While it’s been over five decades since Batman himself led a live-action TV series, the Batman mythology certainly isn’t lacking for exploration in that corner of media these days. For example, Batwoman is in the middle of its third season on The CW and delivering twists on classic Caped Crusader foes. That said, it’s been announced that a new Batman Family TV show is in the works at the same network, which raises some questions about Batwoman’s future.
Batwoman writers Natalie Abrams, James Stoteraux and Chad Fiveash have joined forces to develop a Gotham Knights series, with Variety specifically stating that this is not a Batwoman spinoff, nor is it tied to the upcoming Gotham Knights video game. Following the murder of Bruce Wayne, this Gotham Knights show will follow his adopted son teaming up with the children of Batman’s enemies when they’re framed for killing Gotham City’s Dark Knight. In the midst of attempting to prove their innocence, this “team of mismatched fugitives” will also have to rise up and become Gotham City’s new protectors in Batman’s place.
Wow, that’s a lot to unpack. First off, despite Gotham Knights’ main character being described as Bruce Wayne’s adopted son rather than biological, I wonder if this is meant to be Damian Wayne. After all, with Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake all being spotlighted over on HBO Max’s Titans, this would be a good way for Damian, the current Robin in the comics, to get some live-action attention. But here’s the bigger question I have about Gotham Knights: how closely is it tied to Batwoman, both in fiction and in real life?
Even though Gotham Knights reportedly isn’t being developed as a Batwoman spinoff, it’s hard to imagine these two shows not being connected if Gotham Knights is set on Earth Prime, i.e. the world where almost all of The CW’s DC shows are set following the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event. One way around this might be if Gotham Knights takes place decades in the future (like the flashforwards in Arrow’s later seasons), thus allowing the project to stand on its own and not have to worry about clashing with whatever Batwoman has in the hopper. However, going off the plot synopsis, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gotham Knights is set on a different Earth entirely, like Stargirl,
Assuming Gotham Knights gets picked up to series, I’m also concerned about what this means for Batwoman’s run. There’s been no word on if Batwoman will come back for a fourth season, although CW renewals tend to be announced early into a new year. But would The CW want two Batman mythos-centric shows to be airing at the same time? Well, part of Supergirl’s final season aired at the same time as Superman & Lois’ first season, so it might not be an issue. Still, taking into account Batwoman’s low viewership numbers and the fact that some of its writers are putting together Gotham Knights, I wonder if the former series might be on its way out and the latter project will take its place.
In any case, we here at CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on any updates concerning Gotham Knights and whether its future has any bearing on Batwoman. In the meantime, learn which of your favorite shows are currently airing with our fall 2021 TV premiere guide.
