The upcoming Gotham PD series will have opportunities to explore the GCPD in ways that FOX’s Gotham didn’t throughout its 5-year run. Matt Reeves’ The Batman made a big splash at DC FanDome as the first teaser trailer was unveiled; however, during the movie’s panel, Reeves went ahead and spoke a bit about what to expect from HBO Max’s upcoming Gotham PD inspired drama that will be set in the world of The Batman. The series, which is being written and executive produced by Terence Winter (Broadwalk Empire), will be taking place a year before the events of the upcoming Robert Pattinson-picture, and will follow the larger corruption in Gotham City.
This isn’t the first time the GCPD has been given the spotlight on television: For 5 years on FOX, Gotham was the platform that showcased iconic Batman characters, like James Gordon before becoming the commissioner as well as following a young Bruce Wayne finding his inner Dark Knight. Even though the villains’ origin stories were part of Gotham’s DNA, season 2 leaned more into them and transformed the prequel drama into something different. The announcement for the HBO Max iteration came only a year after Gotham concluded. Even Gotham star Ben McKenzie poked fun at the idea of Warner Bros. doing another show following the police department this soon.
According to Reeves, Gotham PD goes back to Year 1 of Batman’s emergence while following through “the point-of-view of these corrupt cops and one [cop] in particular.” That is just one of many elements that will set the two shows apart in the long-run. It’s still uncertain whether or not Pattinson’s character will be seen throughout the show or simply be referenced and viewed as a myth to the city. Ultimately, Gotham PD will be the GCPD show that FOX wanted their prequel series to be that in the end just transformed into something different. This is what Gotham’s legacy became and Gotham PD will do to set itself apart.
Gotham Wasn’t A True Batman Prequel
As much as Bruce was a central character in the show, Gotham wasn’t a traditional Batman prequel. Due to how young Bruce was when the series began, it was a challenge to keep it as a full-on origin story in the beginning. Gotham season 1 was a lot more grounded compared to the later seasons where the tone became a lot more comic book-like. During the first season, there was a lot of more focus on GCPD with characters like Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen, Commissioner Loeb, and Arnold Flass involved. There were multiple plots going on that heavily revolved around the corruption within GCPD during Gordon’s first year. What captured fans’ attention most were the various iterations of iconic Batman villains that were getting their origin stories through the FOX drama.
Despite the grimmer tone of the police arcs, it didn’t connect with viewers as much as the villains did. Gotham came in 2014 which, for better or worse, was a different time for superhero and comic book TV shows. Had the series began as a full-on Bruce Wayne origin story when he was older, similarly to the 1999 WBTV pilot, Gotham would have lived up more to being a straight-on Batman prequel. Starting out right as his parents were murdered worked both for and against the show. Bruce’s journey got more meat to it the older he got, particularly throughout season 3-5; yet, despite Gotham seeing Bruce end up becoming Batman by the series finale, the villains were still the main pull of the series.
Fox’s Gotham Became More About The Villains (& Gordon)
It’s, without doubt, odd in some ways how so many Batman villains ended up existing prior to the Caped Crusader coming into play. But ultimately, the rogue’s gallery is what helped flesh out Gotham and introduce almost all of Batman’s most famous enemies. From the Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Hugo Strange, the Court of Owls, Firefly to Ra’s al Ghul, Gotham used their 5-year run to give Bruce’s future enemies the spotlight in a way other Batman iterations haven’t. Some of them even became key to Bruce’s journey in the long run, like the Court of Owls and Ra’s. Because of their focus, it allowed the DC TV show to explore elements such as super-powers and magic that are part of Batman’s mythology. Robin Lord Taylor’s Oswald Cobblepot and Cory Michael Smith’s Ed Nygma were the two Batman villains whose evolution was followed throughout Gotham.
Eventually, Gotham got to the point where Oswald and Nygma were its breakout characters, and they had constantly evolving arcs as a result. Gotham’s main character was James Gordon from start to finish, however, as he acted as the eyes of the audience. Through all the corruption that he faced at GCPD, Gordon’s ultimate battle was about saving the police department’s soul. As much as he served and protected Gotham City, Gordon’s consistent series plot was to find a glimmer of light in the thick darkness that the GCPD was shrouded in. His relationship with Harvey Bullock became essential to Gordon’s character development as the future commissioner became GCPD’s moral center. There is a case to be made that Gordon was Gotham City’s first hero before Batman was born, especially in the final season when the No Man’s Land arc was adapted.
Gotham Central’s Story Differences Makes It More Real
Gotham Central is to this day one of DC Comics’ most critically acclaimed book series by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, which is more or less influencing the HBO Max drama. Running for 40 issues from December 2002 to April 2006, Gotham Central explored the inside of the Gotham police force and the larger corruption that was at play. Even though Batman was involved, the Dark Knight was barley in the series. Given that it was a police procedural, it was a rare comic series since cops in the comic book world rarely get this kind of attention. With the various relationships that were explored as well as cases, Gotham Central is where Gordon, Bullock, Montoya, Allen, and more were given bigger statuses in the Batman lore.
Brubaker and Rucka’s series allowed the detectives and officers of GCPD to be humanized and seen from a new perspective. Gotham Central is in many ways even more relevant today — especially with the multiple real-life issues that society faces currently. As much as Gotham explored corruption within the city, there was only so much they could do, especially once they shifted the overall tone. However, with Gotham PD on HBO Max, it allows the drama to bridge with the real world as well as focus on the comic book nature in The Batman universe. Stories such as Montoya’s getting-outed arc from Gotham Central and how she deals with it as a police officer is something Gotham PD can explore whereas FOX never did with their Montoya.
There is no denying that Gotham was a successful series that added something refreshing and entertaining to the Batman franchise. Just because HBO Max is doing a DC TV show that also follows the GCPD, it doesn’t take away anything that Gotham accomplished. However, it can’t be ignored that the FOX drama had the chance to do what Reeves’ series will now do, but they simply took a different direction. Even if Gotham PD also features a James Gordon who has yet to become commissioner, it’s still a different incarnation who is a bit further into his career compared to McKenzie’s Gordon in Gotham season 1. By the time The Batman hits theaters next October, more details will hopefully have emerged for HBO Max’s Gotham PD.
