Gotham is such a strange beast of a TV show, and its appeal doesn't fit in neatly with what makes other shows enjoyable. Case in point: this is the only show on television that has fans waiting for the return of a character who isn't really The Joker of comic book fame, but is sort of The Joker. (Criminal Minds: Arkham could change that. Just sayin'.) Thankfully, we will almost definitely reconnect with actor Cameron Monaghan for a reprisal of Jerome, Proto-Clown Prince of Crime, and the actor teased that return in a fantastic way.
Do not adjust your screens or assume that you are missing the point. Cameron Monaghan posted to Twitter, free from context, a 15 second clip of some golden-throated cackling. There's no picture because you don't need a picture with such an iconic sound coming through the speakers. And if you really want to, just pretend that the video is an extreme close-up of the spot just below his right eye after he puts on all his makeup.
Gotham has been cheekily solid about keeping hopes alive that Jerome, or some other form of The Joker, would return to the show, usually through pumping that signature laughter into the background of a scene. Fans already wondered if it would happen after his shocking death, and that was before Hugo Strange came in and made villainous resurrection a regular part of the narrative. It made sense that this is how Jerome could return, even as his Joker-ish influence has already permeated Gotham City's underworld. With Jim Gordon taking on a slightly different crimestopping role when Season 3 kicks off, it's likely the two of them could cross paths in the future.
It might be a few months into the future, though, if Cameron Monaghan is just getting into putting the laugh together again. That would mean they're probably filming something perhaps around Episode 9 or 10, so a LOT of crazy shit could (and will) happen on Gotham before Jerome reappears. Even if he shows up 10 minutes into the Season 3 premiere, a lot of crazy shit will have already happened. Such is the way creator Bruno Heller likes to play things.
Season 3 of Gotham is going to do quite a bit of character introductions and re-introductions. Lots of Hugo Strange's monstrous creations are out there, and a lot of them are following Fish Mooney around.We're going to meet The Mad Hatter, among other comic baddies, and new characters like Valerie Vale and Selina Kyle's mom. But no matter how many people show up, there's always room for The Joker.
Gotham will bring the laughs and the mania back to Fox for Season 3 on Monday, September 19, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see when every other show that should have The Joker on it is returning to primetime, check out our fall TV schedule.
