Gotham Knights (TV series)

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. In June 2023, the series was canceled after one season, and aired its final episode on June 27, 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 the criminal Duela, when they are all framed for the murder by the Gotham City Police Department and District Attorney Harvey Dent. The four youths attempt to clear their names and find out who really killed Bruce Wayne, with help from Turner's friend Stephanie Brown and Turner's classmate Carrie Kelley, who is secretly the superhero Robin.

The mystery of who framed them soon leads to the Court of Owls. Over time, they evolve into becoming Gotham City's new protectors known as the "Gotham Knights".

Main

 * Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Bruce Wayne's adoptive son and a student at Gotham Academy who is alleged to have hired the three people framed for killing Bruce. Turner Hayes is an original character for the series and does not come from the comics.
 * Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela, widely believed to be the daughter of the late Joker, who is among those framed for Bruce Wayne's murder. Elle Lisic portrays a younger Duela.
 * Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley / Robin, a student at Gotham Academy and the current sidekick of Batman who allies with Turner to find the true culprits of Batman's murder.
 * Fallon Smythe as Harper Row, a young streetwise engineer and Cullen's sister who is among those framed for Bruce Wayne's murder.
 * Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Row, Harper's brother who is among those framed for Bruce Wayne's murder.
 * Anna Lore as Stephanie Brown, a student at Gotham Academy, Turner's best friend, and an expert coder. She allies with Turner to help find the true culprits of Batman's murder.
 * Rahart Adams as Brody March, the son of Lincoln March and a fellow student at Gotham Academy.
 * Misha Collins as Harvey Dent, an old friend of Bruce Wayne and Gotham City's district attorney.

Supporting

 * K.K. Moggie as Cressida Clarke, Bruce Wayne's attaché who helped watch over Turner when he was younger, but who is secretly working for the Court of Owls
 * Deja Dee as Commissioner Soto, a commissioner in the Gotham Police Department
 * Lauren Stamile as Rebecca March, the mother of Brody March and the wife of Lincoln March
 * Damon Dayoub as Lincoln March, the father of Brody March, the husband of Rebecca March, and a known industrialist
 * Lazell Brown as Sgt. Apone, a sergeant in the Gotham Police Department
 * Angela Davis as Dr. Kelley, Carrie's prominent doctor mother who is unaware of her daughter's secret activities until "Poison Pill"
 * Sunny Mabrey as Crystal Brown, the mother of Stephanie Brown
 * Ethan Embry as Arthur Brown, the father of Stephanie Brown and the host of the game show "Quiz Bowl"

Guest

 * David Miller as Bruce Wayne / Batman (uncredited), the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, adoptive father of Turner, and vigilante who is found murdered.
 * 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.
 * Fiona Byrne as Commissioner Yindel, a commissioner in the Gotham City Police Department
 * Randall Newsome as Hamilton Hill, the Mayor of Gotham City who is in league with the Court of Owls. The Court of Owls kill him with a limousine rigged with a poison gas bomb after he served his purpose.
 * Keil Oakley Zepernick as Vernon Wagner, the super-strong leader of the Mutants
 * Veronica Cartwright as Eunice Harmon, an elderly lady and resident of a retirement home near Robinson Park who is the daughter of known serial killer Felix Harmon.
 * Perris Drew as Titus Jones, the son of dead Wayne lawyer Pericles Jones who confronts Turner and Harper when they break and enter into his house.
 * Doug Bradley as Joe Chill, a death row inmate who was incarcerated for murdering Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne during a mugging
 * Charlie Bodin as Mr. Hayes, the biological father of Turner who was murdered when Turner was young
 * Emily Rose as Mrs. Hayes, the biological mother of Turner who was murdered when Turner was young
 * Lindy Booth as Jane Doe, the mother of Duela, whose shocking information will irrevocably change Duela
 * Charles Mesure as Henri Ducard, a man who had ties to Mr. and Mrs. Hayes before they were murdered

Development
In December 2021, it was reported that a television series adaptation was in development at The CW. The series was written by Natalie Abrams, James Stoteraux, and Chad Fiveash, all of whom also served as executive producers with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden through Berlanti Productions. 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, but the projects are unrelated. In February 2022, The CW ordered a pilot episode to evaluate. When designing the costumes for the pilot, costume designer Jennifer May Nickel, worked with writers Stoteraux and Fiveash, to incorporate aspects of the uniform from the Gotham Academy comic books. In May 2022, The CW picked up Gotham Knights to series.

In May 2023, Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment at The CW, stated that Gotham Knights was among series that were not profitable directly for The CW and was more expensive than series imported for The CW such as Sullivan's Crossing. On June 12, 2023, The CW canceled the series after one season. Showrunners Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux stated on June 14 that Warner Bros. Discovery and Berlanti Productions had tried to find another outlet to pick up the series for months before the cancellation, but had been unsuccessful.

Casting
In March 2022, Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara were cast for the pilot, followed by Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Navia Robinson shortly afterward. Misha Collins revealed that he would portray Harvey Dent. Anna Lore also joined the cast, portraying Stephanie Brown. In April, Rahart Adams was cast as Brody, whose parents were cast in recurring roles for Lauren Stamile and Damon Dayoub after the pilot was picked up to series. In January 2023, Ethan Embry and Sunny Mabrey were cast in recurring capacities as Cluemaster and Crystal Brown. In March 2023, Doug Bradley joined the cast in a recurring role as Joe Chill, with Bradley indicating that he was a fan of Batman but was unaware of who Joe Chill was in the Batman mythology.

Filming
Filming for the pilot episode began in April 2022 throughout Toronto, Ontario. Filming for the rest of the season began in Atlanta, Georgia on September 13, 2022.

Release
The first trailer was released on May 31, 2022. The series premiered on March 14, 2023 and the series finale aired on June 27, 2023. It was released on the Max streaming service on July 28, 2023.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 25% with an average rating of 5/10, based on 12 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Never send amateurs to do a Batman's job." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 4 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".