Depsite maintaining a rating of over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and consistently stellar performances by its cast of zany characters,
Gotham continues to struggle to maintain the same viewership that landed it among FOX's top ten scripted series during seasons past. While it is still outpacing
The Mick,
Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the
Exorcist, viewership was down in Season 4 at the time of its premier by 22.79%, according to the charts tracked by
TV Series Finale.
While this doesn't exactly bode well for the show, it's still too soon to count it out entirely. As the preview for the Spring opener, "Pieces of a Broken Mirror," continues to make the rounds,
Gotham seems primed to either go out with a bang or finally gain the traction it needs to break the fifth season barrier. Either way, fans will finally get to see what a team-up between Jerome and Penguin entails, and as much as the Riddler seemed to balance Oswald's often impulsive nature, the previews imply that Jerome lives to enable in the extreme, which: duh.
Of course, the villians of
Gotham have been its strongest pillar since the show's inception, with Robin Lord Taylor's masterful portrayal of an earnest and disturbed, or earnetsly disturbed, Penguin. Add to that the slow but steady rallying of the Sirens, Edward Nygma's subtle introduction and gradual descent into the Riddler, and Cameron Monaghan's epic performance as Jerome, and even the most staunch of DC detractors have to concede that Batman's rogues gallery IS the most entertaining if not, indeed, the best rogues gallery.
Speaking of Batman and, in counterpoint to
Gotham's heaviest hitting story arcs, it often times seems that Bruce Wayne's story is what tends to fall short. Of course, the latest preview finally sees Bruce doing something interesting in season 4, unsurprisingly once again opposite one of his villians. This time, it happens to be Ivy which is an exciting dynamic for the show to finally explore, what with the first half of the season being dedicated to teenage angst and post-murder depression syndrome.
Speaking of murder syndromes, it would appear that Sofia Falcone has managed to gain the ire of the rest of
Gotham's key players, including a furious Lee, and Police Chief Gordon. Her relationship with the Sirens is tenuous at best, and it would appear her unflinching dedication to restoring the Falcone name is finally starting to take its toll. This can only end bloody, one would hope.
Indeed, it would be a shame to see
Gotham ended prematurely just when all the pieces are set. Especially when longer running shows, such as
Supernatural on CW get to stay on with per episode ratings below 2 million viewers this season, despite its undeniable track record.
What do you think? Should we be worried about
Gotham or has season 4 set us up for a win? Let your thoughts be heard in the comments!