Gotham Awash in Darkness and Gore

Gotham gives viewers a world filled with Batman’s sadistic villains – but no Batman. New to the crime-ridden city of Gotham, straight-arrow detective James Gordon vows to make a difference – a task made difficult by the corruption in his own police department, and particularly in his partner Harvey Bullock. With the city’s aging crime boss Falcone losing his influence, Gotham is filled with other up-and-coming criminals eager to supplant him: sleazy nightclub owner “Fish” Mooney; her lackey Oswald Cobblepot, nicknamed "Penguin"; riddle-loving forensic scientist Edward Nigma; a budding young botanist named Ivy; and a mysterious teenage girl who loves cats. Gordon also takes responsibility for mentoring a child orphaned by the murder of his parents...a wealthy little boy named Bruce Wayne. A Batman story without Batman, Gotham is characterized by all manner of mature content. Bullock makes crude references to sex and masturbation; characters spew language including “bastard,” “son of a bitch,” and “kiss my ass”; and violence is graphic, including torture, savage beatings, throats being slashed and gunshots, all with the victims’ blood spurting. Producer David Goyer has unapologetically boasted about the program’s extreme brutality: "This is a crime story, and crime is violence." Parents are warned that, far from being an upbeat super-hero show like The Flash, Gotham is an extremely dark and gory take on the comic-book universe…especially as it features multiple violent and psychotic villains, but only one beleaguered (and mostly ineffective) hero. As a result, Gotham is not recommended for children or young teens. Gotham premieres Monday, September 22^nd at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox. Take a look yourself and tell us what you think in our comments below!