The much anticipated, pre-Batman origin television show, Gotham starts today on Fox. Which is pretty exciting being a DC Comics fan. The positive reviews seem to outweigh the negative reviews, which is a great sign! Other DC related shows like The Flash, Arrow, Constantine and iZombie are also starting up soon. Arrow being the veteran of the bunch with it’s third season premiering October 8th.
With all this talk about comic book television shows taking over, here is a small history on comic book TV shows.
Before there was television, radio was king of all media. Families would gather around the radio and listen to radio shows like The Shadow and Superman. In 1940, Superman had his own episodic radio show. Occasionally, Batman and Robin would make appearances in it as well. Batman also would appear in a 15-chapter theatrical serial in 1943. Eventually, the television was a household item and took over the radio as the go to product in family entertainment. In 1952, The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves debuted. It was the very first superhero television show. It was not until the 1960s series Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward that these shows began to take over popular culture. In the late 1970s, The Incredible Hulk starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno and Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter took over the small screens. The 1990s would feature a series of the Swamp Thing and a series of The Flash. The Flash (1990) would be cancelled after one season due to a high budget and low ratings. Recently, live action television shows like Smallville, Arrow, The Walking Dead and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D have appeared on television, appealing to more of the young adult audience. As mentioned before, shows like The Flash (2014), Gotham, Constantine, iZombie and Agent Carter are set to start within the next months or year. Netflix has even joined the superhero show bandwagon, as it is set to debut various shows based on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. All those series would then lead up to a team up series called The Defenders. There are other shows in the works or that are being just announced like Supergirl, Titans, and Lucifer.
It is amazing to think just five years ago there was only one dominating comic book series on television. Now, there will be at least about half a dozen starting up soon.
While I’m a sucker for comic book related media, I do like shows that are well written and that have great character and plot development. Arrow does a pretty good job with it, it’s not perfect, but it’s really good! (I do try to keep in mind that it is a comic book show.) Wouldn’t it be nice to have a comic book show with the writing of Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones?
All I’m trying to say is, with all these comic book television shows coming out let us just hope that they are actually good! Sure, these television studios and companies want to make money by cashing in on the next big thing. In this case, the next big thing means a lot to the fan base who read these characters. Sometimes the things we love (in this case, comic books) become so redundant or overdone in media that it sometimes loses that charm it once had.
I’m sure Arrow will continue to be awesome with introducing an expanding it’s universe. There are so many things to look forward to with Arrow. Brandon Routh being The Atom, Arsenal and Arrow teaming up and I am really excited to see Ra’s Al Ghul as the lead villain for this season. The Flash will be a fun and entertaining show! I cannot wait for the Arrow/Flash crossover episode. Constantine looks to carry the same dark and mystical elements from its comic book counter part. It will provide a very different vibe in comparison to that of Arrow and The Flash. Gotham looks like it will be an awesome show as well, focusing on Detective James Gordon (pre-commissioner) and the origin tales of the young characters of the Batman universe. As a Batman fan and Mr. Freeze fan I cannot wait to see how they re-imagine the mythos of these two characters.
So with all these shows taking over our televisions, do you feel that it’s a good thing? Or, are various comic book related media over saturating our television screens? What comic characters would you like to see be adapted into television? Let us know in the comment section.
Gotham premieres tonight on Fox. Please check your local listings for the time and channel.
