Why isn't one of the smartest, grittiest comics in the DC library — one that's a police procedural set in Batman's hometown — already on the air?
There are four kinds of dramas that get on the air these days. Doctor shows, lawyer shows, cop shows, and everything else. (Mind you, the "everything else" category is both wide and narrow at the same time. Wide in that it encompasses everything from Burn Notice to True Blood to Leverage to Stargate Universe and narrow in that only a relative few of those get picked up.) Why? Because people are stupid and, by and large, they will only watch what they can recognize immediately.
So, given that — and the fact that The Dark Knight is the fifth highest grossing movie in the history of ever — can you explain to my why a police procedural (which audiences love) in Gotham City (again, which audience love) isn't already on HBO or The CW or any other friggin' network?
A little background: Gotham Central was created and written by Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal) and Greg Rucka (Queen and Country, Detective Comics), two comics writers with enough awards between them to weigh down a small rowboat. Their concept was simple — tell the stories of the detectives that work the crimeiest city in the world, in Batman's shadow — but the execution was wonderfully complex. Gotham Central's crime stories were machined like cop-noir timepieces and the characters were rich and lush and deep. Batman rarely made an appearance; instead Gotham was evoked through judicious use of Batman's rogue's gallery. What do you do when your partner is iced by Mr. Freeze? How do you tell his wife? How do you get revenge? How do you continue to do the job when you're outgunned at every turn?
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Then someone explain why I'm not already watching it. Birds of Prey was a long time ago, so that show's lingering stench can't be the excuse. Gotham Central would be no more expensive than any other cop procedural — except you've gotta put a big floodlight on the roof. You do this one right, and it's a home run.
So why isn't anyone stepping up to the plate?
Stupid Hollywood.