T

he much-awaited Batman police-procedural drama Gotham is making its bow with a huge introduction '€” presenting many characters from the world of the caped crusdader while falling (a bit) short of expectations.

Gotham premiered on Sep. 25 in Indonesia, featuring well-known protagonists and (at least) five major villains from the DC Comics Batman comic book.

Anticipation has been very high since it was announced that a Batman TV show was going to be produced in late 2013. An additional boost was given by the commercially and critically well-received Dark Knight trilogy, by Christopher Nolan, that ended a year earlier.

The new series features a setting distinct from any DC film universe. Gotham is a prequel, exploring the city as it falls into crime '€” and the struggle between its infamous villains and heroes before the rise of the Batman.

As such, Gotham works on a large canvas, exploring the background and back stories of familiar characters in the mythos, with (future police commissioner) James Gordon at the center.

The first episode introduces Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as an idealistic new detective on the Gotham City Police Department who quickly finds himself at odds with seasoned Det. Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue).

Things heat up when the pair are called to a crime scene that turns out to be the seminal event of the Batman universe, the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their son, Bruce (David Mazouz).

Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone, amateur pickpocket tweenager (and eventual Catwoman) Selina Kyle, played by Camren Bicondova, witnesses the crime.

Gordon meets Bruce for the first time, promising the boy who will become the Batman that he will bring the perpetrators to justice.

With clues dropped by riddle-happy crime scene investigator Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith), Bullock leads Gordon to meet Fish Mooney '€” a mob boss under Carmine Falcone (John Doman), Bullock'€™s secret contact in the criminal world.

When Bullock and Gordon question Mario Pepper, said to be pawning a pearl necklace taken from Martha Wayne'€™s during the murder, the thug escapes '€” only to be shot dead by Bullock.

With enough evidence on their hands, the police declare Pepper'€™s murder solved. Mooney'€™s apprentice, Oswald '€œPenguin'€ Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), however, reveals to major crime unit detectives Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena ) and Crispus Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) that Mario had been framed by Mooney.

The information finds its way to Gordon, who feels guilty that police killed an innocent man, goes to investigate.

Executive producers Danny Cannon and Bruno Heller '€” the former directed the pilot and the latter wrote the script '€” have created beautiful visuals of dark, murky and crime-ridden Gotham as a city on the brink of its fall.

While casting is impeccable '€” each gives a strong performance '€” the revolving door appearance of characters is frustrating. It is an understandable decision by the showrunners to tease the audience with everything they have for the series with the pilot episode.

Alas, with so much eye-candy, the premiere episode sacrifices dramatic intensity and motivation as it sets the scene for its first-season run of 16 episodes '€” which should mean that there will plenty of time for all of that.

Gotham shows Thursdays at 8 p.m. Jakarta time on Warner TV.