20 years ago, something like a Gotham Knights probably would have a bigger audience and be better received. Back then, something like Smallville was considered the high point for a live-action television series based on / inspired by a superhero / comic book property. However, it is not the year 2003 it is the year 2023 and something like a Gotham Knights just doesn't cut it anymore.
After the impressive stunt choreography and staging in Marvel's Daredevil, the method of forcing the camera to shake and cut quickly in an action sequence just fails to deliver the same impact and comes across as cheap and ineffective. With superhero / comic based television like The Boys, The Umbrella Academy, Legion, and most of Marvel Studios' output on Disney+ presenting visuals that are on occasion worthy of the big screen, seeing a low budget affair set in an iconic location like Gotham City focusing on Batman's space in the DC Universe is just not going to amaze any eyes. And, with there being already plenty of live-action versions of Batman in recent memory, and with interconnectivity between feature film and television universe becoming more of a thing with Marvel Studios and Star Wars leading the charge and DC planning to follow in the same footsteps, a series centered around Batman with no Batman in it and having no ties to anything larger does anything but intrigue.
I will be honest, I didn't really have any hope for this series as soon as I had read about it when it was announced, and the trailers and other promotional material didn't change my mind, and after seeing the premiere out of curiosity and with nothing else to do in the evening, my thoughts are exactly what I had anticipated what it would be. It isn't good, it offers nothing new to the marketplace, but to make matters worse, it is just very dull. Why should I, a life-long fan of the Batman character, spend time with a series where he is not present and even a presence, hasn't even done battle with Two-Face (Who is still Harvey Dent in this series) and most of the story is centered around an adoptive son of his that doesn't originate from the comic book mythology? Why create a "Turner Hayes" when you have characters like Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne to choose from? The rest of the Knights are actually from the comic books, however, they're really the characters in-name-only and definitely watered down. It feels like the people involved never read the source material and went by information on Wikipedia. Most of the acting is fine, but there is only so much they can do with such material.
Still, I can't bring myself to hate it, because I pity it more. I pity the creators who thought this kind of approach would still get substantial viewership, I pity the executives who greenlit this program believing it could be a crowd-pleasing success, and I pity that this is yet another smear on Batman's history in culture.
If the best praise you have online is Supernatural fans showing excitement for Misha Collins just being in a new show, you're not doing very right, I'm just saying.
