Gotham hasn’t aired a single episode yet. It won’t do so for another three weeks (its highly anticipated — and mostly well-received — pilot airs on Fox on Sept. 22), but this reality hasn’t deterred Netflix from jumping out in front and investing heavily in the show. The streaming service is paying a reported $1.75 million per episode for the exclusive video on demand rights for the superhero-less superhero show starring Benjamin Mackenzie and Donal Logue. Episodes are expected to be made available on Netflix in the fall of 2015.
The deal not only demonstrates Netflix’s great confidence in Gotham, which is being helmed by Rome showrunner Bruno Heller, but also its willingness to mix and match superhero universes that are currently engaged in a fevered arms race on both the big and small screen. The streaming service is expected to release its own superhero series, Daredevil, in May 2015. Daredevil is part of the Marvel Comics Universe, whereas Gotham (as well as Arrow, which Netflix also streams) is part of the DC universe. Though there’s no guarantee, the smart money’s on Netflix also adding CW’s The Flash after its first season. And Netflix already has The Avengers and other Marvel films available on demand.
Basically, if you’re some sort of audio-visual representation of a superhero story — with or without a superhero — Netflix wants you.
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