All 11 animated Batman TV shows ranked from worst to best

4. The Batman

Every chance I get, I like to remind everyone that The Batman is the most underrated of all The Dark Knight’s animated outings. It debuted on Cartoon Network in 2004 and ran for five seasons, showcasing as many chapters of the Caped Crusaders’ life as you can imagine. And it did it all well, too – the only problem was that it was always going to live in the large shadow of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series.

But The Batman wasn’t trying to be its predecessor. It was funkier than that because it was aimed at a much younger audience who would buy the toys and merchandise based on those funky designs. But the irony is that the writing was really strong throughout, especially in those first two seasons, which tracked the Dark Knight’s development from vigilante to hero as the GCPD slowly learned to trust him.

The first season’s Clayface arc was surprisingly nuanced, while the season 4 episodes “Strange New World” and “Artifacts” are among the Caped Crusader’s most gripping stories ever told.

The Batman just doesn’t get enough credit, so I’m here to give it the flowers that it deserves today. It was exquisite, and the same goes for its movie counterpart The Batman vs. Dracula.