The New Batman Adventures

Our Review

The BTAS revival (1997-1999) that launched the shared DCAU: streamlined character designs, darker palette, and a Batman who’s grown colder between series. The redesigns were controversial, but the writing stayed at peak: Old Wounds explains Dick Grayson’s break from Batman with real pain, and Mad Love — adapted from the Dini/Timm comic — is the definitive Harley-and-Joker story, the origin of “puddin'” and the moment you understand she’s a tragedy, not a joke.

This era folded into Justice League and gave us the harder, more isolated Batman that Beyond would interrogate. Twenty-four episodes, nearly all strong, and the bridge to the greatest superhero universe ever built on TV.

Verdict: Watch it as BTAS seasons 4-5 — because that’s what it secretly is.