--- description: A green light for the fall's most anticipated new show is just the latests example of superhero proliferation throughout Hollywood title: WATCH: Fox Drops Gotham Trailer and Places Series Order image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7bd0dd9b1762fa62/69868e2ecd68484fb8094836/gotham.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Fox Drops _Gotham_ Trailer and Places Series Order by [Eric Dodds](/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 6, 2014 3:41 PM CUT  Fox by [Eric Dodds](/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 6, 2014 3:41 PM CUT Well, no surprise here. Fox’s decision to greenlight its Batman prequel series _Gotham_ has long been a forgone conclusion, but the fact that the network ordered the show to series and [released the first trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d1zpt6k5OI "undefined") in primetime a week before upfronts (when these sorts of developments typically unfold) speaks volumes about Fox’s confidence in its new superhero series. Starring Ben McKenzie (_The O.C._, _Southland_) as Detective James Gordon, the series will focus on the city of Gotham before the rise of Batman. The show co-stars Donal Logue, Sara Paxton and Jada Pinkett-Smith, as well as younger versions of the The Riddler, The Penguin, Catwoman and — of course — Bruce Wayne. There’s no official word yet on how many episodes the debut season of _Gotham_ will hold, but _Entertainment Weekly_ reports that it will be [“at least” 13](http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/05/gotham-series-order/ "undefined"). Though Arrow has experienced success at 23 episodes in each of its seasons, 13 is a more manageable figure, and one with which creator Bruno Heller (_Rome_) is already well-acquainted. _Gotham_ represents DC Comics’ latest foray into television, having already [established a strong foothold with _Arrow_](http://time.com/56472/arrow-dc-comics-best-superhero-franchise/ "undefined") on the CW (_The Flash_ will also join the CW lineup in the fall). Though DC is also challenging Marvel’s big-screen dominance, its edge on TV is becoming increasingly apparent. _Arrow_‘s following is far more devoted than any _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ has managed to build during its debut season, and though it’s far too early to declare _Gotham_ a success, the trailer is promising. However _Gotham_ turns out, Fox’s enthusiasm is a clear sign that the superhero genre could soon have an impact on network television that resembles the one it [already has on Hollywood’s blockbuster industry](http://time.com/79410/justice-league-superhero-universe/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/89225/gotham-trailer-series-order/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/89225/gotham-trailer-series-order/"},"headline":"Fox Drops Gotham Trailer and Places Series Order","datePublished":"2014-05-06T15:41:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:40:36.268Z","description":"A green light for fall's most anticipated new show is just the latest example of superhero proliferation throughout Hollywood","url":"https://time.com/89225/gotham-trailer-series-order/","keywords":["Television","Marvel","Trailer","Trailers","Batman","dc comics","upfronts"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7bd0dd9b1762fa62/69868e2ecd68484fb8094836/gotham.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7bd0dd9b1762fa62/69868e2ecd68484fb8094836/gotham.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"gotham","caption":"","creditText":"Fox","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/89225/gotham-trailer-series-order/","name":"Fox Drops Gotham Trailer and Places Series Order"}}]}] ```