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Gotham TV Series Gets A Rain-Soaked Logo And Synopsis

When Fox announced their upcoming Batman-inspired series Gotham, the general reaction was mixed. On the one hand, comic book fans the world over must be excited for yet another piece of media set in the mythic city. On the other hand, haven't we had a bit of a surfeit of Batman for the past thirty years or so? Still, no matter what you think of the potential for the series, it's going to happen, and it could wind up being very good.

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When Fox announced their upcoming Batman-inspired series Gotham, the general reaction was mixed. On the one hand, comic book fans the world over must be excited for yet another piece of media set in the mythic city. On the other hand, haven’t we had a bit of a surfeit of Batman for the past thirty years or so? Still, no matter what you think of the potential for the series, it’s going to happen, and it could wind up being very good.

In the hopes of drumming up some more excitement for the upcoming series, Fox has released the official Gotham logo along with a lengthy synopsis that gives all the details on what we can expect from the rain-soaked show.

Gotham will be the origin story not of the Dark Knight, but of Commissioner Gordon (Ben McKenzie). For right now he’s a mere City detective, with a lovely fiancee (Erin Richards) and dreams of making a difference. It’s Gordon who arrives at the scene of the brutal murder of billionaire Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, encountering for the first (but not the last) time the young Bruce Wayne. Gordon vows to catch the killer, as we knew he would.

The synopsis also indicates that we’ll be meeting some younger versions of favorite heroes and villains, and not just Bruce Wayne. Both Selina Kyle (that’s Catwoman) and Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin) promise to make their appearances as teenage versions of their future selves, back before madness and revenge took them over. So Gotham will be sort of like Smallville for the Batman franchise. Take that as you will.

The success of Gotham will likely depend on just how well they manage to pull off the backstories of some of the major villains, as well as how dynamic McKenzie can be in the lead role. While it does not seem to be a straight crime drama set in the fictional burgh, it probably can also not afford to depend too heavily on the “teenage superhero” tropes.

We shall have to wait and see how it all plays out when Gotham premieres in the 2014-15 television season. For now, you can check out the full plot details below.

Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world’s greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon’s story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?

“Gotham” is an origin story of the great DC Comics super villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), “Gotham” follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering on the edge of evil and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.

Growing up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs, James Gordon (Ben McKenzie, “Southland,” “The O.C.”) romanticized the city as a glamorous and exciting metropolis where his late father once served as a successful district attorney. Now, two weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective and engaged to his beloved fiancée, Barbara Kean (Erin Richards, Open Grave, “Breaking In”), Gordon is living his dream – even as he hopes to restore the city back to the pure version he remembers it was as a kid.

Brave, honest and ready to prove himself, the newly-minted detective is partnered with the brash, but shrewd police legend Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue, “Sons of Anarchy,” “Terriers,” “Vikings,” “Copper”), as the two stumble upon the city’s highest-profile case ever: the murder of local billionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne. At the scene of the crime, Gordon meets the sole survivor: the Waynes’ hauntingly intense 12-year-old son, Bruce (David Mazouz, “Touch”), toward whom the young detective feels an inexplicable kinship. Moved by the boy’s profound loss, Gordon vows to catch the killer.

As he navigates the often-underhanded politics of Gotham’s criminal justice system, Gordon will confront imposing gang boss Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith, The Matrix films, “HawthoRNe,” Collateral), and many of the characters who will become some of fiction’s most renowned, enduring villains, including a teenaged Selina Kyle/the future Catwoman (acting newcomer Camren Bicondova) and Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor, “The Walking Dead,” Another Earth).

Although the crime drama will follow Gordon’s turbulent and singular rise through the Gotham City police department, led by Police Captain Sarah Essen (Zabryna Guevara, “Burn Notice”), it also will focus on the unlikely friendship Gordon forms with the young heir to the Wayne fortune, who is being raised by his unflappable butler, Alfred (Sean Pertwee, “Camelot,” “Elementary”). It is a friendship that will last them all of their lives, playing a crucial role in helping the young boy eventually become the crusader he’s destined to be.

“Gotham” is based upon characters published by DC Comics and is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Heller wrote the pilot, which will be directed and executive-produced by Emmy Award nominee Danny Cannon (the “CSI” series, “Nikita”).