Gotham the Series: A Review
Finally, the acting is uniformly good, too. It is too early to tell exactly who these people are in the grand scheme of things, but it is easy to see that all of the actors are fully inhabiting their characters out of the gate, which is no small feat. If there is one weakness, the relationship between Catherine, Tina and Jayqui (was that lip gloss?) seems borderline cliche but that too is a quibble for now until we see things shake out. Otherwise, it is a kick seeing Park out of Jack Synder/Bauer mode and Byrne literally radiates off the screen.
Given it's short running time, Gotham's debut felt more like a teaser or a preview than a fully fleshed episode but perhaps that is all which is necessary to get the the party started, so to speak. Creator and star Byrne is an unabashed fan of the soap genre, having not only spent the better part of twenty years as Lily Walsh on ATWT but also recently as a script writer for The Bold and the Beautiful and a short acting stint of General Hospital as political viper Andrea Floyd. She knows a thing or two about how soaps work and it shows in the little taste of things to come that Gotham promises in the opener. Despite some nods to what is au courant (unconventional friendships, an out gay character, etc.), Gotham has an old school feel to it, influenced no doubt by Byrne's years with a Proctor & Gamble franchise. This influence is underscored by co-writer and director Lisa Brown (ex-Iva, ATWT; ex-Nola, GL), whose tight & confident direction bodes well for the series.
Three and a half minutes might not seem to be much to go on, but Gotham shows a lot of promise. Now it's time to see if it delivers.
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Comments
7 April 2009
3 years 2 days
"Venice" first episode debuts on December 4th, not November 27th as is stated in this article.
18 October 2009
2 years 12 weeks
It seemed more like a teaser than an episode. I found it a bit confusing, but at the same time I'm interested to see where it goes. I hope Liz Hubbard joins the cast at some point.
According to the official announcement, Venice debuts on December 4.
9 September 2008
3 min 35 sec
The information has been corrected guys, thanks.
9 November 2009
22 weeks 2 days
I'm impressed with the Gotham premiere. The opening and closing credits were way too long, so I agree it seemed more like a preview than an episode. While I'm looking forward to the longer-format episodes of Venice (6 minutes, I believe), I think if you deliver a well-written story without any filler in just 3 1/2 minutes it can work great. Who can forget those classic Taster's Choice commercials from years ago; they got us hooked in 30- or 60-second installments.
The opening with Richard listening to his various voicemails (recorded by "mystery" voices...did I detect a Paolo Seganti? Elizabeth Hubbard?) was inspired. Not only did it give us a hint about future characters in Richard's orbit, but the voice guessing-game strikes me as a great marketing ploy. The question is always: what's going to keep 'em coming back? Well, that worked for me.
As did the final, classic shot of Richard and Catherine spotting each other at the party. That was spot on. I can't wait to see their first conversation.
Of course, nothing's perfect. If I had to quibble, I'd say the opening New York sequence was too frantic. Some adrenaline is great, but I felt they were trying a little too hard, there.
And I'm absolutely fascinated to watch all these smart, creative people who love the soap genre "figure out" how to make these series work and eventually be profitable. It's like any other invention: everyone's working hard to try to invent the light bulb. There are lots of attempts, lots of failures, a little headway, and then more headway. And eventually, someone gets it, and invents the light bulb. Next thing you know, light bulbs are everywhere and we can't live without them. And we wonder why it took so long.
Good luck Martha, Crystal, Lawrence, Tristan, and everyone else out there being creative, productive, proactive!
18 August 2008
1 day 1 hour
I just bought a new big screen tv that can steam youtube videos, and Gotham looked great even on the big screen. I agree it seems like a tease, and they have to do something about the sound quality, but it looks fun.
25 February 2009
5 days 10 hours
Congrats to all involved.