In 2022, new Warners boss David Zaslav started selling off projects in development and cancelling films in post production as tax write offs. Batman: Caped Crusader was one of the victims of this move. Frankly, I think whoever made the decision to sell this one off should be fired and whoever made the decision to acquire the show at Prime Video should get a raise. From the writing to the animation, this is truly must-see television.

Batman: Caped Crusader is an absolute masterpiece and triumph. Not only is it one of the best shows of the year, but it’s hands down the best Batman series since Batman: The Animated Series and it’s not even close.

Hamish Linklater delivers an incredible performance as Batman, serving as an excellent replacement for the late Kevin Conroy. The supporting voice cast is also excellent and one of the finest we’ve had. In particular, Minnie Driver as Penguin, Dan Donahue as Clayface, Jamie Chung as Harley Quinn, Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent and Krystal Joy Brown as Barbara Gordon are all standouts from the cast and really deliver in their roles, often stealing the scenes they’re in.

The animation, simply put, is stunning. Like Batman: The Animated Series (BTAS) before it, Caped Crusader evokes a very gothic feeling, establishing itself somewhere in the first half of the 20th century. The noir aesthetic, paired with Batman’s costume based on the design from Detective Comics from nearly 100 years ago, serves the story well and makes it feel in line with some of the best iterations of Batman. All the character designs are crisp and sharp, recalling characteristics that made them iconic in the first place while also putting their own spin onto it. I found myself rewinding often to take in all the little details in the background and on the characters. Each frame is a work of art and absolutely top notch.

Writing is very important to any project, but even more important with animation. Actors have to rely on their voices more than ever to capture our attention and good dialogue is key to that. Thankfully, the writing team understood the mission and delivered. Led by a dream team of Ed Brubaker, Matt Reeves, J.J Abrams, and BTAS creator Bruce Timm, Caped Crusader uses anthological storytelling to build an exceptional overarching story. Each episode is individual, allowing you to feel for the characters and learn all about them, while also reminding you there’s a bigger story at hand that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Caped Crusader gets a lot right where other Batman animated series have faltered. As mentioned earlier, the gothic, noir aesthetic is absolutely perfect, evoking the best parts of the Golden Age Batman stories with its timeless 40’s look. This is something many shows struggled to recreate after BTAS nailed it in the 90s and it’s a very welcome change. The score from Frederik Wiedmannm, who scored the ill-fated series Beware the Batman and other DC animated projects, brings out the best parts of Shirley Walker’s BTAS score while putting his own spin on it, allowing it to feel distinctive and fresh. The opening title theme is a wonderful piece, backed by an orchestra and 40’s-style television serial opening theme. Caped Crusader takes a lot of the best elements of previous series and makes them just as good, if not better. However, we have yet to address the elephant in the room: the voice of Batman.

This is something many fans, myself included, were curious, and worried, about. Kevin Conroy, widely considered to be the definitive voice of Batman, having played him for over 30 years, and arguably the definitive iteration of the character across all media, was supposedly going to reprise his role as Batman for Caped Crusader. However, he tragically passed away in 2022 before any substantial recording begun. Hamish Linklater was announced as the voice of Batman earlier this year I can happily report that not only is Hamish Linklater a great option for the Dark Knight, but he might even be on par with Conroy’s performance of the character. It’s simple to voice a good Batman, but voicing a good Bruce Wayne is harder. Linklater has two very distinguishable voices for the character and utilizes them very well. Linklater’s Bruce Wayne is a very extravagant playboy, deliberately coming off as shallow and somewhat arrogant to the public, only to mask his true identity. His Batman however, is a man of very few words, often speaking with his actions instead. This is something I loved about this character as it harkens back to some older iterations of Batman, who relied more on stealth to provide intimidation as opposed to the voice (cough, Bale, cough). Linklater is bound to be a fan favourite and I hope he voices the character for years to come.

Batman: Caped Crusader is the best animated Batman series in decades, without a doubt. It’s the perfect spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series in every way possible, allowing for those who grew up on the 90s series to embrace the new ideas while introducing new audiences to the Dark Knight in stupendous fashion. Hamish Linklater delivers a performance for the ages and perfectly leans into the gothic and dark tone the show is going for. We need at least ten more seasons of this ASAP, it’s THAT good.