Gotham kicks off with the famous murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, leaving young Bruce (David Mazouz) an orphan. We've seen it happen in countless flashbacks, but don't expect the series to jump forward because the show's creators have stated that there will be absolutely no Batman in the new series.
Instead we focus on rookie detective, James Gordon (Ben McKenzie). He's recently arrived in Gotham and has been teamed up with the corrupt Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) to investigate the Wayne murder, which leads them to the Falcone crime family, Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), and her underling Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Taylor) - who you'll likely know goes on to become the Penguin.
And this is pretty much what Gotham is about. Not so much Batman Begins, as the Rogues Gallery Begins. Detective Gordon is going to be kept busy because Gotham counts younger versions of the Riddler, Poison Ivy and Catwoman amongst its citizens. All of them out to make a name for themselves... and that's just in the pilot. There's plenty more to come! Hugo Strange will be introduced as the driving force behind the construction of Arkham Asylum, then there's young hot shot lawyer Harvey Dent, and did someone mention the Joker? Well apparently there's going to be a lot of potential candidates, keeping us guessing as to who ends up as the Dark Knights greatest nemesis.
Along the way James Gordon befriends young Bruce Wayne, who is being cared for by Alfred, the Wayne family's Butler (as played by Sean Pertwee). So we're right there at the start of a very important friendship, and we all know where it'll wind up.
We know the characters so well so this really is a great way to put a spin on them and introduce fresh new adventures. It's the lost years, the stories never told, the prequel to a legend. It's a chance to actually fill in the blanks, and that's got to be a good enough reason for any fan of Batman to watch.
Behind the scenes, Gotham is run by Mentalist creator Bruno Heller, and Danny Cannon - he's been responsible for shows including CSI, Nikita and The Tomorrow People (but we won't hold that last one against him).
All round, the series has huge potential and plenty of promise. It's a big year for comic book TV shows, and it's likely not all of them will go the distance, but I wouldn't bet against Gotham.
Gotham begins September 22nd at 8pm on Fox.
We'll be watching, will you?
