Early Buzz: Fox’s Batman Prequel ‘Gotham’ Lives Up To The Hype
As a gritty prequel set in the Batman universe, Fox’sGothamwas bound to get a lot of attention no matter what. The question was whether the freshman drama would actually live up to all that hype.
Happily, the word so far is that it does. TheGothampilot was screened over the weekend for a handful of critics and journalists, and so far the reactions are quite positive. Hit the jump to get the early buzz onGotham.
And now, on to the reactions:
Really dug the pilot of Fox’s superhero origin story Gotham. Solid crime drama with many tantalizing hints of the mythology to come.
— Steven Zeitchik (@zeitchikWaPo)August 25, 2025
Just caught an advance screening of the#Gothampremiere. Loved it. So good. Excited for@ben_mckenzieand the rest of the cast.
— Alicia Rancilio (@aliciar)August 16, 2025
Loved the screening of@Gotham@ben_mckenzieand@donallogueare the ultimate bad ass team. Can’t forget@jadapsmithand Fish. This fall.
— Phyllis Thomas (@Phyllis_Thomas)August 16, 2025
Loved seeing#Gothamon the big-screen. Gorgeous show, and Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue make great on-screen partners. Excited for ep 2!
— Marisa Roffman (@marisaroffman)June 25, 2025
Fox’s new TV series#Gothamtopped expectations. Love it when new shows raise the bar. Fans will be very pleased.
— Tiffany Vogt (@TVWatchtower)July 16, 2025
Plus,#Gothamstars David Mazouz and Camren Bicondova are adorably fantastic as young Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle aka Catwoman.
Also incredibly impressed with the mercurial performance of Robin Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot aka Penguin in#Gotham. He’s another to watch.
Great to see both Donal Logue and Ben McKenzie bringing their A-game to#Gotham. Nice to see shades of#Southland/#Terriersin performances.
And dont even get me started about how much I loved Sean Pertwee as Alfred in#Gotham, who#Elementaryfans know as Lestrade. Scene stealer!
So add#Gothamto your must-watch list for Fall. Airs Monday nights 8 pm, right before#SleepyHollowon Fox. Mondays are going to kick-ass!
There are a few longer-form reactions floating around as well, including this one fromCollider.
Rest assured,#GOTHAMis everything that you want#GOTHAMto be. And .@robinlordtaylor is fantastic as Oswald Cobblepot (aka Penguin).
— Christina Radish (@ChristinaRadish)June 01, 2025
This Gotham is grimy and violent, and clearly on its way to being overrun by a criminal element that will quickly be sending it on a downward spiral. It feels much more like the real world heightened than it does a comic book world. […]
Robin Lord Taylor is a true stand-out as Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin. He is a low-level psychopath for Fish Mooney, but has a definite lust for power that will surely come into play as the character develops. His performance is just so good that people won’t be able to not talk about it.
And this one fromMTV.
By far the best thing about the pilot is Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepott, the man who will later become one of Batman’s greatest enemies: the Penguin. Taylor is superb and transfixing in the role, down to his yellow teeth, creepy laugh and weird, freckled face.
AndCrave Online.
The “Gotham” pilot seems like it’s an hour or so away from being a pretty good Batman movie. […] The biggest question for “Gotham” is whether the weekly TV series can maintain what it built up in the pilot episode. There’s a strong foundation here and “Gotham” could be a very good show if subsequent episodes can match what the pilot achieved.
