There are few cinematic titans quite as larger-than-life as Batman. The Dark Knight has been dominating the silver screen since his first appearance on it all the way back in 1966. However, he has also enjoyed a great deal of success on the small one, with that chapter in his legacy beginning in the exact same year.
The DC Comics may store some of Batman's greatest adventures, but some of the Caped Crusader's adventures on television are arguably even more legendary. We're not just talking about live-action here; sure, we've seen some actors step into the cape and cowl on the small screen, but we've also seen some legendary animated shows headlined by the character, too. And every single one of them have contributed to his ever-growing legacy.
That being said, which of The Dark Knight's TV outings have been his greatest? Does one of his live-action adventures reign supreme or does the crown belong to the animated adaptations? Or is the wild card one of the spinoff shows that he didn't actually appear in?
Taking all of that into account, let's dive into Batman's history on the small screen and rank every single one of the DC icon's shows from worst to best.
18. Birds of Prey
The fact that Birds of Prey was the first live-action show based on Batman characters since the classic 1966 Batman TV series really says all you need to know about what a drought of superhero and comic book content there was prior to its modern-day renaissance. This show was released in 2003 people. 2003. It also didn't feature Batman at all.
Inspired by the comic book team of the same name, Birds of Prey focused on a trio of heroes who step up to save New Gotham after Batman vanishes. That team consisted of Dinah Lance a.k.a. Black Canary, Helena Kyle a.k.a. Huntress, and former Batgirl Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Oracle.
The show was absolutely a product of its time and it never really got the chance to show us what it was capable of as it was cancelled after one season. It struggled to find its footing in an era where superhero dramas weren't given a chance if they weren't masquerading as teen dramas, and it couldn't really reel in the DC fans because of its lack of focus on Batman himself and the liberties it took in adapting the source material.
Nevertheless, there was charm in Birds of Prey - and lots of potential. It's just a shame that it wasn't given the chance to realize that potential.
17. Batman Unlimited
The Batman Unlimited franchise is much more famous for the trilogy of animated movies it produced between 2014 and 2015 - not-to-mention the toy line those films were made to sell - but it also had its own animated webseries.
The series was basically a sequence of shorts released to YouTube on a weekly basis to showcase the Caped Crusader and the Bat-Family's extensive array of weaponry. Each one was its own fun and unique adventure that featured some of Batman's most infamous villains going up against the hero and all of his cool gadgets.
The shorts didn't run longer than three minutes and rarely made the most of its talented voice cast, but for what it was, Batman Unlimited was very entertaining.
16. Batwheels
One of the more recent Bat-centric installments, Batwheels is a lovable animated series for kids that focuses on the Bat-Family's vehicles, who come together to form the Batwheels. Think Cars but with Batman.
The ensemble of vehicles is led by the Batmobile, whose name is Bam, as he attempts to keep Gotham City safe with the help of his allies and friends. Though Batman himself does appear on occasion (voiced by none other than Ethan Hawke), the show centers on its title heroes, who sell it very well.
The show's plotlines aren't the most complex but they aren't supposed to be. Instead, we just have light-hearted, family-friendly fun and that's more than okay. Batwheels wears its heart on its sleeve, it's fun through and through, and it's exactly what it's supposed to be.
15. The New Adventures of Batman
We're going way back to what was only the Caped Crusader's second ever animated series. The New Adventures of Batman (not-to-be confused with a similarly titled revival of Batman: The Animated Series) aired on CBS for just three months in 1977. The show was notable for having Adam West and Burt Ward voice Batman and Robin, reprising their roles from the live-action series that aired during the '60s on ABC.
It was also notable for featuring Bat-Mite, with the show's somewhat more outlandish tone allowing it to take on some more adventurous storylines than its predecessor. It also benefited from having Batgirl as part of its line-up, as the Triumphant Trio made for some welcome changes from the typical Dynamic Duo audiences had grown accustomed to.
It wasn't exactly cutting edge, nor did it push any boundaries but it did what it was supposed to: Entertain.
14. The Adventures of Batman
That brings us to the very first animated series to star Batman and Robin. The Adventures of Batman also aired on CBS in 1968. It was originally part of The Batman/Superman Hour, with the show's 12-minute segments eventually being repackaged as its own series.
The show is best remembered for featuring Olan Soule and Casey Kasem as the voices of the Dynamic Duo, as the pair would become associated with the characters, voicing them again in The New Scooby-Doo Movies and, most notably, Super Friends.
Like its successor, it hasn't exactly aged well, with the titular heroes being little more than costumed crimefighters without any real goals or desires of their own. But as this was the norm for cartoons back then, it's forgivable. The show certainly has a nostalgic charm about it and Soule and Kasem have great back-and-forth chemistry, making it easy to buy them as the voices of Batman and Robin.
13. Pennyworth
Pennyworth is a show that you might be forgiven for forgetting it existed because it very much felt like a Batman show in name only. It's not even really a Batman show, because as its title suggests, it focused on the origins of The Dark Knight's faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth.
Jack Bannon played the young comic book character long before his vigilante butler days, as the show dramatized how Alfred first met Thomas Wayne and struck up a lifelong friendship with him. It also revealed how he acquired the skills that would come in handy to Batman in the future, showcasing how he was a former SAS agent and how he would have to put those skills to use whenever he found himself in hot water.
The show is often overlooked because it's barely a comic book show, but that shouldn't discount the fact that it's a great crime thriller in and of itself, functioning very much like a British drama that you might see on ITV in the evenings after Coronation Street. Bannon was wonderful as Alfred and the show went a long way in highlighting how there is so much more to Mr. Pennyworth than the butler he is known for being.
As a Batman show it falls a little short (which explains its placement on this list), but as a TV series, it's one of the strongest original adaptations of a Batman character we've seen.
12. Gotham Knights
You might be surprised to see Gotham Knights up this high on our Batman show ranking, but that's probably because you didn't watch past the pilot (or even the first trailer). Admittedly, the pilot wasn't a great start and the trailer was quite poor, but once it got over those teething issues, we were left with a pretty solid show that was full of potential.
The last DC TV series produced for The CW, the show focused on Batman's adopted son Turner Hayes, who was framed for his murder at the hands of the Court of Owls. He, alongside the children of some of The Dark Knight's foes, teamed up to clear their names and find out who really killed Bruce Wayne. In doing so, they made a name for themselves as Gotham City's new protectors.
The show didn't exactly reinvent the wheel but it did provide some excellent entertainment, thanks in no small part to its talented ensemble cast. Their chemistry is what really made Gotham Knights work and the more it grew throughout the season, the more the show benefitted from it, elevating itself from where it began.
I remember watching the trailer for Gotham Knights, hoping that once it overcame its initial set-up that it would find its footing. That's exactly what happened, as its intriguing characters and central mystery (which featured a pretty strong adaptation of the Court of Owls) guided it towards greatness. The fact that it actually picked up fans along the way (when it had initially lost them because of the response to the first look) is a testament to the hard work of all involved.
Gotham Knights really became that little show that could, and for a while it did. It's such a shame that The CW cancelled it when there was so much left for it to say.
11. Beware The Batman
I remember the excitement surrounding the debut of Beware The Batman. After three seasons of Batman: The Brave and the Bold allowed us to revisit some nostalgic eras of the Caped Crusader, the thought of another modern Dark Knight story was thrilling. Throw in the unusual CGI-animation style the show went for and there was a lot going for it.
The show focused on Bruce Wayne's earlier years as a crimefighter (a popular theme for modern Batman stories). It also gained a bit of a reputation for telling stories involving lesser-known Batman villains, including Professor Pyg and Anarky. Contrary to what some might say, this actually worked well for the show and allowed it to set itself apart from the abundance of recent animated shows the character has headlined.
It did perform well for Cartoon Network but a mixed reception and a random break didn't help its chances, and it was eventually cancelled after one season. Needless to say, this was a sad development as the show had really begun to find its footing the longer that it went on. Unfortunately, it's become a bit of a running theme with underrated Batman shows.
10. Harley Quinn
When putting this list together, part of me wondered whether we should include Harley Quinn on it - because, honestly, it's barely a Batman show. But then again, you could say the same about Gotham Knights, Birds of Prey, and Batwoman, and so we have decided that we will indeed be including it.
To say that the animated series took people by surprise would a be a bit of an understatement. Yes, Harley Quinn remains one of DC's most popular modern characters, but the show is such an unusual blend of comedy, action, maturity, and unseriouness that it could have gone either way. Thankfully, it fell on the right side of that equation, providing us all with one of the most memorable animated shows of the past two decades.
Harley Quinn is in-your-face, raunchy, and definitely an acquired taste, but it's ridiculously entertaining, full of life and bursting with unexpectedly rich character development. Kaley Cuoco is brilliant at voicing Harley, etching her name among the all-time greats to portray her and adding some surprising layers to the character's arc.
Using the same criteria that we used while ranking Pennyworth, Harley Quinn would be higher if this list was based on standard alone, but as it struggles a bit with its portrayal of Batman, it's a bit lower down than you might expect.
9. Batwoman
Batwoman had a long and tumultuous journey towards finding its footing. Its initial trailer (was was, again, not very good) set the first season up for failure, but the show did mostly bounce back from that with a strong outing. Then its lead, Ruby Rose, shockingly exited after season 1, setting the stage for a new Scarlet Knight to take over in Javicia Leslie's original character Ryan Wilder. Ironically, it was when the show was finally ready to let go of Rose's character that it truly steadied itself. And then it was cancelled.
The series was set in The CW's Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the likes of Arrow, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, and it focused on a Gotham City in pieces after Batman's mysterious disappearance. Bruce Wayne's cousin, Kate Kane, stepped up be the city's savior before Ryan Wilder took over from her as the second Batwoman.
The show explored a lot over the course of its three-season run and even though some of it was a little rough, Batwoman carved out its own unique corner of the Batman mythos; and once it found what worked for it, it continued to do that very, very well. Its third season, which focused solely on Wilder, was a thrill-ride; an exceptional showcase of what the show was truly capable of and a constant reminder of why its cancellation was a huge mistake.
8. Batman: The Brave and the Bold
After an abundance of a dark and serious reimaginings, Warner Bros. Animation decided to let Batman go back to his fun days again. So, with the end of The Batman in 2008, we got Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Everything about this show was fun. It was intentionally campy like the '60s series, meaning that it would be totally normal for Batman to stop in the middle of a serious moment and teach the audience a lesson or share a philosophical thought. But it used the animation medium to its full effect, expanding the realm of possibilities and taking the Caped Crusader on some outlandish adventures.
The selling point of Batman: The Brave and the Bold was the idea of Batman teaming up with a new hero every week, bringing in an array of DC characters for cameos and appearances. From the hero's always reliable partnership with Robin and his love/hate relationship with Catwoman, to his playful rivalry with fellow billionaire vigilante Green Arrow, there were so many wonderful dynamics created by the concept of the show.
It may have borrowed heavily from the classic Batman adventures, but the thing that set The Brave and the Bold apart from the classic animated shows was the quality of writing. From its witty dialogue to its smart character moments, there was more to this one than met the eye and we need to acknowledge that more often.
7. Titans
"Loose adaptation" truly couldn't capture just how loosely Titans adapts the Batman lore, but it does its own thing pretty well nonetheless - even if it did take it a while to get there. The show debuted on the DC Universe streaming service back in 2018 and it got off to a bit of a rough start, thanks in no small part to a questionably edgy first trailer (seriously, what is with those trailers?).
The first season of Titans wasn't at all what you'd expect. It was dark, moody, violent, and uncomfortable at times. Oh yeah, and there was a lot of swearing. Like a lot.
Nevertheless, Titans persisted. It didn't exactly lose its mature tone and penchant for violence, but it did learn to balance it out much better, with its larger cast, youthful characters, and more uplifting tone in later seasons really elevating it to the greatness fans had been longing for it to reach. The show's greatest asset was the core team of heroes, and whenever it leaned into that camaraderie, it shined. Whenever it leaned into the trauma, it struggled.
Brenton Thwaites and Anna Diop led an ensemble cast extremely well, elevating Titans on its darker days and delivering even more so on its best. If only we had gotten to see the Titans' story continue on past season 4, because that final season was some of the show's best work yet, and it deserved at least one more season to show us that it could maintain that high.
Titans was an odd series, but an unusually fun, epic, and beautiful one, too.
6. Gotham
Some of Batman's best tales in the comics are the Elseworlds stories, and that extends to the screens as well. You won't find a more unique reimagining of his story than Gotham and that's one of the many reasons why the show had such a large and passionate fanbase throughout its five-season run.
Gotham told the origin story of Batman as it happened. There were no flashbacks, no time-jumps; just a young Bruce Wayne left to deal with the fallout of a life forever turned upside down by the loss of his parents, and Detective Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock on the case to apprehend the murderer. The show took on many forms throughout its run, starting off as a gritty and mostly-grounded procedural drama before evolving into a bonkers, off-the-wall comic book drama that took many, many liberties with the source material it was adapting.
While Gotham's change-in-direction alienated some comic book purists, the shift was better for it in the long run, as it allowed the show to find its own path and have more fun along the way. It was outlandish, sure, but it was also incredibly compelling, especially as we got to see a more nuanced look at the origins of Batman, Alfred, Gordon, Bullock, The Penguin, The Joker and so many other Bat-favorites.
The series was always a bit of an outcast in the superhero TV landscape but it's a look that Gotham wore well, allowing it to become a cult classic pretty soon after its conclusion. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you should. It's an experience.
5. Batman Beyond
The DC Animated Universe never stopped treating its fans. When both iterations of Batman: The Animated Series had come to an end, the creative teams decided that this wasn't where they wanted the story to end. And thus, in 1999 we got Batman Beyond; a futuristic animated series that picked up decades after the original show.
The show featured an elderly Bruce Wayne at the forefront (once again voiced by the late, great Kevin Conroy) as he trained up a new Batman to serve as the protector of Gotham City for the next generation. That next Batman was named Terry McGinnis, and he was a high school student who aided his predecessor in a fight against the Joker gang.
Batman Beyond was a very different show and it was those differences that made it work. It wasn't trying recreate Batman: The Animated Series so much as it was following on from it. It was a tough act to follow, but Beyond ultimately pulled it off by leaning into what worked for it. Terry's Batman was more youthful and fun while the storylines were also more high school-driven. It all made for an incredibly effective introduction to Terry McGinnis and ensured that Batman Beyond would leave a lasting impression when it concluded its three-season run.
Over two decades later and it's still regarded as one of the best Batman stories not to originate in the comics. That's pretty darn special.
4. The Batman
If we were giving out an award for the most underrated of all the Batman shows, we'd have to give it to The Batman. A new animated series that began airing in 2004, it spent much of its run living in the shadow of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, with constant comparisons between the two. But The Batman wasn't trying to be its predecessor; it was a very different show, and it did a wonderful job at finding its own unique identity in the midst of that.
The show focused on Bruce Wayne's early days as a Gotham City vigilante, when The Batman was only talked about but never actually seen in person. Over the course of five seasons, it charted his journey from urban legend to beloved hero as he battled all of his infamous foes for the first time ever, with fun adventures devoted to his first meetings with The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, and more.
From its unique anime-inspired character designs and funky theme music to its compelling storylines, The Batman was an incredible thrill-ride that never got the love and appreciation it deserved when it first aired. Over the years, more and more people are discovering it and giving it that chance, which is honestly really cool.
The Batman was ahead of its time and it was an epic TV series at that.
3. The New Batman Adventures
Batman: The Animated Series was revived just a few short years after its conclusion but that reinvention came with a bit of a twist. In order to get it to match the more simple design of Superman: The Animated Series, the show was revamped. Most of the voice cast remained the same, but all of the characters were redesigned to give the show a sharper, edgier look.
Some of the changes were more extravagant than others but the most important aspects did not change, and that includes the show's quality storytelling. That much was clear from its fun comic-like premiere "Holiday Knights", but it really came to the forefront in "Sins of the Father", which introduced Tim Drake as the new Robin, giving him a much grittier backstory than his comic book counterpart.
The New Batman Adventures didn't run for long (and certainly not as long as it should have) but its existence only added to the legacy of Batman: The Animated Series, gifting audiences with another chance to catch up with these beloved versions of the characters, while also having its own thing to say. It didn't reach the same heights as its predecessor as consistently, but that's just down to the fact that there weren't as many opportunities to do that in just 24 episodes. Some of its episodes, however, are among the very best from both series.
When we talk about the legacy of Batman: The Animated Series, this chapter often gets overlooked. We should fix that.
2. Batman (1966)
The word "classic" will never be enough to sum up just how legendary the 1966 Batman TV series is. It's the show that very much saved the Caped Crusaders from a dark demise in the comic books, reinventing the approach to their stories, and cementing them as pop-culture icons for so many generations to come.
Starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, the show brought the Dynamic Duo to television for the first time ever (and, interestingly, remains the only linear live-action TV adaptation of the characters) and it single-handedly brought them into the mainstream as a result. During those early days of its run, Bat-Mania was everywhere and it isn't hard to see why. Batman was unlike anything else of its time, and it thrived because of that.
The show is renowned for its ridiculously campy tone and over-the-top storylines, and it owned that so well. The colorful world of the Caped Crusaders was a vibe (as the kids say) and it kept viewers coming back week after week at the same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel (and has done so countless times in the half-century since its debut). Adam West played the role of Batman with a charm the likes of which will never be seen again, playing the character as direct and serious without ever letting him descend into parody, which is a testament to his skills considering the outlandish world that surrounded him.
It's rare that you get a show that is so very much a product of its time and yet timeless all at once, but that's the enigma that is Batman. All Bam, Smack, and Pow of it.
1. Batman: The Animated Series
Ask anyone what the best Batman series is and there is a pretty high chance that they're gonna say Batman: The Animated Series. Ask them what the best animated show of all time is, and they mught even say the same. That's how beloved this 1993 classic is.
This was the first Batman cartoon to take a more serious approach to the character, which instantly set it apart from its predecessors, but there was a quality to its writing that really put it in a class of its own. The series didn't just offer up villains of the week for The Dark Knight to take on, it immersed us in a vivid world full of nuanced characters and stories that pushed the boundaries of what the average viewer might have thought an animated show was capable of. Look no further than the Emmy-winning "Heart of Ice", which completely reinvented Mr. Freeze's origins in such critically-acclaimed fashion that the comics adopted it as canon.
The influence of the Tim Burton Batman movies was clear, but Batman: The Animated Series set about carving out its own path in The Dark Knight's legacy. The way in which it presented the title character as more than just a hero to save the day was so far ahead of its time, highlighting the complexities of Bruce Wayne and treating him like a well-rounded character with flaws and desires in a way that we just weren't used to seeing at the time. And Kevin Conroy's legendary performance was the icing on the cake that brought it all to life.
In a world where so few things are perfect, Batman: The Animated Series broke the mold and did the impossible. Many consider this the perfect Batman story and you would have a real tough time arguing against that.