It is challenging for any television show to stay on air these days; having good reviews and a dedicated fan base isn’t enough anymore to keep the wheels turning, as Netflix has shown us time and time again. However, in the case of this recent cancellation over on The CW, the sudden wrap of Gotham Knights looks like it was well deserved.
The series has been canceled ahead of its season one finale, which will now act as the series finale after critical and audience reviews simply did not hold up. The show follows the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, Turner Hayes, who is accused of the former’s murder by the Gotham Police Department and DA Harvey Dent after he is found dead. He isn’t the only one, though, as the daughter of the late Joker, Duela, is also accused — along with two runaways, Harper and Cullen Row. Now they must team up, along with the help of Batman’s current sidekick Robin, to prove their innocence and regain their freedom.
The show did not stick any sort of landing, superhero or otherwise, with Rotten Tomatoes earning only 23 percent on their Tomatometer. Audience Scores weren’t much better at 43 percent. It may surprise no one that the show also had one of the lowest budgets for a DC series. The series was co-created by Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, and Natalie Abrams, who also acted as producers alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden of Berlanti Productions.
With the series canceled, there is only one DC project left at The CW, a channel that was once home to a plethora of shows adapted from the DC comics. Superman & Lois has been renewed for a fourth season featuring 10 episodes. With the takeover of DC Studios by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the duo has discussed how the latter will be allowed “one or two more seasons,” according to an article by Variety. This all comes as Gunn and Safran will be looking to streamline DC’s television shows with the studio’s reboot, something closer to how things are done at Marvel.
No one is surprised at the cancellation of Gotham Knights; before reviews went public, many felt that, with Gunn and Safran’s reboot, the show never stood a chance. Given that it never really managed to get off the ground since its premiere back in March, perhaps it won’t really be missed.
If curiosity gets the better of you, though, and you want to give it a watch, you can find Gotham Knights on The CW or stream it on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.