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Ben McKenzie, left, as James Gordon with David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne in “Gotham.” Credit Jessica Miglio/Fox
LOS ANGELES — Batman saves Gotham. Can he do the same thing for Fox?
When the big broadcast networks arrive in New York on Monday to unveil their fall schedules and compete for their share of $60 billion in total annual TV ad spending, Fox will feel a particular pressure to leave marketers with pinwheels in their eyes. And the network is counting on a young Bruce Wayne to do it.
“Gotham,†one of the most-talked-about network serials to come along in years, explores the origins of Batman’s crime-fighting ally, Commissioner James Gordon. Young versions of villains like Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and, eventually, the Joker will figure prominently in the series. (Penguin is not yet a mobster, for instance; he’s a gofer for a gangster.)
Underscoring the level of anticipation, a movie-style trailer for “Gotham†released last week by Fox and its studio partner, Warner Bros. Television, generated almost six million views in its first five days online.
Fox urgently needs new hits. For the season to date among adults under 50, Fox’s audience is flat compared with the same period last year — and that includes the bump it got from broadcasting the most-watched Super Bowl in history. Excluding sports, the audience for Fox’s prime-time entertainment lineup has fallen roughly 17 percent, according to Nielsen data, led by the precipitous decline of its longtime flagship show, “American Idol.â€
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The series, which explores Gordon’s life before he became Batman’s ally, was created by Bruno Heller. Credit Monica Almeida/The New York Times
“Fox has the most to prove,†said David Campanelli, senior vice president and director for national television at Horizon Media, referring to the ad-selling presentations, or upfronts.
Predicting hit television shows is more difficult than ever, and “Gotham†is certainly not a sure thing. Ripped-from-comic-book programs like “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.†have been considered disappointments, wilting under advance hype and proving inaccessible for many of the network’s rank-and-file viewers. But if handled properly, ad buyers and longtime television producers say, “Gotham†could be a hit.
“There’s a huge opportunity as long as we keep our eyes on what’s important, which is to create a great television show with captivating characters and tight storytelling,†Kevin Reilly, Fox’s entertainment chairman, said in an interview. “We can’t get caught up in the trappings of the franchise or assume this show is a gimme.â€
Mr. Reilly, who successfully shepherded “Heroes†to the small screen as NBC’s programming chief in 2006, acknowledged the risk of overly high expectations. “Sometimes the fanfare and promise of these big ideas can underwhelm,†he said. “But did you see our trailer? So far, I couldn’t be happier. The goods are there.â€
Despite the risks, networks are turning to superhero stories as they scratch for ideas that instantly grab viewer attention and stand a chance of attracting young men, a particularly difficult audience for prime-time programs to consistently reach. ABC renewed “S.H.I.E.L.D.†for a second season on Thursday and ordered episodes of a companion drama called “Marvel’s Agent Carter,†a period spinoff from the “Captain America†movie series. NBC next season will add “Constantine,†a demon-hunting fantasy adapted from the DC Comics property “Hellblazer.â€
The CW will have no less than three comic-based shows on its schedule next season: “Arrow,†based on the Green Arrow; “The Flash,†about a scientist who gains the power of super speed after a freak accident; and “iZombie,†a drama centered on an undead medical student who works in a coroner’s office.
“Gotham†comes on the heels of Christopher Nolan’s hugely successful “Dark Knight†movie franchise, which should at least give it some momentum at the start. “The name recognition helps dramatically to get people to sample a new series,†Mr. Campanelli said. “Beyond that, the proof is in the pudding. If the show isn’t any good, people won’t care.â€
Darcy Bowe, a vice president at Starcom, an ad agency with clients like Kraft and Kellogg, echoed that sentiment. “Anything that isn’t ho-hum and typical is good,†she added. “It can’t be too dark or too grim, though.â€
The “Gotham†creative team is led by Bruno Heller, the British creator of “The Mentalist,†a crime procedural that CBS renewed on Friday for a seventh season. Mr. Heller and Warner, which controls DC Comics, built “Gotham†around a question the Batman comics never posed: What if a young James Gordon was the detective who investigated the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents?
Warner was not making the rights to Batman available — he is too important as a movie property — but Mr. Heller, 54, is allowed to tinker with new back stories for Gordon and the franchise’s villains. “I have always loved origin stories,†Mr. Heller said. “How people became who they are is where the drama is.â€
Fox won a bidding war for “Gotham†in part by agreeing to pay a penalty if it did not become a full-blown series. Mr. Heller and Danny Cannon, a veteran of the “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation†programs, are the program’s executive producers. Ben McKenzie, known for “The O.C.†and “Southland,†plays Detective James Gordon. Jada Pinkett Smith joined the cast as the vicious gangster Fish Mooney. Bruce Wayne, who grows up to don Batman’s cape and cowl, is played by a 13-year-old actor, David Mazouz.
“It’s a lot like telling stories about ancient Rome,†said Mr. Heller, who helped create the racy drama “Rome†for HBO in 2005. “There are certain things we know, but there are also gaps in the history, and you fill in the gaps with interesting stuff.â€
This is not “Smallville,†the well-scrubbed Superman prequel that ran for 10 seasons starting in 2001. Mr. Heller — the son of Lukas Heller, who wrote screenplays like “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane†and “The Dirty Dozen†— described the tone of “Gotham†as “Grimm’s fairy tales meets old gothic horror. It’s deliciously dark. But it’s not a cold, fearful darkness.â€
Mr. Heller did not want to divulge specific story lines, but he said that his James Gordon would not be a straight-up good guy. “If you’re a cop in Gotham, you can’t be an angel,†he said. “You’re going to see a genuine moral struggle there. He’s going to have to lie and cheat.â€
Fox and Warner are keenly aware that “Gotham†must avoid the fate of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,†which thundered onto ABC’s schedule and then seemed to lose its way with lackluster story lines. (ABC considers “S.H.I.E.L.D.†a success, noting that the program’s ratings soar 65 percent when seven days of DVR playback are included.)
“The networks are trying to capitalize on the theatrical success of superheroes, but that leads to extremely high expectations,†Ms. Bowe of Starcom said.
For his part, Mr. Heller said he would ignore the trumpet fanfare Fox plans to give “Gotham†at its upfront presentation on Monday.
“There are a lot of corporate expectations,†Mr. Heller said. “I’m a little artistic in how I handle the pressure: I don’t pay attention. It’s impossible to do this job even on shows with low expectations if you let those thoughts creep into your mind.â€
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