All 21 Batman TV Shows, Ranked Worst To Best

Published Jul 31, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Without a doubt, Batman has more animated and live-action television series than perhaps any other superhero in history. For decades, various interpretations of The Dark Knight, his allies, and the world of Gotham City have been created for the small screen, both in animation and live-action. However, some series are naturally better than others. From the campy 1960s, the animation boom of the '90s, to more mature prestige dramas and adult animated comedies in the modern era, it feels as though there's a Batman show for every kind of DC fan. There are even shows that revolve around other characters living in Gotham beyond Batman himself, both heroes and villains (and even the vehicles in Batman's garage). While it will always be fun to see Batman on the big screen with projects like Matt Reeves' The Batman or DC Studios' upcoming Brave and the Bold film with Batman and Robin, The Dark Knight has always had a nearly continuous presence on the small screen. Keeping that in mind, here's our ranking for all 21 series that either have Batman in the title, star major Batman characters, and/or carry a large focus on Gotham City itself. 21 Gotham Knights (2023) Someone's got to be at the bottom, and the best contender for the worst Batman series is arguably Gotham Knights, despite the promise of its initial premise. Created by the CW, a new continuity was created for the series where Bruce Wayne is murdered. This forces his adopted son named Turner to team up with the children of several Gotham rogues to uncover the truth. However, the show never found its footing, and didn't even have the advantage of being set in the same universe as the rest of the Arrowverse despite being a short-lived CW series. The decision to create a brand-new adopted son for Bruce Wayne when Batman already has so many adopted sons to choose from in the comics was fairly divisive. Combined with some poor pacing and the CW already petering out on superhero shows, Gotham Knights left much to be desired, and it certainly didn't help that it shared a name with a DC video game starring Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, and Batgirl, which had just been released just a few months prior (and received its own mixed reviews). 20 The New Adventures of Batman (1977) The New Adventures of Batman reunited Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, an animated continuation of their classic live-action series that also featured Bat-Mite for comic relief. While hearing the voices of West and Ward is fun, it features far less depth and nuance than future animated Batman series. 19 Batwoman (2019) A Gotham-set series that was part of the CW's greater Arrowverse, Bruce Wayne's cousin Kate Kane received her own series that saw her protecting Gotham while Batman was missing. Initially played by actress Ruby Rose, her departure after the first season massively changed the trajectory of the show, with Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder taking over as a new version of Batwoman. However, the show's full potential was never quite reached before the Arrowverse came to an end and started winding down in the 2020s. 18 Bat-Fam (2024) Amazon's recently released Bat-Fam animated series takes a more lighthearted take on Batman's extended family, focusing less on crime-fighting and more on the personalities and relationships of several Gotham's characters, with Bruce Wayne himself being depicted as an overworked and tired father voiced by Luke Wilson. It's a fun enough comedy series, though there are certainly better ones later on in this list, and its more stylized animation isn't for everyone. 17 Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (2024) Image via Max One of the unlikeliest DC spin-offs to have ever been made, Kite Man: Hell Yeah! follows the fan-favorite Batman rogue Chuck Brown following his introduction in the animated Harley Quinn series, as he and his girlfriend Golden Glider try to run a bar in Gotham City. Like Harley Quinn, Kite Man is a comedy satire on the DC Universe and Batman mythos. However, it really is just a companion piece that works because of Harley Quinn's foundation, and many of this world's best characters are featured in that show as opposed to this one. 16 Batwheels (2022) Batwheels is an animated preschool series on HBO Max starring sentient Batmobiles and more vigilante vehicles working together as a team to help keep Gotham safe, including the Batcycle, Batwing, Redbird, and more talking vehicles, while also featuring kid-friendly versions of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and classic villains (Batman himself is remarkably voiced by Ethan Hawke). While it's not targeted toward longtime fans with intentionally basic plots for younger audiences, it succeeds fairly well when it comes to introducing kids to Batman's world. 15 Birds of Prey (2002) Premiering shortly after Smallville in the CW's early superhero days, Birds of Prey featured a version of Gotham in the future where Batman was gone following the Joker's murder of Selina Kyle. This led to Oracle, Huntress, and Black Canary creating a new team to protect the city. While it only had 13 episodes due to budget constraints, uneven effects, and eventually low ratings, it does deserve some credit for highlighting Barbara Gordon's role as Oracle, while also being one of the first times a live-action project attempted to expand beyond The Dark Knight himself. 14 The Adventures of Batman (1968) Also produced by Filmation, just like 1977's The New Adventures of Batman, this series featured Olan Soule as Batman and Casey Kasem as Robin, introducing many young viewers to Gotham's Dynamic Duo through more lighthearted adventures for the very first time. It absolutely deserves credit for keeping up Batman's presence on television after the end of Adam West's live-action series and future series starring The Dark Knight that would start to get darker and more grounded. Soule and Kasem went on to reprise their roles in the beloved Super Friends series. 13 Pennyworth (2019) Pennyworth explored the younger years of Alfred Pennyworth decades before Bruce Wayne became The Dark Knight, with actor Jack Bannon portraying Alfred as a former SAS soldier and spy in an alternate version of England in the 1960s. While arguably too outside the box to gain widespread attention (there's a reason it got retitled to Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler), the show gradually accrued more and more DC connections and ties foreshadowing Alfred's future in Gotham with Batman, like Thomas and Martha Wayne being part of the cast. However, the series was arguably too niche with a tone that very much changed after its first season (seemingly not for the better). 12 Titans (2018) The live-action Titans series focused primarily on Dick Grayson's Robin and the next generation including Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire, and more heroes as the show progressed. However, Batman's presence and Gotham City continually grew over time, arguably to the show's own detriment. Iain Glen's older Bruce Wayne played a surprisingly significant role as Dick Grayson evolved from Robin to Nightwing. Likewise, the show also heavily featured Jason Todd's evolution from Robin to Red Hood, Scarecrow as a predominant season villain, and several other Bat-Family characters who all became central to the show's story, like Tim Drake's Robin and even Barbara Gordon. However, the show often pulled focus to Gotham, Batman, and his allies and away from the other Titans, resulting in consistently inconsistent writing and uneven character arcs. Nevertheless, the arcs for Bat-Family characters like Dick Grayson and Jason Todd specifically were fairly well done.