Rather than tackling the traditional Bruce Wayne Batman story, “Gotham” focuses on young James Gordon, a straight-as-an-arrow detective in an unlawful city. But what is a story about Gotham without Batman?
You have to give points to the creators for going the harder route in coming up with another side of the Batman story they can make entirely their own. FOX flexes its muscle to replicate a video game-like set. But why can’t they afford better actors?
Due to the show’s actors and actresses, including Benjamin McKenzie (James Gordon), who played on shows like “The O.C” and “Southland,” and Donal Logue (Harvey Bullock), who has played in a handful of shows in the last 10 years including “Grounded for Life,” one can’t help but associate the cast with shows that have gone down the drain.
Aside from the cast, the plot itself is lacking. “Gotham” drops blatant hints of future villains coming into the mix, like a teen Catwoman, the Penguin and Poison Ivy. They start off with the very beginning of the story that we all know so well — Bruce’s parents being killed. Like so many renditions before, this creates conflict for many episodes to come.
That’s where Jim Gordon comes in, a character we can root for — to an extent. Gordon’s first few minutes on screen let the audience know this is the substitute hero of the story, however we fail to see any sign of transition into a more complex character. “Gotham” aims to fill this void with maddening police babble between Gordon and his conflicting partner Harvey Bullock.
“Gotham” could give some Batman-hungry fans their fix. It somewhat reminds us of the beginning days of Superman prequel “Smallville,” which had a successful 10-year run. Or, CW’s “Arrow,” another Christopher Nolan-inspired superhero show.
However, “Gotham” is not about a superhero but a mortal human detective, which puts it at a disadvantage.
Not saying this show will definitely be canceled, considering it just released its pilot episode, which is often the rockiest. They certainly have room for improvement, but it’ll have to be fast. FOX doesn’t keep inferior shows around and won’t hesitate to move on to the next project. But because of the mix of borderline sub-par actors and the high rate of predictability, it is hard to imagine this show will be around for years to come.