How I Would Make The GOTHAM TV-Show

How I Would Make The GOTHAM TV-Show

The GOTHAM TV-show is on its way. Hopefully it won't be a train wreck. Either way, this is how I would've done it.

Editorial Opinion
By Tuuralihn - Feb 09, 2014 12:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman

Sometimes, my brain works at an exceptional rate. It keeps churning, turning, thinking, construe, construct, deconstruct, break and mold ideas.

After I heard that FOX was making a TV-show about Jim Gordon set in his early days as a police officer, my initial thought was "No." and then kept on with "It'll be the same as Agents of Shield. Sure we'll probably have some good drama and fun with tiny name drops. But in the end, we'll sit there and think "Where the frickety frack is Batman already? Superman? Green Arrow? Anything!?"

I'm afraid that it will probably go down as that. But my aforementioned brain started to work. For days it worked. "Well how can it work? What should be the best course of action? You tell yourself you're so damn clever, YOU figure it out then. Stupid."

My brain can be rude.

So, this is just a long intro for how I would make the upcoming TV-show GOTHAM.



A three way origin story.
- They way I see it, making Gordon the solo main character would be a mistake. Sure, there are some great aspect to the character, but in the end, we are in a Superhero-universe and getting stuck with a "normal" guy would in the end disappoint. No matter how awesome he is. Which he is. The way to go about it is to make this a three-person origin story. Gordon, Bruce Wayne and The Joker.

Gordon has his thing. He's a war hero, former football star and on the fast track to stardom in the police world. Have him rise in the ranks each(or maybe every two) season(s). Overall god guy. The optimist amongst the pessimists. Have him struggle, but in the end come out on top.



Bruce Wayne. At first we see that shocked 10 year old. His parents was killed in front of him. But little by little, with the help of his two surrogate fathers, Alfred the butler and Gordon(the guy hunting the killer of his parents), we see the future Batman come to life. Have little Brucie actually help Gordon. SHow of his detective skills. Show his intelligence and brilliance. Show that the future Batman won't be all muscle.

The Joker. What I would do here, that would piss off the comic fans(all live-action adaptions do), is to make the Robber/Killer of the Wayne parents the future Joker. Have him be a cop alongside Gordon. He will be a proper two-faced guy(pun intended). Bought by the Mafia/Or some DC related gang to execute the Waynes for purposes to be revealed later on. Going alongside Gordon. Have him go alongside Gordon, the same path, but do all the wrong choices.

Know where and when to end it.
- U.S. television is both great and bad. Great because we get to see A LOT of our favorite characters. Bad because it often gets bland, boring and we get too many filler episodes. Set the amount of episodes to about 10-12 episodes per season. (Breaking Bad-style). Fill the episodes with quality, not quantity. (Shows to learn from: Sherlock and Breaking Bad again.)

Also, don't do a "Smallville". Where we just have a high-ratings show and keep on doing it. Set the amount of seasons down. Here I would go with either 5 or 6 seasons at the max.


Know where it is going. Having an open ending isn't bad. I would have future-Joker have his face disfigured because Bruce Wayne in almost-Batman-mode push him into some chemicals or something in that direction. Gordon has become commissioner. Future Joker has donned his purple jacket. And Wayne has put together his Batsuit. We all see these three characters become the people we know from the comics/movies.

Also, don't cop out at showing the final reveals. Smallville did that. Didn't sit right with anyone.


Time skips: Doing an origin story is fine. But most of the time, the audience is just itching for us to get on with it. And with franchises were people KNOW where we're going, don't mess about. Between every season I would do a 2-year time skip. 3 reasons why:

1. Gordon. Between each time skip I would have him rise through the ranks of the police department. From rookie to esteemed private. To chief. To detective and the commissioner. (I'm probably getting the ranks wrong, but you get what I mean).

2. Bruce Wayne. I want this mostly because of child actors. Some are good. Some are really really bad. BUT, we also want to see him evolve. From child genius (I would have him be clever with gadgets, inventing stuff, detective skills and so on) to proficient martial arts performer. Make it believable. Make him count, Make him angry, but sympathetic. We need to see him change, both visually and physically.


3. The Joker. Important character. In the beginning he will be a rookie cop with Gordon. We need to see him forced into the mafia-game. See him get corrupted. Then little-by-little be the corrupter. As we see Gordon rise through the police, we see the Joker rise through the criminal chain. At the end of the show, he will be the big boss in some gang. I want him to be the guy the audience loves, then watch him become someone the audience hate. (I'm talking "love-to-hate" not "send-the-actor-death-threats-hate" though).


So, that is my outline. To stress, this is MY point of view of how the GOTHAM tv-show should be. Nothing I say has anything to do with the future GOTHAM TV-show, the Batman copyright or anything.
As usual. Sound of below in the comments!
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BenjiWest
BenjiWest - 2/9/2014, 12:41 AM
They should probably not use Bruce, because I think they want the focus to be on Gordon and other Gotham police. But once you put Bruce in, it almost becomes...umm, distracting I think.

I hope Gordon's characterization is similar to his in Snyder's Year One story. He even has a cool back story to his signature trench coat.
GoldSlayer1
GoldSlayer1 - 2/9/2014, 12:59 AM
I thought Gotham would focus on a teenage Bruce Wayne going through what would be his high school years.

If we get a 10 year old bruce (or no bruce at all), im probably not gonna watch.
Pedrito
Pedrito - 2/9/2014, 1:14 AM
Is the show called Gotham or Gotham PD?
If it's the latter, it wouldn't make sense to focus on Bruce 's teen years.
GoldSlayer1
GoldSlayer1 - 2/9/2014, 1:33 AM
@Pedrito
just "Gotham"
I honestly think we dont need another cop show on TV even if it is based in gotham city.

and TBH, im not that into cop shows.
I may have only watched maybe 2 episodes of anything with the name "Law and Order" or "CSI" in it. so not many cop shows for me.
megabatfan
megabatfan - 2/9/2014, 5:03 AM
Make a Gotham series where Batman currently exists. Not a child Bruce Wayne. That way, they can incorporate Batman's Rogues. Batman doesn't need to show up, but probably a name drop here & there. Maybe even a cameo. But I really dislike this idea they're going with. I won't be watching, but I wish the series luck
TimDrake87
TimDrake87 - 2/9/2014, 5:04 AM
Make it like zero year
kong
kong - 2/9/2014, 5:06 AM
I don't want Bruce to be a focus in this series at all. I love Bruce, but this should be about the Gotham PD not Batman. If the Joker's in it he should be a part of the Red Hood Gang, which fits with his origins.
CaptainAmerica31
CaptainAmerica31 - 2/9/2014, 11:13 AM
Bruce will be 12 when the series begins. I think joker, and Bruce should be around the same age. Bruce is 12 and let the joker be 15. We, as the audience, should be able to be introduced and become familiar with them through Gordon. For example, we can get to know Bruce when Gordon is investigating his parents murder, and from there he becomes a central character. Bruce helping Gordon is cheesy, keep them separate but connected in a subtle way. As for the Joker, he can be introduced through his parents. Maybe his dad murders his mom, and Gordon investigates the scene. We are introduced to the joker( the GA will have no clue who he is) and from there we can see him move from foster home to foster home. The series is said to be taking over many years, and ending with Bruce donning the cape and cowl. I think it should be in the format of a sandwich. We see Bruce become a Hero and The Joker progress into a serial killing psycopath. Everything in between is Gordon battling the riddler, the penguin and all the good stuff. It should show Gordon slowly lose grip on what he believes in because everything is descending to chaos. He losses hope, and when Bruce returns as Batman he begins to hope again.
GoldSlayer1
GoldSlayer1 - 2/9/2014, 1:54 PM
Ill give it a shot for a couple episodes but if its a cop based show, i probably wont watch cause cop shows aren't that appealing to me and i already have a handful of other shows im watching Arrow, Tomorrow people, AoS, Walking Dead, and a couple others.
MightyZeus
MightyZeus - 2/9/2014, 5:38 PM
I think the show should draw inspiration from the tv show "Hannibal". I think it has the perfect writing ad tone for a Gotham tv show.
SpanX13
SpanX13 - 2/10/2014, 9:08 AM
I believe the series would start with the young & idealistic Gordon join the force. For obvious reasons it'll be Gotham PD, we see his realization of how corrupt the civil services truly are. He'll deal with some very shady characters, Maroni's, Falconi's, Flask, etc & have some help from Dr & philanthropist Thomas Wayne & Officer Sara Essen. However season 1 end with him loosing much in ways of faith when he decides to act regarding the corruption with IA & take on Flask.

The season will end with, him demoted, his wife getting more & more suspicious of his relationship with Essen (obvious attraction), the death of the only good man he knew, Thomas Wayne & his wife & growing war between the 2crime families. Have him deal with an angry Bruce, going into the streets & getting into fights with some criminal elements. Gordon tries to keep him out of trouble but more & more their this kid gets involved in what's going on at large. We finally see Commissioner Lobe. & how high things really go. In the end a big sting op to weed out the corrupt goes wrong & Gordon is left with even more enemies. Bruce leaves without a trace.

Season 3-4 could show the spiraling violent & often absurd crimes, a young police officer Dent arrives. Very good cop,but has a violent streak. Now a 6:57:58 PM, a few years have skipped, & Gordon "works with what he gets" in regards to his organized crime unit. Montoya, Essen (now having an affair), Bullock (full on corrupt & snitching to the mafia),etc...he has a strange relationship with a resident of the Narrows,Selina Kyle, what she is (prostitute/con artist,straight/gay,good/bad,confidant/traitor) is never really sure. The end of this season shows the rise in a different type of criminal,each more deranged & violent than the next, yet equal/more brilliant than the first.

In season 5, we see Gordon receive communication from a "friend", assistance or info regarding his cases. Dent is now apart of IA & is after Bullock (never got along) but Gordon always backed him. Somewhere they have found common ground & Bullock is back to being a good cop even if he can be a d!ck. All the while there's media reports,tv & magazines, news paper stories talking about the return of Bruce Wayne. Just flashes/glimpses, never too much & his face is always just obscured/ blurred as what's happening in the scene is more important. You'll have people talk about the latest rumors of his sabbatical, like Gatsby, the rumors add to the misinformation & misdirection of Wayne. Gordon can't believe its his friends son/ the kid that was so intent on changing Gotham.

You see where I'm going with this?
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