When Burgess Meredith was cast as the Penguin in the series, he had not smoked in 20 years. He came up with the Penguin's distinctive squawking because the cigarettes irritated his throat. The Penguin's waddling way of walking was another improvisation; Meredith found it difficult to stand and walk straight while wearing the rubber padded fat suit that was part of his costume.
After ABC canceled the series, the producers waited to see if anyone else would pick it up, then demolished the Batcave set when it appeared that no one would do so. Two weeks later, NBC offered to pick it up, unaware that the Batcave set had already been demolished; unwilling to invest in the high cost of rebuilding the entire set, NBC ultimately decided not to continue the series.
Before this series premiered, it received the worst audience test scores in the entire history of ABC. The only reason why it even went on the air in the first place was because so much money had already been invested in it.
Burt Ward has stated that he was badly injured several times while he starred in the series. He claimed that he was burned and / or struck by shrapnel several times when ill-conceived pyrotechnic effects went wrong. At least once, he was flung out of the Batmobile after his door flew open during a high-speed turn.
Cesar Romero's laughter of the Joker was created almost entirely by accident. Shortly after being cast, Romero met with the producers to discuss his role on his series. While waiting to meet with them, Romero happened to see conceptual art of the Joker's costume. Romero felt that the pictures almost looked absurd and, as a result, he spontaneously broke out into a playfully loud and almost maniacal laughter. A producer overhearing it responded by telling Romero, "That's it, that's your Joker's laugh!"
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