Batman has headlined more than a few cartoon series since his DC Comics debut back in 1939. So, with this in mind, here’s a ranking of the best animated Batman TV shows of all time.
Note: With one notable exception, we’ve only included shows where Batman is the lead. As such, don’t expect to see the likes of Super Friends or Justice League below.
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10. Batwheels
2022’s Batwheels isn’t a terrible show, per se – just one that fans over five aren’t likely to vibe with. As its name suggests, the show charts the exploits of the Bat-Family’s suddenly sentient vehicles.
Despite this goofy, unabashedly toyetic premise, Batwheels demonstrates a surprising amount of craft across Season 1’s 37-episode run. Even so, the Max series is easily the least essential viewing on this list.
9. The Adventures of Batman
Originally aired as part of The Batman/Superman Hour, 1968’s The Adventures of Batman has aged about as well as one of the Joker’s smiling fish. Filmation’s animation is crude by modern standards, and the stories – targeted squarely at younger views – aren’t exactly sophisticated, either.
Still, there’s an undeniable retro charm to this show, even if you didn’t grow up watching it. Treat it like a Silver Age comic brought to life, and you won’t be disappointed. Nostalgia aside, The Adventures of Batman is also noteworthy as the Caped Crusader’s first-ever cartoon series, so that’s something.
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8. The New Adventures of Batman
1977’s The New Adventures of Batman is a direct follow-up to The Adventures of Batman, and unsurprisingly, it’s basically more of the same. It has the same positives and, just as importantly, negatives as what came before, albeit spread across slightly longer episodes.
Yet The New Adventures of Batman also has something its predecessor – heck, that any other Batman animated show – doesn’t: Adam West and Burt Ward as series regulars. The stars of the iconic 1966 live-action Batman series reprise their roles here, and it’s a genuine delight.
7. Beware the Batman
Beware the Batman is one of two 2010s attempts at recreating legendary animator Bruce Timm’s signature style with 3D computer animation. The results are broadly fine, yet lack the intangible magic of their inspiration – which is also an apt review of Betware the Batman itself.
On the plus side, Beware the Batman introduces the first-ever animated versions of newer villains, such as Professor Pyg and Mister Toad, lending proceedings a certain freshness. What’s more, the show’s emphasis on long-form storytelling regularly delivered impressively complex narratives.
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6. The Batman
We’ll say this for The Batman: it doesn’t play things safe. Right out the gate, this 2004 cartoon regularly deviated from its DC Comics source material. Sure, this approach yielded as many misses as hits, but the show was often far better than diehards would admit.
The Batman also boasts a fluid, anime-inspired aesthetic at odds with both the comics and more universally beloved shows like Batman: The Animated Series. So, if you’re in the market for a decidedly different Batman animated show, The Batman is the perfect place to start.
5. Harley Quinn
The big exception we hinted at above, the Max adult animated series Harley Quinn is not, strictly speaking, a Batman show. It does, however, take place in the Dark Knight’s world, and the pointy-eared vigilante is a recurring character across its four seasons and counting.
That said, your mileage will vary on Batman’s portrayal here. Given madcap antihero Harley is our protagonist, Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego – in fact, most male do-gooders – are typically the butt of the joke. This raunchy series is such a hoot that only purists are likely to complain, though.
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4. Batman Beyond
What happens if you put Batman and Spider-Man in a blender? You get Batman Beyond, that’s what. This 1999 series, developed by the Batman: The Animated Series creative team, chronicles the adventures of Bruce Wayne’s teenage successor, Terry McGinnis, in a futuristic Gotham City.
Grafting coming-of-age drama onto the franchise’s template could’ve easily failed, yet Batman Beyond pulls it off with aplomb. The show’s colorful rogues’ gallery also deserves a shout-out, although it’s worth noting that Seasons 2 and 3 are infamously inferior to Season 1.
3. Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Wildly divisive when it debuted back in 2008, Batman: the Brave and the Bold is arguably the most underrated Bat-show of all time. The series’ throwback character designs animate beautifully, while its team-up premise serves up fun shifts in tone and genre episode-to-episode.
Is this the dark, gritty Batman many Dark Knight devotees prefer? Of course not. But as Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season 1 episode “Legends of the Dark Mite!” so eloquently argues, the franchise is a big enough Batcave to fit different takes on the Caped Crusader.
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2. The New Batman Adventures
A direct continuation of Batman: The Animated Series, 1997’s The New Batman Adventures kept the DC Animated Universe’s hot streak going. Admittedly, the jury’s still out on the show’s tweaks to its predecessor’s Fleischer Studios-inspired character models. And Batman: The Animated Series‘ title cards are solely missed, too
But these quibbles aside, The New Batman Adventures is essentially just Batman: The Animated Series Seasons 4 and 5, which is to say, “practically perfect.” Indeed, many of the all-time great DCAU best episodes – including the anthology outing “Legends of the Dark Knight – are found here.
1. Batman: The Animated Series
Was there any other choice for the top spot on a best animated Batman TV shows list? Everything about Batman: The Animated Series is elite, from its “Dark Deco” art design to its tremendous voice cast, led by the late Kevin Conroy.
What’s more, Batman: The Animated Series catered to adults alike with grown-up plotting and nuanced characterization. Indeed, episodes such as “Heart of Ice,” “Two-Face,” and “Robin’s Reckoning” redefined what children’s entertainment was capable of. Hugely influential on both the comics and other media, it’s not just the best Batman cartoon – it’s the best Batman adaptation, period.
Published: Jan 14, 2024 09:02 am