Gotham Commissioner James Gordon Origins Series

[Shifty]

They tried getting Wonder Woman on NBC. They had Human Target on Fox. And weren't they trying to get Fables made on one of the big networks too?

NBC and ABC have taken swipes at Fables and then they've tried fairy tale characters without being constrained to Fables' plot, hence Once Upon A Time.

 

[Teelie]

They tried getting Wonder Woman on NBC. They had Human Target on Fox. And weren't they trying to get Fables made on one of the big networks too?

I'm always looking for an excuse to use this:

 

[HighFivingMF]

I hope this gets paired with The Following.

 

[Warhammer]

Post Batman is unlikely because then you'd have to show Batman at least occasionally and that's like a major no-no for live-action television as far as DC is concerned. They don't want to "confuse" people with his presence or some such ******** when they do movies with him.

So pre-Batman it is, that's also why we'll likely never see a live-action Gotham series with the regular cops.

I never understood that rationale. I remember the Bat-Embargo severely crippled Justice League Unlimited. If WB stops Batman characters from appearing on a damn cartoon, they'd never allow Batman to show up in live action.

What does putting this on a major network have to do with being a direct response to S.H.I.E.L.D.? They went with the channel that gave them the most money. People have been saying for years that DC had a monopoly on superhero network television.

Either way you cut it, competition is in mind. Both shows fit the same niche...all of us here, with the hope to attract the mainstream audience.

And I understand what you are trying to say, but I think you used the wrong. It's not like DC had television so tight that Marvel couldn't compete. Since The Incredible Hulk ended, there have only been two (well, if you truly consider Mutant X, which was syndicated by the way) live action Marvel shows. That's not a monopoly.

 

[Rocketman]

I'll reiterate what I wrote in another thread:

Unlike Smallville, this can definitely work.

The key is that if you're ignoring Batman, you have to ignore Joker, Catwoman, and Two-Face. Don't get cocky and re-write comic book history like Smallville did.

The biggest villain names you could PROBABLY get away with are Riddler and Penguin. Other than them, stick to:

Mr. Zsasz
The Ventriloquist
Rupert Thorne
Black Mask
Calendar Man
Mad Hatter
Zatanna
Poison Ivy
Killer Croc (if realism is loosened up)
Clayface (if realism is loosened up)
Man-Bat (if realism is loosened up)

^ Villains you'll NEVER see in a motion picture. Give these guys the spotlight they deserve.

I'm VERY excited for this.

There could also be some very clever and mouth-watering ideas here.

- The series finale episode could actually show Gordon meeting Batman on the GCPD rooftop, or Gordon shining the Bat Signal in the sky.

- You can actually see a young Bruce witnessing his parents' murders, and Gordon being assigned to the case. You could see a 10-year-old Bruce.

- Gordon having an affair with Sarah Essen.

- Barbara Gordon being born.

- Gordon taking his pregnant wife to see "some new Flying Graysons act" that just premiered at the Gotham Circus.

I mean, the possibilities are endless. I actually think not having Batman is a terrific and bold idea.

There's so much potential here.

 

[Mr. Dent]

This is GREAT news....BUT....wouldn't it be more interesting to examine Jim Gordon and the Gotham police force after Batman has arrived in Gotham? We could see the effect that this vigilante has had on their careers and their lives and you wouldn't even have to show Batman. He could be this ominous force that the Police dept. either resents or aspires to. I mean, focusing on a young Jim Gordon's career....how would that really differ from any other cop show without that special element to it?

Like others have mentioned, a post-Batman GCPD procedural would have made me positively giddy; Batman serving as an overlying presence, rather than a character. I'm intrigued nonetheless though.

They'd really bad hard pressed not to show Batman in a post-Batman Gotham City Police Department, especially with the focus actually being on Gordon and not beat cops. And the problem with that is, they don't want to show Batman on TV at all, so might as well not even squirt that line.

I'm expecting this to be more like Year One than Gotham Central. Gotham Central is just a cool TV name.

 

[Warhammer]

They tried getting Wonder Woman on NBC. They had Human Target on Fox. And weren't they trying to get Fables made on one of the big networks too?

Oh damn, I forgot all about them trying to do Wonder Woman. Good one. But Human Target? I put that in the same league as considering Men in Black as Marvel. It's technically true, but not really.

 

[HighFivingMF]

I hope Harvey Dent is a supporting character.

 

[Warhammer]

I hope Harvey Dent is a supporting character.

I feel that's almost a necessity by the third season. They can do wonders with that with foreshadowing. I'd love to finally see Bullock and Montoya.

 

[Mr. Dent]

Dent should definitely be a supporting character. Would be cool if they hinted at some of his psychological problems pre-face burn to, like you could see how this guy becomes Two-Face.

 

[psylockolussus]

This could be a big hit on Fox!

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I think making this pre-Batman is kind of a stupid decision to be honest. They don't have to physically feature him on the show to make his presence felt, and things are a hell of a lot more interesting with him around.

Maybe if there's a heavy emphasis on villains and Gotham PD struggling to keep the crazies in check it could work, I dunno.

 

[souvlaki]

And I understand what you are trying to say, but I think you used the wrong. It's not like DC had television so tight that Marvel couldn't compete. Since The Incredible Hulk ended, there have only been two (well, if you truly consider Mutant X, which was syndicated by the way) live action Marvel shows. That's not a monopoly.

That's not quite what I meant. What I was getting at is for the last 20 or so years DC has been the only game in town more or less for superheroes on television and now that Marvel throws their hat in the ring DC is suddenly following in Marvel's footsteps. It's not fair to DC to dismiss every decision they make as being a reaction to Marvel considering their history of doing live action television. The major network argument doesn't really hold much water either since Arrow and Wonder Woman are a much harder sell to a major network than Batman.

 

[Mr. Dent]

I think making this pre-Batman is kind of a stupid decision to be honest. They don't have to physically feature him on the show to make his presence felt, and things are a hell of a lot more interesting with him around.

Maybe if there's a heavy emphasis on villains and Gotham PD struggling to keep the crazies in check it could work, I dunno.

They don't have to but they'd be really hard pressed not to, especially with the show following Gordon. If it were just beat cops, then yeah, it would be simpler, especially since batman only talks to Gordon and in Year One they showed them having this sort of shady relationship and the other, smaller cops never got to see Batman. It fits with him being an urban legend and all that jazz too. But again, since it's focus is Gordon, it would be really impossible in practice not to show Batman without going to jarring and ridiculous lenghts.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Since it's a young Gordon, it'll most likely be a different time period than the DCCU and Arrow/Flash.

So whether it's 'officially' in continuity or not makes no difference to me.

----

However, I really think DC just should have made a Batman TV show for the DCCU -- a changeup from the recent Batman trilogy movies. Though of course they wouldn't have been able to get Affleck.

Batman is the one superhero (Arrow too I suppose) who can be done justice on TV. He has no superpowers. He's a detective. It writes itself. So many great story arcs to be told.

Oh well; the pre-Batman Gordon show can still be cool. Just squandered potential I suppose.

 

[Sawyer]

I think making this pre-Batman is kind of a stupid decision to be honest. They don't have to physically feature him on the show to make his presence felt, and things are a hell of a lot more interesting with him around.

Maybe if there's a heavy emphasis on villains and Gotham PD struggling to keep the crazies in check it could work, I dunno.

I'm still hoping the show is in line with the movies, as they air/premiere. Season 1 is Gotham pre-Batman, Season 2 and on is post.

 

[747]

Haven't been a fan of the latest live-action DC stuff on TV, like Smallville or Arrow, so I hope this will be more to my liking.

I would be more interested if this was post-Batman, but I'm interested nonetheless.

 

[Teelie]

I feel that's almost a necessity by the third season. They can do wonders with that with foreshadowing. I'd love to finally see Bullock and Montoya.

As I recall both of them are too young and would be in high school or junior high school when Gordon first starts out so unless they bend the ages quite a bit it's unlikely.

 

[Warhammer]

That's not quite what I meant. What I was getting at is for the last 20 or so years DC has been the only game in town more or less for superheroes on television and now that Marvel throws their hat in the ring DC is suddenly following in Marvel's footsteps. It's not fair to DC to dismiss every decision they make as being a reaction to Marvel considering their history of doing live action television. The major network argument doesn't really hold much water either since Arrow and Wonder Woman are a much harder sell to a major network than Batman.

Ahh, I gotcha.

I feel that financially, Arrow is much easier to sell than Batman. Conceptually, it's about the same. Both are rich white dudes with no superpowers. As for networks, not to belittle them, but the CW isn't one of the Big 4. And Wonder Woman failing speaks for itself, though I will say it was the concept of that particular take that failed.

As I recall both of them are too young and would be in high school or junior high school when Gordon first starts out so unless they bend the ages quite a bit it's unlikely.

That's a shame. With no Wayne, Dent would be a fantastic supporting character.

 

[Mr. Dent]

Since it's a young Gordon, it'll most likely be a different time period than the DCCU and Arrow/Flash.

So whether it's 'officially' in continuity or not makes no difference to me.

----

However, I really think DC just should have made a Batman TV show for the DCCU -- a changeup from the recent Batman trilogy movies. Though of course they wouldn't have been able to get Affleck.

Batman is the one superhero (Arrow too I suppose) who can be done justice on TV. He has no superpowers. He's a detective. It writes itself. So many great story arcs to be told.

Oh well; the pre-Batman Gordon show can still be cool. Just squandered potential I suppose.

You forget Daredevil.

Haven't been a fan of the latest live-action DC stuff on TV, like Smallville or Arrow, so I hope this will be more to my liking.

I would be more interested if this was post-Batman, but I'm interested nonetheless.

With it being on Fox it will be a different flavor from those CW produced DC shows.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

You forget Daredevil.


With it being on Fox it will be a different flavor from those CW produced DC shows.

I meant for DC.

But yeah, Daredevil would be perfect for TV. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what Marvel Studios does with the character down the road.

 

[Asgard]

CBS already did it with Golden Boy. Didnt work.

 

[Sawyer]

CBS already did it with Golden Boy. Didnt work.

 

[Warhammer]

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

I'm excited for this, especially if they dip into the roster of the GCPD that the animated shows and the movies built. Bullock, Ramirez, Montoya, etc. It'd be awesome!