Fox Developing "Gotham" Young Jim Gordon Series

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Admiral_Young, Sep 25, 2013.

  1. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2002
    Location:
    Gotham
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    I don't know why they don't just adapt Gotham Central for TV. It's an existing comics property that already fits the formula they seem to be going for, a cop series set in Gotham and focusing on "normals" rather than costumed heroes.
     
  3. Venardhi

    Venardhi Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2002
    Location:
    The Great Wide Somewhere
    What exactly would make that any different from any old cop show? The whole 'Gotham P.D.' thing only really becomes interesting once the Batman starts complicating things. Sounds like they just want an excuse to cast a handsome hard-body 27 year old as Gordon. What is wrong with Montoya and Bullock and (Handsome Hard-body 27 year old with a name from the comics) as the leads with Gordon as a supporting cast member?
     
  4. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    AI Generated Madness
    Might be interesting is they toss in Dr. Thomas Wayne as a supporting character.
     
  5. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2007
    Location:
    Space Massachusetts
    Another cop show... fun. Just what Fox needs. They are starting to give CBS a run for their money.
     
  6. Frontier

    Frontier Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2002
    Location:
    Fifth Circle of Hell, IE: Pennsylvania
    FOX?

    It's going to be on FOX?

    The network that's created and killed more good genre shows than every other network combined?

    ...

    [​IMG]
     
  7. FreezeC77

    FreezeC77 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2002
    Well to be fair a major reason why FOX canceled so many genre shows is because they were one of the few networks actually giving genre shows *A CHANCE*. You'd have the rare show here and there on the other big 3 networks, but it was pretty much lawyer/cop/doctor for a good 10+ years on those networks and only in the past few years have you seen them try genre shows more frequently (Lost being a huge factor there)
     
  8. Scout101

    Scout101 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2003
    Location:
    Rhode Island, USA
    other than name-dropping, though, IS it a genre show? Or just regular cop show, except they say Gotham instead of NYC? Without Batman, what's the point?
     
  9. Captaindemotion

    Captaindemotion Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 26, 2001
    Location:
    Ireland
    I'm surprised that this has ended up on Fox, given that Warner Brothers owns DC comics and their movie counterparts. Presumably they'll be producing it?
     
  10. Icemizer

    Icemizer Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2008
    Oh look theres Edward Nigma CSI, The Cobblepot Casino, Isley's floral shop, and on and on. Just name dropping will not keep the fanboys watching this show. Having the cops be able to take down younger versions of the Bats foes just makes Batman look weak. Just give us a Batman or Nightwing series already.
     
  11. Vendikarr

    Vendikarr Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 17, 2001
    Location:
    Vendikarr
    The article at deadline.com says it was a bidding war over which network would air it, and Fox won.

    Deadline.com
     
  12. Captaindemotion

    Captaindemotion Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 26, 2001
    Location:
    Ireland
    ^Ah! I didn't read the link, as I'd seen the story elsewhere on t'internet today, but without reference to the bidding war. Thanks.
     
  13. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    Absolutely right. Of all the broadcast networks, FOX and UPN are the ones that have had the highest percentage of genre shows out of their total scripted shows. So naturally they've cancelled the most genre shows, because most shows get cancelled, period. And it's been a decade since Firefly, and different people are running the show now. Last year, ABC, NBC, and The CW all debuted one or more genre shows that they cancelled after just a few weeks, leaving most of their episodes unaired or burning them off months later. FOX hasn't cancelled a genre show with episodes unaired since Tru Calling in 2005. So the old "FOX kills genre shows" meme is outdated. Take an honest look at the current TV landscape and it's clear that genre shows have a better chance on FOX than they do on the other broadcast networks.



    But that's just it -- shows like this are not made for "fanboys," because that's not a large enough audience to sustain a successful television series. The goal with shows like this and Smallville before it is to take a property with a niche appeal and reinvent it to fit a mold that has broader audience appeal, a show that will draw in the general audience that wouldn't watch a straight-up Batman or Superman show. The reason there are so many conventional, formulaic shows on TV is because lots of viewers want them. They draw in large audiences reliably in a way that more exotic concepts like SF or superheroes generally don't. Sure, superheroes are popular now, but even the most successful superhero properties tend to play down the comic-book elements or bend over backward to rationalize them and make them feel more grounded, more accessible to the general audience that's uncomfortable with capes and tights and code names.

    Not that I think this is necessarily a good idea, but I have no trouble understanding why network executives would think it's a good idea. A cop show is a safer way to go.
     
  14. Aldo

    Aldo Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2003
    Location:
    Hyrule Castle
    Too bad NBC didn't get it, they could have called in 'Law and Order: Gotham City'
     
  15. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    "In Gotham City's criminal justice system, the people are represented by three separate yet equally important groups: Batman, who investigates crime; the police, who shine the Batsignal; and the district attorneys, who ineffectually prosecute the offenders and occasionally develop homicidal split personalities. Come to think of it, only Batman is really important."
     
  16. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2000
    Location:
    South Pennsyltucky
    The opening credits:

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh83WpX5M9Q[/yt]

    And I don't know where this piece of fan art originated, but the Goddamn Batman and Lenny Briscoe is funny. :)
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    ^Shouldn't that intro have closed with "Created by Bob Kane?" Even if Dick Wolf had created it, Kane would've still stolen the credit. ;)
     
  18. Aldo

    Aldo Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2003
    Location:
    Hyrule Castle
    I toyed with the idea of writing one of those intros in my original post, but I'm not that creative :)

    As per the idea, I think it's a sound one, and can be really interesting. But I'm not really sure what they can do outside of having this be another procedural that just happens to be set in Gotham City.
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2001
    The mashup I want to see is CSI and the Adam West Batman. If you look at the '66 show, Batman and Robin essentially functioned as the GCPD's crime lab. Commissioner Gordon would give them evidence and they'd analyze it with the scientific equipment in the Batcave. Or they'd be called to the scene to investigate something odd, like a giant umbrella or cookbook in the middle of the street, and would do science to it to determine if it was dangerous.


    Maybe that's what they want. Networks love formulas, because they work. They're reliable ways to draw in large audiences. The goal is to find new twists and hooks and gimmicks to differentiate the shows without diverging too far from the formula. This procedural's about forensic scientists, this one's about a snarky medical examiner, that one's about a phony psychic, that one's about a face-reading expert, that one's about Sherlock Holmes, etc. And since there's always a market for more procedurals, they need new premises and characters to build them around.
     
  20. Icemizer

    Icemizer Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2008
    Could this be one of the first procedurals where the bad guys win most of the time? Due to rampant corruption and a society that doesnt care and is afraid the crooks walk free at the end of every show.