Gotham is an American superhero crime drama television series developed by Bruno Heller, produced by Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from the Batman mythos in comic books published by DC Comics. It features an ensemble cast that includes Ben McKenzie as James "Jim" Gordon, Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, and David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne. The show follows Gordon's early days at the Gotham City Police Department following the murder of Bruce's parents, as well as the origin stories of Batman's infamous rogues gallery. The series premiered on Fox on September 22, 2014, and ended on April 25, 2019, after five seasons totalling 100 episodes.
Development for a prequel series based on Batman began in September 2013, with Bruno Heller hired by Fox to serve as a writer and executive producer. In March 2014, Fox originally ordered 16 episodes for its first season before expanding it to 22. Filming primarily took place across New York City. In May 2018, Fox renewed the series for a fifth and final season, consisting of 12 episodes, which premiered on January 3, 2019, and concluded on April 25, 2019.
A prequel series, Pennyworth, starring Jack Bannon as a younger version of the iteration of Alfred Pennyworth portrayed by Sean Pertwee in Gotham, began airing in July 2019 and concluded in October 2022.
Plot
In the first season, GCPD Detective James Gordon and his partially corrupt partner Harvey Bullock are tasked with solving a number of criminal cases in Gotham City, including the murder of 12-year-old Bruce Wayne's parents. A gang war brews between crime families led by Carmine Falcone, Sal Maroni, and Fish Mooney, with low-level thug Oswald Cobblepot forced into its center.
In the second season, Theo Galavan surfaces in Gotham to kill Bruce Wayne for the Order of St. Dumas; Gordon is framed for murder by Edward Nygma; and at Arkham Asylum, Professor Hugo Strange runs unorthodox experiments in a secret facility called Indian Hill, transforming its inmates into monsters for the mysterious Court of Owls.
In the third season, Gordon becomes a bounty hunter working to track down the Indian Hill monsters. Jervis Tetch threatens the city's safety with a deadly virus; Cobblepot and Nygma struggle for control over Gotham; and Bruce is told by the Court of Owls' leader to seek out Ra's al Ghul to complete his training.
In the fourth season, Bruce begins to fight crime as a masked vigilante tentatively named the "Dark Knight" to prepare for Ra's al Ghul's return; Sofia Falcone arrives in Gotham to reclaim the criminal underworld from Cobblepot, who has established a new law of "licensed crime"; and Jeremiah Valeska is driven insane and forms an alliance with Ra's al Ghul to turn the city into an isolated ruin, forcing Bruce to fulfill his destiny as "Gotham's Dark Knight".
In the fifth and final season, Gordon and his allies attempt to restore order in Gotham. Nyssa al Ghul seeks vengeance for her father's death; Eduardo Dorrance takes control of the city's military presence; and Jeremiah hatches a scheme to torment Bruce and cement their "bond" as hated enemies.
A decade later, Bruce returns to Gotham, which has flourished with Gordon as commissioner of the GCPD, and begins fighting crime as a bat-inspired vigilante, capturing Cobblepot and Nygma after both attempt to kill Gordon. Jeremiah, having feigned brain death during this time, escapes from Arkham to resume his rivalry with Bruce, but is captured by him soon after, starting animosity between Jeremiah and Bruce's alter-egos. Gordon decides against retirement and uses a searchlight atop the police department to contact the new vigilante.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Ben McKenzie as James Gordon: In September 2013, it was reported that Fox was developing a TV series centered on James Gordon's early days as a police detective and the origin stories of various Batman villains. In February 2014, McKenzie was cast as the lead character. When describing his character in an interview, McKenzie stated that Gordon "is a truly honest man. The last honest man in a city full of crooked people. He's not an anti-hero, he's a true hero – but he will have to compromise." Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock: In early 2014, it was announced that Logue was cast as Harvey Bullock, a character who serves as James Gordon's ethically conflicted partner in the GCPD. David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne: In March 2014, Mazouz was cast as Bruce Wayne. When discussing his character, Mazouz stated that "you never got to explore what Bruce Wayne was going through or his grieving process or what his anger makes him do. At this point in his life, he's angry, he's scared, he's compulsive, and he's lonely. He's looking for any meaning to his parents' death. You'll see the things that he'll do to himself and to other people while he's grieving, and you'll see how he becomes a regular kid again." Mikhail Mudrik portrays an adult Bruce wearing the Batman suit in the series finale. Zabryna Guevara as Sarah Essen (season 1–2): In February 2014, Guevara was confirmed for the series. Descriptions revealed her character to be a police captain at the GCPD and James Gordon's direct superior. Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth: In February 2014, Pertwee was cast as Alfred Pennyworth in the series. Pertwee's character takes inspiration from the Earth One iteration of Alfred Pennyworth. Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin: In February 2014, Taylor was cast as Oswald Cobblepot, an intelligent low-level thug who used to work for Fish Mooney. Erin Richards as Barbara Kean: In February 2014, Richards was confirmed to have been cast in the show. Richards portrays James Gordon's fiancée, Barbara Kean, though their relationship deteriorates over the course of the season. She renews a past romantic relationship with Renee Montoya. Camren Bicondova as Selina "Cat" Kyle: In March 2014, Bicondova was confirmed to have joined the show's cast. According to Bicondova, "The main word that I can think of to characterize Selina is that she's just surviving. She's very mischievous and very challenging to play at times, because she feels emotions but she hides them. I realized that she isn't just a street thief and a survivor; she's actually a normal girl." Lili Simmons portrays an adult Selina in the series finale. Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma / The Riddler: Smith joined the cast in April 2014. In May 2014, Smith was promoted to a series regular. "What I love about the character's history is how diverse it is", says Smith. "When I was auditioning for Gotham, I got a handful of comics from different decades, so I had a perspective—it's been around for 75 years, which is a long time. I wanted to see an evolution of the comics—and of the character. Going from this quite innocent, well-intentioned, joyful person to starting to find this other part of him that he didn't know he had. He's a person who's constantly abused, and it's out of anger and exhaustion, and then realizing that when you start taking control of situations like that, you can gain power that way—it'll be something that he can start to enjoy." Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya (season 1): Cartagena joined the series in May 2014, but she was not a regular for the rest of the series after season one. Andrew Stewart-Jones as Crispus Allen (season 1): Stewart-Jones joined the series in May 2014, but he was not a regular for the rest of the series after season one. John Doman as Carmine Falcone (main season 1, recurring season 2–4): Doman first appeared in the series pilot as Carmine Falcone, a mob boss with ties to James Gordon's father.Gotham Season 1 Episode 1 "Pilot" (September 22, 2014) Doman continued to appear throughout the season. Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney (main season 1, recurring season 2–3): Smith was cast as Fish Mooney in February 2014. She appeared throughout the season until her character was seemingly killed in the show's season 1 finale after being dropped off the side of a tall building by Penguin.Gotham season 1 Episode 22 "All Happy Families Are Alike" (May 4, 2015) When asked if her character will return in future seasons, Smith replied, "If she survives the fall. I signed for a year. I don't think any of us really thought that Fish would have the life that she's had or be one of the favorite characters on the show. She was there to service a purpose, as far as helping to tell Penguin's story. I'm a smart girl. I understood I was there to service Penguin. If she survives, I would definitely be willing to do whatever was necessary to continue servicing the story of Gotham." In January 2016 it was announced that Smith would be reprising the role for the second half of season 2. Morena Baccarin as Leslie "Lee" Thompkins (main season 2–5, recurring season 1): Morena Baccarin was cast in October 2014. Baccarin was promoted to a series regular for the second season, after recurring in the first season. James Frain as Theo Galavan / Azrael (season 2): In June 2015, Frain was announced as a series regular only for season 2. Jessica Lucas as Tabitha Galavan / Tigress (season 2–5): In June 2015, Lucas was announced as series regular for season 2. Chris Chalk as Lucius Fox (main season 2–5, guest season 1): In March 2015, Chalk was announced as Lucius Fox, and was promoted to a series regular for the second season. Drew Powell as Butch Gilzean / Cyrus Gold / Solomon Grundy (main season 2–4, recurring season 1): Fish Mooney's right-hand man and mob enforcer. Victor Zsasz later "worked on" Butch, causing him to obey Oswald Cobblepot's every command, although this was later undone by Tabitha Galavan. Powell was promoted to a series regular for the second season. Nicholas D'Agosto as Harvey Dent (main season 2, guest season 1): In July 2014, it was announced that Harvey Dent would appear in the show. D'Agosto was revealed to portray Harvey Dent in October 2014, and was promoted to a series regular for the second season. Michael Chiklis as Nathaniel Barnes / The Executioner (season 2–3): In July 2015, Chiklis was announced as a series regular for season two as Captain Nathaniel Barnes. Maggie Geha as Ivy "Pamela" Pepper (main season 3, guest season 4): A young woman and old friend of Selina's who develops pheromone-based powers after consuming a mysterious elixir. The character was portrayed by Clare Foley as a recurring character in the first and second seasons. Starting with the second episode of season 3, the role was recast with Geha as a series regular. Peyton List takes over the role in the fourth and fifth seasons, as a recurring character. Benedict Samuel as Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter (main season 3, recurring season 4–5): In August 2016, Samuel was announced as a series regular for season 3. He is described as a psychotic hypnotist with a steadfast desire to find his missing sister Alice. Crystal Reed as Sofia Falcone (season 4): The daughter of Carmine Falcone who is returning to Gotham to help Gordon take down the Penguin. Reed was announced to portray Sofia Falcone and upgraded to a series regular for season 4. Alexander Siddig as Ra's al Ghul (main season 4, guest season 3): The powerful head of the League of Assassins with a keen eye on Bruce Wayne. In March 2017, Siddig was announced to portray Ra's in the season 3 finale before being upgraded to a series regular for season 4.
Production Development Heller said that he was initially hesitant to do a series about superheroes because he didn't know how to write about people with super powers. He also stated, "I don't think Batman works very well on TV". Heller's son suggested that the focus of the series should be Commissioner Gordon, and Heller developed the idea of Gordon investigating Bruce Wayne's parents' murder. That idea "gave us a starting point and allowed us to tell the saga from a much earlier point than before".