Gotham

As a rookie detective in a city that breathes corruption, Jim Gordon arrives in Gotham to try to impose law where it seems absent. The series follows his climb through a police department riddled with bribery, power plays and moral compromise, while he forms uneasy alliances with partners like Harvey Bullock. At the same time we watch a grieving, adolescent Bruce Wayne and his protector Alfred as they cope with loss, and we see the early versions of familiar antagonists, from Selina Kyle to Oswald Cobblepot and Edward Nygma. The show focuses on how a single city's rot and ambition shape both those who keep the peace and those who break it, without revealing later plot twists or final outcomes.

Premiered in 2014 on Fox, Gotham was created by Bruno Heller and draws on DC Comics characters. It was produced with a glossy, noir-tinged aesthetic that leans into genre conventions while framing its story as a prequel to the Batman mythos.

Gotham didn't secure major industry prizes like Emmys or Golden Globes, but it found recognition within genre circles and at fan-voted events. Individual performances, especially Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin and David Mazouz's young Bruce, received attention from critics and viewers, earning nominations and spotlight mentions at specialty award shows.

The series left a clear mark on pop culture by popularizing extended origin stories for well known villains, and by making Robin Lord Taylor's take on the Penguin a frequent subject of fan art, cosplay and online discussion. Its visual style and character-focused episodes helped keep Gotham City itself a recurring reference point in later comic and television adaptations.

Critics were mixed to positive, noting strong set design, stylish cinematography and committed performances, while pointing out uneven pacing and tonal shifts across seasons. Viewer ratings average around 7.6 out of 10 from aggregated votes. Recurring themes include institutional decay, how identity forms under trauma, moral ambiguity in law enforcement, and the fine line that separates protector from monster.