Is the Gotham Series Worth You Watching?

The series of Gotham is an American crime drama television show which premiered in 2014. It is based on all the characters in the DC Comics and includes James Gordon and Bruce Wayne, played by Ben McKenzie and David Mazouz.

Originally the series was focused on Gordon’s early days when he worked for the Gotham City Police. However, the Bruce Wayne character was introduced along with other villains such as Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Hugo Strange and the Joker.

When the series premiered the plan was to have 16 episodes, but this changed to 22 after the first season. Although rating dropped as the series progressed, Gotham acquired a faithful following of fans.

So, Is Gotham Worth Watching?

The plot follows Jim Gordon who is recruited by Gotham City Police Department. He is paired with Harvey Bullock and together they solve crimes in Gotham City.

The underworld criminal emerges as billionaire Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha. They have a son Bruce and a butler Alfred Pennyworth.

The first season sees our heroes solving the murder the Waynes. In the course of solving the crime Jim falls in love with Dr Leslie Thompkins, thus angering his ex-fiancée who sides with the bad guys and tries to be the thorn in Jim’s side by committing crimes such as kidnapping people.

While trying to figure out who killed his parents Bruce meets street orphans Selina Kyle and Ivy Pepper. In the meantime, Harveys ex-girlfriend and a gangster are at war with two other crime lords Carmine Falcone and Salvatore Maroni.

So, What Does This Say About Gotham?

On the whole reviews of Gotham have been similar in that fans have thought season one is pretty much a stand-alone story. If there had never been another season, the first one would have been more than adequate.

The story doesn’t go downhill, rather it evolves from an almost believable story to the much crazier story it now is. Season one was more or less a regular good guy, bad guy series, where you had a pretty good idea of how it would end.

Season two sees a different type of show altogether, changing from what was basically a crime story to the weird and wonderful that the fans have come to love. Season two has great casting and has moved from being a good show to a brilliant show.

The characters change and we see the Riddler at his best. Many fans thought that the first half of the season was better than the second half. Fish Mooney – some like him, some don’t. The Penguin – it seems that everyone loves him!

The main difference between season one and season two are that the first was about Gotham City while the second season was more focused on the villains and what they could do. Season one was mostly crime/drama while two introduced fans to the world of Batman.

Season three sees Jim Gordon taking things into his own hands and becoming a bounty hunter following the Indian fugitives who are on the loose. The good guys keep trying to hold the front line strong while the villains abound. Riddler, Penguin, Mad Hatter and Poison Ivy all make their appearances while young Bruce Wayne find out more secrets about his parent’s death.

Season four starts out slowly and many fans agreed that this was a bit boring particularly the first few shows of the season. What we do see is the amazing talent of Robin Lord Taylor as Penguin – easily one of the best parts of the entire show.

Season four does show the characters have started to connect, and the actors really take control of their roles.

The fifth and final season of Gotham is set ten years later with Bruce returning to the city just in time for Wayne Tower’s reopening. Jim Gordon is preparing for his retirement. All does not go according to plan when he learns Nygma has escaped from prison and is set to destroy Wayne Tower.

Anyone who watched Gotham season 5 will agree it is filled with heaps of action and plenty of superhero stuff going on, it is easy to see why this was one of the most watched seasons.

To Sum Up

True Gotham fans will say there was never a better series than this and they possibly live in hope of another season coming out.

Other reviews show that while Gotham has several standout performances, we should remember it was based on a superhero comic book. Gotham never really went anywhere, the series always had the bad guys throwing as many things at Batman as they could, just hoping that it would stick. Sometimes it did, sometimes not.

The series had larger than life villains in every show and there certainly is never a dull moment for Batman. One wonders if he ever managed to eat his supper in peace!

What is good about the series is you don’t have to start at the first one to keep up with the plot. All the series are stand-alone shows in their own right. While some endings leave you hanging, the theme stays the same.

As long as you remember that it is based on a comic book and was then made into a TV series, it’s worth watching.