Will 'Gotham' Fare Better Than 'SHIELD'?

When “Gotham,” a prequel series of sorts about the origins of Batman and his most famous enemies, debuts on FOX in the fall, the network is hoping that the series taps into a generous portion of the huge fanbase of the theatrical Batman films. That’s the same thing that ABC was hoping about “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”—that it would capture some of the monstrous success of “The Avengers” for the network. That didn’t work out so well for ABC, but it will it work better for FOX?

“SHIELD”’s ratings haven’t been disastrous, but considering that the show is linked to a film franchise that is currently dominating the worldwide box office, its performance is unspectacular. And the big ratings the show got at its debut suggested what kind of audience it could have had if it were able to satisfy “Avengers” fans.

One theory to explain the series’ low ratings is that it misjudges what broad audiences like about superhero movies. Theatrical comic-book movies are built around elaborate special effects, characters in spectacular costumes and huge, thrilling action sequences. The political intrigue of the plot serves only to link the action sequences together, and it’s certainly not the primary draw. One could argue that “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” with its lengthy sequences of dialogue about the internal politics of SHIELD, teetered on the brink of tediousness but was saved by some bombastic battle scenes.

“SHIELD,” however, has none of that. It doesn’t have the budget for extravagant effects or action sequences, and Marvel isn’t about to dilute its superhero brands by allowing its costumed characters to appear on TV. What we’re left with is the plot framework that holds a superhero film together, but we get none of the super-powered action. We get the set of a superhero movie with no superheroes in it.

Can “Gotham” avoid this trap? There’s a risk that it will suffer from “SHIELD”’s superhero deficit—there’s not going to be any Batman in it—but it does promise to deliver many iconic characters, including Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon and Alfred—as well as all of Batman’s beloved enemies: Catwoman, Penguin, the Joker, etc.

The test will be in whether the series actually delivers on that promise, or whether it becomes a police procedural featuring Jim Gordon. “Gotham” could follow “SHIELD”’s model, or it could follow the model of the CW’s “Arrow,” which is delivering only about half “SHIELD”’s ratings—but considering that it features a relatively unknown superhero and is on the CW, that’s not too shabby.