Gotham Knights is an American superhero television series developed by Natalie Abrams, Chad Fiveash, and James Stoteraux for The CW. It centers on members of the Batman family and other DC Comics supporting characters. It premiered on March 14, 2023.
Premise
In the wake of Bruce Wayne's death, his adopted son Turner Hayes forges an unlikely alliance with runaways Harper and Cullen Row and criminal Duela when they are all accused of a murder they did not commit by Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent. Their attempt to clear their names and find out who really killed Bruce Wayne soon leads them to the Court of Owls.[1]
Cast
Main
Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Bruce Wayne's adoptive son who is alleged to have hired the three people who have been framed for killing Bruce Wayne. Turner Hayes is an original character for the series and does not come from the comics.[2][3]
K.K. Moggie as Cressida, a woman who watches over Turner when Bruce is busy and is secretly working as the Messenger of the Court of Owls.
Joel Keller as Detective Ford, a detective of the Gotham City Police Department working for Harvey Dent who is among the police officers that tried to kill Turner and the suspects of Bruce Wayne's death. He is later beheaded by a mysterious figure.
Fiona Byrne as Commissioner Yindel, the commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.
Randall Newsome as Hamilton Hill, the Mayor of Gotham City who is in league with the Court of Owls.
David Miller as Bruce Wayne / Batman, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, adoptive father of Turner, and vigilante who was found murdered.
In the wake of Bruce Wayne's death, his identity as Batman is also revealed. Joker's alleged daughter Duela Dent, siblings Harper and Cullen Row are arrested after an attempted break in at Wayne Tower for stealing the gun that Joe Chill used to murder Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne and become prime suspects in Wayne's murder. Bruce's adopted son Turner Haynes, who didn't know Bruce was Batman, and his best friend Stephanie Brown discover the Batcave after the funeral. Brown learns that money had been wired from Turner's account to the suspects and is arrested as well. Bruce's friend Harvey Dent tells Turner that Bruce's lawyers don't want to represent them as Dent receives pressure from Commissioner Yindel. With no other choice, Turner teams up with the suspects to break out and figure out the true murderer and clear their names. They receive aid from Carrie Kelley in her Robin alias after she saves them from Detective Ford and his fellow police officers who want them dead. They also learn that the secret organization the Court of Owls are somehow involved when a mysterious masked operative kills Ford.
As Turner and his allies stock up on necessities, Mayor Hamilton Hill puts together a task force that will be overseen by Harvey Dent as they take everything out of the Batcave which Cressida denied any knowledge that it was beneath Wayne Manor. Brody March warns Stephanie about helping to prove Turner's innocence. When Harvey and Commissioner Sato try to call Detective Ford and those with them, they find their phones and their severed heads in the packages that were delivered to Gotham City Police Department HQ. In their first step to find out who framed them, Turner proposes to Duela, Harper, and Cullen that they join Carrie's Robin alias in returning to the scene of the crime using one the Wayne Security vehicles. While Stephanie is interrogated by Harvey as Brody, Turner's group heads to Wayne Tower where Turner and Robin obtain all of Bruce's journals. The arrival of a Talon causes Turner and Robin to avoid it when the alarms are set off causing Duela to flee. Robin evacuates Turner, Harper, and Cullen as Turner takes a sword. Duela takes the vehicle to an antique dealer that she met up with earlier as he pulls a gun on her upon finding out about the watch. He is then killed by another Talon who traps Duela in a car that it sets on fire as she burns her hand trying to exit it. Turner and Robin face off against the Talon while Harper and Cullen free Duela. After Turner gets injured and Carrie uses an explosive to weaken the Talon, everyone gets away. After their respectful injuries are tended to, Duela thanks Turner for saving her life as they find the last entries of the latest journal missing. Cressida meets with Mayor Hill where they are both associates of the Court of Owls as Mayor Hill has Cressida see to it that the Court of Owls keeps him in office for as long as possible. Back at GCPD HQ, Brody tells Stephanie that he has taken the blame for the hacking to help find proof of Turner's innocence. Robin returns to her apartment where she has the final pages as she works to figure out what Bruce has been preparing Turner for.
In December 2021, it was reported that a television series adaptation was in development at The CW. The series is currently being written by Natalie Abrams, James Stoteraux, and Chad Fiveash, all of whom also serve as executive producers with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden through Berlanti Productions.[1] The video game of the same title also takes place in a post-Bruce Wayne Gotham and also features the Court of Owls as antagonists,[11] but the projects are unrelated.[1] In February 2022, The CW ordered a pilot episode to evaluate.[12] In May 2022, The CW picked up Gotham Knights to series.[13]
Casting
In March 2022, Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara were cast for the pilot,[14] followed by Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Navia Robinson shortly afterward.[15][16]Misha Collins revealed that he would portray Harvey Dent.[17] Anna Lore also joined the cast, portraying Stephanie Brown.[18] In April, Rahart Adams was cast as Brody,[19] whose parents were cast in recurring roles for Lauren Stamile and Damon Dayoub after the pilot was picked up to series.[20] In January 2023, Ethan Embry and Sunny Mabrey were cast in recurring capacities as Cluemaster and Crystal Brown.[21] In March 2023, Doug Bradley joined the cast in a recurring role as Joe Chill,[22] with Bradley indicating that he was a fan of Batman but was unaware of who Joe Chill was in the Batman mythology.[23]
Filming
Filming for the pilot episode began in April 2022 throughout Toronto, Ontario.[24] Filming for the rest of the season began in Atlanta, Georgia on September 13, 2022.[25]
Release
The first trailer was released on May 31, 2022.[26] The series premiered on March 14, 2023.[27]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 18% with an average rating of 4.7/10, based on 11 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Never send amateurs to do a Batman's job."[28] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 4 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29]
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of Gotham Knights
