Why does Superman have more live-action shows than Batman?

[Jordacar]

You'd think it'd be the other way around, right?

In the last 20 years, we've had "Adventures of Superboy", "Lois & Clark" and "Smallville." There was also "Superman:TAS" and "Justice League" of course, but with Batman there's been "Batman: TAS", "The Batman" and now "Batman:B&B" (and I guess "JL" might as well count while we're at it). What's the caped crusader had for live action TV? Besides "Birds of Prey"?

How could this be? If Superman is more reliant on special effects, science fiction, and just general epicness, then why does he keep getting TV budgets thrown at him instead of Batman? Anybody else find this strange?

 

[Gold Samurai]

Well all through the 90's there were movies that focused on a live action Batman. So that might have gotten in the way.

 

[Man of Tomorrow]

Yep.

That's the exact answer.

Warners had Batman as a movies priority in the late 80s and 90s.

Same is the case currently.

But then again, the Batman versions of "Superboy," "Lois and Clark" and "Smallville" would be painfully bad undoubtedly. As a Batman fan, I'm glad it didn't happen.

 

[Gianakin_]

There was an effort to do a Batman prequel series called Gotham before Smallville, wasn't there?

 

[SpideyVille]

Yeah that was the original idea.

 

[Gianakin_]

Considering the way SV turned out and the fact that Batman's a darker character, I'm glad they went with SM instead of BM. Was Gotham an idea Al & Miles had wanted to develop?

 

[SpideyVille]

From wikipedia:

Development

Originally, Tollin/Robbins Productions wanted to do a series about a young Bruce Wayne. The feature film division of Warner Bros. had decided to develop an origin movie for Batman, and because they did not want to compete with a television series, the series idea was nixed.[12] In 2000, Tollin/Robbins approached Peter Roth, the President of Warner Bros. Television, about developing a series based on a young Superman. That same year, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar developed a pilot based on the film Eraser. After watching the pilot, Roth approached the two men about developing a second pilot, based on the young Superman concept brought to him.[12] After meeting with Roth, Gough and Millar decided they did not want to do a series where there was lots of flying, and a cape.[12] It was here Gough and Millar developed its "no tights, no flights" rule, vowing Clark would not, at any point, fly nor don the Superman suit during the run of the show.[65]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallville

 

[LaraLane]

Batman works on film with great action scenes and effects. It would not work on a tv series cause it would get boring. Superman has powers which can be done on a tv budget well enough to entertain.

 

[Gianakin_]

Thank you!

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I could have sworn WB was planning on some Dick Grayson show a few years ago.

 

[SpideyVille]

That was actually very recently, but I'm pretty sure that got scrapped.

 

[SV Fan]

Considering the way SV turned out and the fact that Batman's a darker character, I'm glad they went with SM instead of BM. Was Gotham an idea Al & Miles had wanted to develop?

In all honesty, many times the tone in the show seems to line up more with Batman(or even Spiderman) then Superman

 

[Gianakin_]

Hm, sometimes, sure, especially in S8 and S9. But the teen approach of the show is more Superman than Batman. Of course, the producers were different for the Gotham project, so you never know.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Superman in live action tv series

Adventures of Superman- Season 1-6
Superboy Season -1-4
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman - Season 1-4
SMALLVILLE - Season 1-10

Batman in animated Television

The Adventures of Batman -
The Batman/Superman Hour
The New Adventures of Batman
Batman: The Animated Series
The New Batman Adventures
Batman Beyond
The Batman
Batman: Brave and The Bold
Untitled Batman series (2012)

I say that they even out each other Batman rules in live action films and animation. While Superman has only 4 tv series and a total of 5 live action movies so far .

 

[Gianakin_]

Well, you're comparing Batman animated series to Superman live action. While Batman has more animated products, Superman exceeds in live action TV series.

 

[SV Fan]

Hm, sometimes, sure, especially in S8 and S9. But the teen approach of the show is more Superman than Batman. Of course, the producers were different for the Gotham project, so you never know.

I do think the angst(see Clana) would work better with a young Bruce Wayne then a young Clark Kent

 

[Gianakin_]

Really? Because Wayne is a very obsessed person with his "mission". Clark had a more normal time growing up, so angst is part of his life.

 

[SV Fan]

Really? Because Wayne is a very obsessed person with his "mission". Clark had a more normal time growing up, so angst is part of his life.

Well if we started out with a 14 year old Bruce Wayne, he would have alot of time before his mission and I imagine him having more angst filled relationships with the opposite gender and personal problems then Clark.

I imagine a young Clark Kent having more of a sheltered but happy life

 

[Gianakin_]

Angst doesn't mean a non-happy life, though. I've had a happy life but had I could never get any of my crushes in high-school. It's natural. Wayne doesn't really care about stuff like that. Especially at 14, when he hasn't yet found a way to deal with his parents' murder.

 

[Man of Tomorrow]

It would have been Gossip Girl with superpowers.

 

[Gold Samurai]

I could have sworn WB was planning on some Dick Grayson show a few years ago.

Yes titled "Grayson" It would have been a One tree hill type of show

http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/batman-cw-builds-a-series-around-pre-robin-dick-grayson/

The CW network is currently preparing a new TV series pilot called The Graysons. The live-action project will focus on Dick Grayson’s life prior to becoming the caped crusader’s costumed sidekick. It will be executive produced by Supernatural’s McG and Peter Johnson and Smallville’s Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson. Variety reports that Graysons is being eyed as a potential replacement for Smallville which is likely to end this season. If Smallville does continue for a ninth year, the pre-Robin series would make a strong companion on the schedule.

Smallville showrunners Souders and Peterson have reportedly come up with a new take on the character but aren’t saying much more than that. We do know that Graysons will be set in current times and will follow young “DJ” Grayson as he faces some typical youth challenges like early romances, rivalries, and family issues.

Back on topic. You can read the rough outline for "Gotham" at kryptonsite


http://www.kryptonsite.com/brucewayne/script.htm
http://www.kryptonsite.com/brucewayne/outline.htm




Basically Smallville's formula with Bruce Wayne.

At least they don't end with the balcony scene/loft scene with sappy teen song.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Harvey Dent is Bruce Wayne's best friend. Harvey's a few years older; rich, spoiled, selfish, and bored. Harvey's studying corporate law, but his friendship with Bruce and the excitement therein might lead him to take a different route later in life. Harvey "has no shame," and is always trying to get Bruce to lighten up a bit.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bruce has a number of interests in the show's first season, including the Gotham City Youth Shelter. Barbara Gordon hangs out there, but another woman who runs the shelter really catches Bruce's eye. She is Susan Dent, the very attractive sister of Harvey, and of course, with it being the WB, love interest for young Bruce Wayne. Also vying for Bruce's attention is a young TV gossip reporter named Vicky Vale, and a psychology student named Harleen Quinzel may also be in Bruce's future...[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A few other folks from Batman's future make their way through. There's the mysterious "consultant" Selena Kyle, a would-be comedian (described as "Sam Kinison but angrier") named Jack Napier, and a kid from Smallville, Kansas named Clark Kent. Bruce meets Clark as he is in town for a WayneCorp sponsored conference of high school journalists. Bruce dismisses Clark at first as a nice kid from the sticks, but then he starts to realize there's something odd about this farm boy.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"There's a newspaper editors convention in Gotham City," writer McCanlies himself explained in a 2004 interview, "and this kid Clark Kent shows up. Bruce wants nothing to do with him, but for some reason they're thrown together. He keeps trying to lose this kid but he can't. You have to know who Clark Kent is to get the joke. I never reveal who this guy is. He's just this very surprising 16-year-old from Smallville, Kansas."[/FONT]

The way I think it would have gone is that Bruce keeps interfering with police matters until mid way he makes a batboy costume.

 

[Original Spawn]

There was a batman series to be made but became smallville, but it´s name was not gotham, geez nooooooooooooo, it was only supposed to be titled
Bruce Wayne
And revolve around a you bruce in gotham as a detective.

 

[Jordacar]

I wish we could see a live-action Batman show. Same with Superman, but moreso with Batman. No twist on the material, no "early days" take, just a straight-up Batman prime-time show, similar in tone to the Nolan films. But we may never get it, because there's always a movie cooking for those guys, and only a live-action movie can be a straight-forward adaptation. There's budget concerns too, but they're not the #1 reason.

And that's too bad, because TV is a much better medium for translating comic book stories. Although it's also true you can do more crazy stuff with the animated format, I keep watching B:TAS and seeing a live-action show in animated form. Imagine what they could do if they had a TV budget similar to "Lost".

 

[Lead Cenobite]

Batman works on film with great action scenes and effects. It would not work on a tv series cause it would get boring. Superman has powers which can be done on a tv budget well enough to entertain.

Superman has superpowers, all of which require special effects, Batman for the most part uses martial arts and swings around on a rope. How could a Batman show possibly require more special effects?

 

[Cobblepot]

A pre=Batman show could have been so much better then Smallville. Bruce travelling around the globe learning everything to become Batman...