Aired: 1991-1995 (FOX)
DAD: Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) / Single
DAD’S JOB: Bazillionaire Crimefighter
KIDS: Dick Grayson (Loren Lester) (21), Tim Drake (Matthew Valencia) (13)
WHERE’S MOM?: Dick’s mom and dad killed by gangsters, Tim’s parents – unknown.
STAND-IN “MOM”: Alfred Pennyworth (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.)
If you think Batman is a paunchy guy chasing Cesar Romero, you haven’t been exposed to the universe of DC Comics.
Batman is a vigilante maniac, obsessed with fighting crime. This is a payback to the psychotic monster who killed his parents. The dark, relentless pain of Batman, so missing from the 60’s series, finally emerges in this Fox prime time show.
This series, unlike the Adam West vehicle, faithfully tracks with the comic book universe. Bruce Wayne, the Caped Crusader, now faces estrangement of his no-longer-Youthful Ward Dick Grayson. Grayson, too, has grown weary of being Robin the Sidekick. Dick leaves home, becoming Nightwing. A new Robin, in the person of pickpocket/kid Tim Drake, enters the tutelage of Mr. Wayne. Tim winds up being the go-between for Batman and Nightwing. I guess breaking up IS hard to do, especially for Men in Tights.