The CW’s new DC TV show, Gotham Knights, gets negative early reviews as critics have begun sharing their thoughts on the upcoming superhero series. While the Arrowverse is winding down, The CW is still keeping its annual tradition (for now) as they have a new DC TV show coming this season. From Batwoman writers/producers comes Gotham Knights, which is not meant to be a spinoff or have any ties to the video game of the same name. Gotham Knights will center on Bruce Wayne’s adoptive son, Turner Hayes, who gets framed for his father’s murder along with several children of Batman’s enemies.
While Gotham Knights have been promoted since last spring, the DC TV drama has struggled with its marketing, including several fan backlash. The DC series is currently scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, March 14, at 9 PM, right after the Superman & Lois season 3 premiere.
Molly Freeman, Screen Rant
Ultimately, Gotham Knights is a Batman universe show for a very specific audience: Those who enjoy The CW formula and don’t mind if a DCTV series doesn’t have very many recognizable comics characters. The Gotham Knights series premiere doesn’t make the best case for its ability to weave together its DC and drama elements, but there is potential for an enjoyable campy show. It’s certainly not the strongest DC pilot The CW has aired, but those who can get past its flaws may find something to enjoy. Whether that’s enough to help Gotham Knights survive The CW’s new ownership remains to be seen.
Craig Byrne, GothamSite
Lauren Piester, GameSpot
It’s unfortunate for Gotham Knights that it’s debuting in this way at this time, because it’s a fun show that might just be too buried in too many messes and too many Batmen to have a chance to live up to its potential.
Sam Stone, Comic Book Resources
To really enjoy Gotham Knights, one must be completely open to a reinvention of the mythos, framed under the auspices of a typical CW teen drama, albeit with superheroes and unrelenting assassins. Those with a more cursory familiarity with the Dark Knight might enjoy this show more, taking it as a street-level superhero drama, but there are so many references to the mythos that it doesn’t feel geared towards comic fans as a target audience. Like Batman himself in this series, Gotham Knights is unfortunately dead on arrival unless it drastically improves as the season progresses.
Nicole Drum, Comic Book
Gotham Knights is far from perfect, but it is also a bit unlike anything else that The CW has tried when it comes to its DC-inspired series. While it struggles just a bit to get out of the gate, once it does it, delivers an interesting approach to a Gotham-centered, Batman-adjacent story that’s got just enough mystery and enough comic book DNA to make it an intriguing watch. Whether that will be enough to keep things going in what is an interesting time for the network remains to be seen, but this is a series that is worth investigating.
Jennifer Griffin, TV Pulse Magazine
As both new and existing CW shows line up to enter their premiere night starting gates, they are eyeing each other nervously, aware that the ratings race to Primetime 2023/24 is likely to have only one or two winners, and no runners-up. If ‘Gotham Knights’ is to earn a second season it will need to stand apart from previous CW superhero shows, not emulate them. There are so many things to enjoy about this new show which we would enjoy even more if it were to take a couple of risks, spread its wings, and truly embrace its more unique elements.
Brian Kitson, The Cosmic Circus
This show was not what I thought it was going to be. It definitely is a younger skewed, high school drama-esque series that screams the CW from the rooftop. However, it was also fun as hell to watch with some fantastic castings to help alleviate any complaints. There’s also plenty of action and a good mystery in which to get lost in solving. It has some great characters and character moments. It’s a fun, but perhaps messy, show that, if you’re like me, you’ll be needing to tune in every week.
Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
Gotham Knights season 1 episode 1 kicks off with a ton of action and is a great start to the series, despite its few flaws. The second half of the six episodes I was sent are a vast improvement on the first in terms of story, dialogue, and overall feel. The mystery gets more and more intense, with twists and turns thrown at viewers left and right. Add in the massive amount of love the creators clearly have for the DC universe, and Gotham Knights is sure to make fans happy. They might not be completely hooked, but they will certainly be intrigued to see what happens next.
As Gotham Knights’ series premiere is coming up, the first batch of reviews for The CW series came out this week. Several critics have been able to preview the first set of episodes, and the early impressions of Gotham Knights are a mixed bag.
Will Gotham Knights Have More Than 1 Season?
While time will tell how additional critics and the general audiences will feel about Gotham Knights, the bigger mystery is its future with The CW. 2022 was a change to The CW’s status quo as WarnerMedia and Paramount sold 75% of its ownership to Nexstar, as they each retain 12.5%. Throughout the last couple of months, the new regime at The CW has made it clear they are changing their programming strategy. Reports have surfaced that The CW’s scripted shows will only consist of at least three series.
Initially, The CW was expected to have five or fewer scripted shows back for the 2023-2024 TV season. But following the renewal of All-American, the number was changed, and as of right now, then the network is expected only to pick up two additional shows. With several ongoing series getting ready to air their season finales as Gotham Knights debuts, it’s up to The CW on what stays and goes. Gotham Knights’ fate will likely not be revealed until later in the season after the network sees its ratings and reception.
It also remains to be seen if The CW will even consider having more than one DC TV show next season. With Superman & Lois season 3 currently also unclear if it is its final one or not, it might become a battle between the Arrowverse veteran series and Gotham Knights for one of those 2023-2024 slots. But for now, viewers can catch the first episode of Gotham Knights season 1 in about two weeks.
Source: GothamSite/Twitter, GameSpot, CBR, ComicBook, TV Pulse Magazine, The Cosmic Circus, Mama’s Geeky
