Television series

The New Batman Adventures

Name: The New Batman Adventures
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Released: 1997
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Tara Strong, Eli Marienthal, Mathew Valencia, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

The New Batman Adventures is a sleek redesign of the beloved animated series, stripping away the gothic to reveal something leaner and faster. Kevin Conroy's Batman anchors stories that balance genuine stakes with playful invention. It's a show that respects both the character's darkness and the joy of the form itself—animation that looks like it was drawn by someone who loved comics.

TVMaze rating

4.0

If you liked this

Superman: The Animated Series1996

Same creative team, same voice cast, same mastery of the medium. Watching these back-to-back is like discovering a perfect double feature that exists across time. The show's opening alone will lodge in your brain forever.

But It moves at Saturday-morning pace, which means some episodes feel slight compared to the best Batman material. Some villains work better than others.

Batman: The Animated Series1992

If you haven't seen the original, this is essential—it's one of the finest animated shows ever made. The New Adventures refines rather than replaces it. Both together form an almost complete Batman.

But The art deco look is far more stylized than the redesigned versions. Some prefer the older darkness to the new energy.

Batman Beyond1999

Spiritual successor set in a cyberpunk future where an old Batman mentors a teenage replacement. Keeps the emotional core while swinging the aesthetic completely. Terry McGinnis is a different kind of hero—it's earned, not imposed.

But If you love Kevin Conroy as the lead, you'll only get him in a supporting role. The future setting alienates some purists.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The New Batman Adventures

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners2022

Both follow a mentor-and-student relationship forged in darkness where the teacher is broken and the student is bright. Both explore what happens when violence becomes your only language.

Japanese anime about a street kid in a neon-soaked future, mentored by a mercenary. It has the same DNA as Batman—lone figure working in darkness, moral compromise, love as vulnerability—but in a completely different register. Animation is stunning and the emotional gut-punch is real.

But It's only ten episodes and ends before the story feels complete. The violence is graphic. If anime aesthetics aren't your thing, the stylization will alienate you.

Justice League Unlimited2004

The universe expands massively, but the show never forgets character. Batman remains the core—watch how the writing uses him as anchor in an enormous ensemble. Some of the best comic-book television ever made.

But With dozens of heroes, individual characterization gets thin. The later seasons sprawl in ways the earlier ones don't. Commitment of time is real.

Batman: Under the Red Hood2010

A dead sidekick returns as an antihero and Batman has to confront his failure. The voice acting is superb and it finds real emotional weight in a revenge narrative. Animated action that feels consequential.

But It's darker and more adult than the show—a tonal shift that some won't want. The plot hinges on recognizing a voice, which strains credibility.

The Lego Batman Movie2017

Looks nothing like what you'd expect from a Lego film. It's genuinely clever about Batman's character—the humor lands because it understands what makes him tick. Will Arnett's Batman is ridiculous and somehow right.

But It's a comedy first and foremost. If you want Batman played straight, this will test your patience.

Harley Quinn2019

The same voice actress (Tara Strong played Batgirl in New Adventures) now plays Harley in a show that's funny, clever, and surprisingly romantic. It's anarchic and adult but grounded in character work that matters.

But It's aggressively adult—swearing, violence, sex—in a way that might clash with your memory of the animated universe. Some find the humor overrides the storytelling.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One2021

A mystery that slowly peels back Gotham's architecture. Two-part animated feature with production values that rival theatrical releases. It respects your intelligence and the source material equally.

But It's deliberately slow and requires attention. If you want action and quips, you'll find it thin. The mystery doesn't solve as satisfyingly as it promises.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One poster

Marvel's Daredevil2015

A hero in a mask protecting a city he knows street-by-street. Both shows find horror in isolation and redemption in connection. Both protagonists are defined by trauma they can't escape.

Live-action show about a blind lawyer who fights crime in Hell's Kitchen. Charlie Cox's performance is phenomenal—quiet, contained, devastated. The fight choreography is balletic and the show takes its theological questions seriously.

But It's Marvel and it's longer than it needs to be in places. The romantic subplots feel obligatory. Some seasons are stronger than others.