The CW's catalog of DC Comics shows has been intensely controversial since the beginning, but the modern outings have reached new levels of public backlash. In an intensely difficult time for the brand, the network has unveiled the first trailer for a show that has raised many questions and offered no answers.
Gotham Knights, not to be confused with the upcoming Warner Bros. game by the same name, has been announced. This comes after the cancellation of Batwoman and seems to serve as a replacement for the once-planned Wayne Family Adventures series. The show occupies a strange position in the brand's history but offers even more open questions in its trailer.
The Gotham Knights trailer opens on the hard-partying life of Bruce Wayne's teenage son. No, not Damian. The best-known son of Batman does not make an appearance in the series. Neither do Helena Wayne, Batman Jr., or Tallant. Instead of any of the Bat's established alternate universe kids, the series introduces a new one. Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan) is the adopted son of Bruce Wayne who uses his dad's massive wealth and station to hold parties and have a great time. Turner's life is turned upside down when his father is found dead. Bruce Wayne is found shot dead in the streets, wearing a business suit and Batman's cowl for reasons that haven't been explained.
So The Caped Crusader is dead under bizarre circumstances, and with his demise, his secret is out. Turner discovers that his dad was a superhero and that he's a suspect in his untimely death. Turner meets the other suspects, the teenage children of criminals. The Joker's daughter Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan), and the children of minor criminal Marcus Row, Harper (Fallon Smythe), and Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara) are brought in alongside Turner. Lesser-known Robin Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson) rounds out the group. Together, this group of underrated misfits must solve the murder they've been accused of and take up Batman's mantle to defend the city.
There are so many bad decisions on the premise of this series alone. The CW Batwoman series is controversial at best, but the trio of writers will be in charge of Gotham Knights. This means the show will earn the ire of Batwoman fans who didn't want to see the show end and lose faith with those who hate the show by keeping the same crew around. Gotham Knights isn't tied in with the CW's flagship DC property, the Arrowverse. It's theoretically a new continuity.
Adding yet another concurrent take on Gotham City to the pile can only confuse matters further. The show is set to release in December, but announcing it during the hype cycle of a game with the same name is absurd. Killing off the most popular superhero in the world in the first few minutes of the series will also do little to ingratiate itself to fans. Both of these problems are increased when the show chooses to focus in on characters that very few people have ever heard of.
Both DC and Marvel have occasionally done great work with obscure characters, mostly thanks to James Gunn. It's been proven multiple times that a creator can make a minor figure a legend with the right project. Unfortunately, this project didn't just pick D-list faces out of a lineup and bring them to the small screen. The reason Peacemaker or The Guardians of the Galaxy or even Legends of Tomorrow work despite the small names is the creative vision to use those names well. The creators of those shows found the best aspects buried in the character pitch or created a new direction to make them more interesting. The Gotham Knights trailer seems to feature characters using the names too minor to inspire recognition while also lacking the aspects people like about them.
Comparisons to The CW's own Riverdale have been frequent and unflattering. The series has also been negatively described as an edgy take on Disney's Descendants. Fan response to the show has been overwhelmingly negative. Fans have called out the cheap look of the sets and props on display, as well as the bizarre premise. Many have loudly questioned the network's decision to cancel Batwoman and to eschew more popular characters, like those that appear in the Gotham Knights game.
The lone positive word from most fans belongs to Supernatural star Misha Collins in the role of Harvey Dent. The negative backlash to this trailer could threaten the future of the show. CW has canceled or shelved series for similar reactions in the past, such as their take on The Powerpuff Girls, which never made it past a pilot. There's a very real chance that Gotham Knights doesn't get much farther.
The awful truth is, that The CW seems to be fading away as DC's primary TV home. With the death of the Arrowverse and the cancellation of Batwoman, shows like Gotham Knights are the dying gasps of a once-popular brand. DC is likely to pivot entirely to DCEU-ready programming on HBO Max after the success of Peacemaker. Fans will have to wait and see whether Gotham Knights defies explanations, or signals the final white flag for The CW's DC content.