DC comics and Warner Bros. have frequently been accused of following Marvel's more successful lead in the last few years, most recently in regards to the blockbuster film franchises on either side, but never has it been more clear than with DC's latest shocker. Just minutes after the debut of Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,' Warner Bros. has announced the Batman franchise will return to TV with 'Gotham,' a new FOX drama with Commissioner Gordon at its center.

Admittedly, we were mostly stirring the pot with an earlier article on the possibility of DC moving comic artist Ed Brubaker's 'Gotham Central' series to the small screen, but Deadline's announcement of FOX's 'Gotham' is all-too-real. Given a straight-to-series order, the new Bat-drama will explore “the origin stories of Commissioner James Gordon and the villains that made Gotham famous,” while Batman "will not be part of the series."

Few other details are known by this point, though 'The Mentalist''s Bruno Heller will write and executive producer the drama, to be produced by Warner Bros. Television. Of course, DC already has a small-screen enterprise in The CW's 'Arrow,' which itself will spin off 'The Flash' by the end of the season, though 'Gotham' will undoubtedly keep its own continuity from either. It remains unknown if 'Gotham' will have any ties to Ben Affleck's take on the Dark Knight for 'Batman Vs. Superman.'

We're reading this as a response not only to 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,' but also to the news that Marvel may already have plans for an 'Agent Carter' companion series among others, but what say you? Can you look past the obvious timing to get excited for a 'Gotham' TV series? What would you like to see, if and when Batman appears on the FOX drama?

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