Gotham Knights premieres on The CW tonight, and to say that there's a lot of excitement for the series...well, that would be an exaggeration. From the start, fans have been left confused about everything from the title - which is exactly the same as a video game released last year - to the fact it will revolve around a newly created character called Turner Hayes.
A couple of weeks ago, a number of fansites shared their verdicts on the show, with the majority of those reviews far from positive. While it seems the Batman-themed series has a few redeeming qualities (Misha Collins as Harvey Dent, for example), there really aren't that many based on what we've heard about the first six episodes!
Now, the trades have weighed in and while we know they're often not the biggest fans of comic book adaptations, The Wrap definitely doesn't go easy on this one!
"It’s possible that 'Gotham Knights' might have felt edgy or unique 20 years ago, when 'Smallville’s' whole gimmick was doing a Superman story without actually showing Superman in costume," the site states. "But in 2023 the superhero zeitgeist has mostly moved on — both on the big screen and small."
"There’s too much other quality content based on comic book universes populating the broadcast and streaming landscape to make this feel like anything other than an embarrassing afterthought."
As for The Hollywood Reporter's review, they conclude by saying, "Without enough style or personality to shed new light on this world, though, Gotham Knights‘ darkness starts to look awfully dull....but if [the cast is] really determined to blaze a new trail forward for Gotham City, these knights will need to start by not retreating so readily into its past."
Not all the reviews are this dire, but Gotham Knights sounds like another mediocre DC TV series that pales in comparison to the Arrowverse's early days. That shared world is nearing its end, of course, and this one will be entirely standalone from that and Batwoman.
Will you be tuning into Gotham Knights on The CW?