Following the release of The CW’s Gotham Knights trailer, the footage has gotten major backlash as fans on social media are slamming the network’s new DC TV show. 2022 has been perhaps The CW’s most controversial year in a long time due to the many changes that are happening at the network. The start of 2022 saw news break that WarnerMedia and Paramount are looking to sell The CW, which launched in 2006 after The WB and UPN merged. While it hasn’t been sold yet, Nexstar is reportedly a major candidate in purchasing The CW.
Because of all the behind-the-scenes changes, The CW canceled a total of 9 shows, including Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, and Legacies. This sets a new record for The CW, as they’ve normally axed between 3-4 shows per season. The DC TV brand will continue to be a significant component of The CW, with The Flash and Superman & Lois being the only Arrowverse dramas to get another season. However, a new DC TV property is joining the slate, in the form of Gotham Knights, which just released its first trailer this week. The footage gave a first look at the Batman spinoff, following Bruce Wayne’s adoptive son and several villains of the Dark Knight being framed for the Caped Crusader’s murder.
While Gotham Knights won’t premiere until midseason in 2023, the trailer has faced some major backlash from a vocal group of fans. The trailer was a 3-minute preview from the Gotham Knights pilot that finished filming a few weeks ago as The CW gave it a series pick-up. Production on the rest of Gotham Knights season 1 will continue throughout the year. Check out several fan responses to the new Gotham Knights trailer below:
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Something that a lot of fans seem to be agreeing about is the strange choice of The CW to cancel Batwoman after season 3, which was already a DC property rooted in Batman lore, in favor of a brand new one with these characters. Despite the DC TV show coming from Batwoman writers and producers, Gotham Knights is not being set up as a spinoff series, nor does it have any ties to the rest of the Arrowverse. Ultimately the show is going with a new continuity, primarily because of Batman’s death. The trailer is also being heavily criticized for feeling like Riverdale, which is ending after season 7, but with Bat-and-DC characters.
While this is a vocal group of fans, it remains to be seen how the larger viewing public responds to Gotham Knights once it premieres in 2023 alongside The Flash season 9 and Superman & Lois season 3. It’s also key to remember that it’s impossible for a 3-minute trailer to represent everything from a 42-minute pilot, as there is only so much they can preview without spoiling the entire premiere. As Gotham Knights season 1 gets further into filming, more information will likely emerge throughout the year to give fans a better idea of what is in store for The CW’s next DC TV show.
