Critic Reviews

The city--neon-washed, Chanderlesque, somewhat anachronistic--is itself also a character, and it turns what could be "Law & Order: Gotham" into something infinitely more layered and watchable.

This gritty, atmospheric “Batman” prequel ranks as the fall’s best new drama on broadcast television.

The pilot itself is among the best you'll see this fall. It looks great, the two leads have instant chemistry, and everything hums along nicely as a slightly larger-than-life crime saga.

Gotham feels like a larger-than-life event. The challenge will be to build on that--or at the very least hold steady.

Gotham respectfully riffs on the DC canon, but it’s a whole lot better when it experiments with--and even subverts--the oft-trod territory of Batworld.

The Gotham opener probably makes the most compelling case of any newcomer this fall that at least one promise will be kept.

Gotham brings crazypants eccentricity to a familiar Bat-plot, though, plus a final-act feeling that the safety’s off. The first three episodes overflow with bullet-y standoffs, blood feuds declared, unexpected explosions.

Anyone who loves Batman, naturally, will be watching Gotham, and knowing the Batman world makes the show more fun. But it’s also surprisingly accessible to viewers who just like a good action-packed cop drama with a dry sense of humor. Up front, it looks like a bat-winner.

Gotham is not reinventing the dark cop show, or the dystopian drama, or the superhero genre. But it combines them in a way that’s invigorating–and, honestly, it’s probably better than a new series with this built-in fanbase needed to be.

The mood and writing mix splashy comic book pulpiness with brooding film noir menace, sparked with bits of dark humor.