Holy bat-quisition! Fox’s upcoming drama series Gotham has a built-in fanbase, given the near-universal love for all things Batman-related, and that appears to be good enough for Netflix, which can't be bothered with waiting for the show to come out before putting its money-dispensing bearhug around the property. The streaming service has signed a gargantuan deal with Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution to become the only place you’ll be finding Gotham on the subscription VOD circuit. Now all Netflix and Fox need is for the series to actually be quality TV while also a ratings bonanza. What are the chances? Riddle me this…
According to Deadline, Netflix is reportedly going to dish out around $1.75 million per episode, though the final figures haven’t yet officially been divulged. The deal includes not only U.S. territories, but everywhere else in the world where the service exists now, and will exist in the future. That’s pretty exclusive. Someone make sure Bruce Wayne isn’t on the board of directors, as that would be a conflict of interest.
Netflix will make the entire first season of Gotham available to subscribers at some time after the finale airs on Fox. Should a Season 2 order come to Gotham’s future – and with Fox, certainty is akin to pixie dust – it’s expected the series would premiere on Netflix to coincide with the season opener. So while this is a pretty solid deal for customers, it’ll just take another year before it feels like one. Kind of like a beard.
In Gotham, we meet James Gordon, who enters the Gotham City Police Department as a rookie detective. With the help of his gruff partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), Gordon attempts to solve the murder of the millionaires Thomas and Martha Wayne, meeting young Bruce (David Mazouz) and his butler caretaker Alfred (Sean Pertwee) in the process. To be expected, the rouges gallery of villains is here as early versions of each’s iconic persona. Corruption is uncovered. Justice is served.
I can’t wait for this series for all kinds of reasons, though I’m keeping my expectations in check. But even if I didn’t care about the subject matter at all, I follow Donal Logue everywhere he goes. Which usually means it’s only for one season at a time, but here’s hoping that trend gets bat-ted down here.
Netflix is making quite a spectacle of itself, recently pouring money on NBC for The Blacklist and signing with AMC for international rights to Better Call Saul. With all of their upcoming original Marvel series, it’s clear that Netflix is one of the most equal opportunity entertainment hubs out there. Whatever will they buy up next?
Find Gotham on Fox when it debuts on Monday, September 22. You’re not just the audience it deserves, but the one it needs...to stay on the air. Pass it on.
