Batman

The worst is yet to come.

RELEASED 12 Jan 196650h · 120 episodes★ 7.3 TMDB

Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually crime fighting duo Batman and Robin. A secret Batpole in the Wayne mansion leads to the Batcave, where Police Commissioner Gordon often calls with the latest emergency threatening Gotham City. Racing to the scene of the crime in the Batmobile, Batman and Robin must (with the help of their trusty Bat-utility-belt) thwart the efforts of a variety of master criminals, including The Riddler, The Joker, Catwoman, and The Penguin.

Why it matters in DC

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson's routine partnership makes the Dynamic Duo, rather than Batman alone, the centre of the series. Their recurring encounters with Gotham's rogues establish the television world associated with the 1966 film and its later animated continuations.

Watch these first

2 titles to watch before Batman — 8h 43m in total.

BatmanOptional background4h 20m★ 6.2
A separate adaptation of Batman and Robin & Nightwing; useful for comparison, but unrelated to Batman’s story continuity.
Batman and RobinOptional background4h 23m★ 5.6
A separate adaptation of Batman and Robin & Nightwing; useful for comparison, but unrelated to Batman’s story continuity.

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Batman is title 24 of 61 in our Live-action Elseworlds viewing sequence. Independent films and television adaptations, each with their own starting point. This is a collection of separate adaptations, rather than a single continuous story.

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