Silly Question Time: If you were Hired to Write a Batman TV Series How Would You Go About It?

[Winter]

With Caped Crusader now out, haven't watched it yet but plan to, I can't help but think about how many Batman series there have been over the years and how different they are from one another. From the amazing series like Batman: The Animated Series to the silly yet awesome Batman: Brave and the Bold and WTF of Gotham Knights (the show not the game, the game had an actual soul).

So, if given the chance how would you make a Batman TV series?

For me, I would actually try for something like Wayne Family Adventures. As the most recent issues have shown this series can get dark and take things seriously but I would want to preserve the more lighthearted tone from the series as a whole. But more importantly I would want focus on what made me fall in love with this series to begin with, which is the fact that it shows the Batfamily being a Family. For many adaptations, even some of the best ones, the "Batfamily" often feel more like co-workers and sometimes don't even really seem to like each other.

But in WFA and the aforementioned Gotham Knights game this family feels like a family and it's honestly really entertaining.

Like the web comics this would be an ensemble show, focusing on pretty much everyone equally. Sure Batman would be the main character but this would be more like Star Trek, the captain may be the most important character but he's not the only character we focus on.

Same characters from the comics, Bruce, Duke, Alfred, Stephanie, Cassandra, Jason, Dick, Tim, Harper, Damien and Barbara though I might have it where Dick and Barbara are reoccurring supporting characters instead of part of the main cast. Also, just as an aside, I might also want to have Cass and Harper voiced by the same person so said actor can have a regular amount of dialogue as Cass would be as terse as she is in the comics.

But yeah, that's my idea, if I'm going to make a Batman series I would want to go in a different direction from other series while still maintaining the core of what makes Batman so interesting and WFA is the best choice for that IMO.

[stryke]

Agreed, I think it's hard to do a 'proper' Batman series these days are you're going to get compared to TAS and that's a comparison you're never going to win. I love Brave and the Bold but I know for a lot of people they really resisted succumbing to its charms. So going for the even lighter more modern ensemble style of WFA is just a more sensible move.

The tricky bit is the format I think. I'm tempted to say treat it like the anime based it on 4 panel gag manga where you have 3-4 minute segments and bounce around different Bat-character pairings as that'd be closer to the webcomic format. You could do a Steven Universe style where they have two 10 minute plots per ep. I'm not sure how well it'd handle the regular one plot per 20 minute style though.

[Winter]

Agreed, I think it's hard to do a 'proper' Batman series these days are you're going to get compared to TAS and that's a comparison you're never going to win. I love Brave and the Bold but I know for a lot of people they really resisted succumbing to its charms. So going for the even lighter more modern ensemble style of WFA is just a more sensible move.

The tricky bit is the format I think. I'm tempted to say treat it like the anime based it on 4 panel gag manga where you have 3-4 minute segments and bounce around different Bat-character pairings as that'd be closer to the webcomic format. You could do a Steven Universe style where they have two 10 minute plots per ep. I'm not sure how well it'd handle the regular one plot per 20 minute style though.

Hm, what about a 10 minute plots per episode for, say, the first season and maybe even the second but move into episodes with longer formats for bigger stories. The web comics themselves are doing this right now with the three most recent issues being notably longer then what came before and now is dealing with a single ongoing story.

Also there's the likely possibility that this would be done on a streaming serves and, well, streaming shows don't have the same lengths requirements as cable or dish. Often episodes can be as long as they want and if the later season is more focused on main story, then why not go for a longer then usual length for this story. Like say, 30 minutes instead of 20 or even go for 9 episodes that each run at 45 minutes.

Basically start out as a silly Steven Universe/Amphibia like you suggested only to have it be more like Arcane. The show would remain focused on the Ensemble as the family deals with a villain that threatens to tear them apart and realistically there's only a handful of villains that could really do that, those being The Joker, Hugo Strange, Hush, The League of Shadows, Bane and The Court of Owls.

On a side note I'm kinda obsessed with this idea I have where in this continuity the Riddler is actually an ally to the Batfamily though one you can never truly know if you can trust. Basically I would turn Edward Nygma into Elim Garak from DS9 who teams up with the Batfamily because he found it was more fun to work alongside people who were as smart as he is and that taking on people who he can outsmart and not get arrested for it.

Also I would give the Garak and Bashir dynamic to Nygma and Tim. Maybe they would become more then friends but I'm not sure.

But yeah, I like that idea of at least starting the series with the 2 episodes that are 10 minutes each. It would allow for a more lighthearted story that fits the style of the comics and help keep the slice of life style WFA is loved for.

Thanks!

[ProfessorDetective]

I'm definitely on the "ninja detective" path "Caped Crusader" and "The Audio Adventures" took. The PI working just outside of the Law because the Law is very often in on the crimes... and he also happens to know kung-fu and drives a rocket car.

As to format or characters... I'd probably NOT use the Joker for a while. Keep it the "brainy" villains: Riddler, Penguin, the various "subtle" serial killers, Catwoman. Maybe have the Joker slowly come in, pre-dip, as a recurring two-bit crook before THAT all goes down on screen. Same with Dent becoming Two-Face.

[stryke]

On a side note I'm kinda obsessed with this idea I have where in this continuity the Riddler is actually an ally to the Batfamily though one you can never truly know if you can trust.

The Endless knows that the Riddler P.I experiment was way too short in the comics, as that was such a fun concept that really needed to be explored further. Do it so he's still doing it mainly to satisfy his ego, most definitely do it because he knows it really irritates Batman where Riddler's always trying to solve stuff first for the personal glory, but not have any nefarious motives and he's legit using his razor sharp if somewhat loopy intellect for the public good.

After seeing Casually Comics' great video highlighting them put in Query and Echo as his fun lady sidekicks so he's got someone to bounce off.

So yeah would definitely be a fan of that idea as a lot of the villains get more interesting when they're not purely adverserial. See the Penguin when he's just running his club and is up for giving some friendly advice to any of the Bat-clan who happen to darken his doors.

[Nobody700]

Fully thing is, I AM writing a Batman Year 2 thing, over 100K on it... and still not done.

Right now though, I'm writing a Wonder Woman thing. Two chapters done and on chapter 3. Lots of gay women being badass.

[Winter]

On a side note I'm kinda obsessed with this idea I have where in this continuity the Riddler is actually an ally to the Batfamily though one you can never truly know if you can trust.

The Endless knows that the Riddler P.I experiment was way too short in the comics, as that was such a fun concept that really needed to be explored further. Do it so he's still doing it mainly to satisfy his ego, most definitely do it because he knows it really irritates Batman where Riddler's always trying to solve stuff first for the personal glory, but not have any nefarious motives and he's legit using his razor sharp if somewhat loopy intellect for the public good.

After seeing Casually Comics' great video highlighting them put in Query and Echo as his fun lady sidekicks so he's got someone to bounce off.

So yeah would definitely be a fan of that idea as a lot of the villains get more interesting when they're not purely adverserial. See the Penguin when he's just running his club and is up for giving some friendly advice to any of the Bat-clan who happen to darken his doors.

I think Query and Echo would be rather boring compared to dynamic Riddler would have with the Batfamily. Tim is one of the smartest members of the Batfamily and is also one of the more friendly so I picture the two of them getting along pretty well. Bruce barely trusts Riddler and Riddler still resents Batman for defeating him but now that he's on the heroes side he's proven a valuable ally much to Bruce's irritation because it means if Riddler comes in to help then he has to put up with him.

I see him and Steph having this almost childish rivalry because she's the daughter of Cluemaster who Riddler sees as a cheap knock off himself and Steph hates that she has to work with someone who's very similar to her father. But it never turns hostile and is more there for comic relief.

To address your other point, that Riddler shouldn't have a nefarious motive, that is actually the point but I do want it where he is a dangerous person whom you can never fully trust. One thing I would want in one of the more serious episodes ie the 45 minute ones I talked about before, is to have one that's basically the Batman equivalent of DS9's In the Pale Moonlight. Like I said Riddler is effectively Garak and we should have at least one episode that shows us why we can never fully trust him by giving us an episode with either Bruce or Gorden where he manipulates them into unwittingly helping him kill someone during a major conflict with the villain of the season.

This would show the Riddler for the mastermind he is and that even though he is on the side of the heroes he's not a hero himself. To quote Sherlock, "I am on the side of the Angels, but do not mistake me for one of them."

On a side note I would have the animation done in a similar style to that of the comic as it would actually be easy to animate which would allow for more fluid animation which is great for both the comedy and the action scenes. Plus I just like how it looks.

[Thebestoftherest]

This might be a novel idea, but let's for once have a Batman story where Bruce Wayne is the main character and goes around fighting crime as Batman for most of it.

[McAvoy]

This might be a novel idea, but let's for once have a Batman story where Bruce Wayne is the main character and goes around fighting crime as Batman for most of it.

Actually a heavy Bruce Wayne series would be novel. Like what Bruce Wayne does when he isn't Batman and playing Bruce Wayne.

[Thebestoftherest]

Maybe I just don't want an origin story like Gotham.