History Series / Gotham

* FriendshipHatingVillain: Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot tells [[MoralityPet Martin]] to "shun friendship" because "the best friend I ever had became my greatest enemy."

[[caption-width-right:350:From the ashes of Gotham, a Dark Knight will rise.[[note]]From left to right: Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Edward Nygma/The Riddler, Harvey Bullock, James Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox, Selina Kyle, Alfred Pennyworth and Barbara Kean.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:From the ashes of Gotham, A Dark Knight will rise.[[note]]From left to right: Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Edward Nygma/The Riddler, Harvey Bullock, James Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox, Selina Kyle, Alfred Pennyworth and Barbara Kean.[[/note]]]]

* CrapsackWorld: Being a pre-Batman Gotham City, it should come as no surprise that the city is a WretchedHiveOfScumAndVillainy.

* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: Because ''Gotham'' premiered only a year after the start of the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'', they were only allowed to use the names of the characters not featured in the DCEU at the time (Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, Harvey Dent, Mr. Freeze etc), with an exception made for Jim Gordon. The name ''Batman'' could only be alluded to. That wasn't a big deal, as the whole point of the series was to show Bruce his origin story, and path of becoming the Batman, but it did create a problem when it came to the ''Gotham'' version of the Joker. Jerome Valeska, despite the fact that he has many traits similar to those of the Joker, was never referred to by that name. Originally, the producers want to present the Joker as more of an idea rather than a character. Even though his twin, Jeremiah, becomes the next "proto-Joker" near the end of Season 4, he is never referred to by the supervillain alias either, as Cameron Monaghan revealed that Warner Brothers forbade ''Gotham'' to refer to their Joker by that name on screen or use bright green hair for the character (hence the look he had in the GrandFinale), presumably due to both ''Film/SuicideSquad'' & ''{{Film/Joker}}''. However, some promotional material has referred to Jeremiah as "Mr.J" (Harley Quinn's nickname for the Joker, her ''Gotham'' equivalent being named Echo), and the producers did state that Jeremiah was indeed ''the'' official ''Gotham'' Joker.

** In "Better to Reign in Hell" when Ivy Pepper is trying to find Selina Kyle in the hideout of the Fish Mooney gang of literal monsters, who she knows has powers, she gets mistaken for a spy. [[spoiler: When Selina says she's just her friend they still fear that they will tell someone which Selina promises she won't. Knowing Fish Mooney and Ivy just being a kid she might have let her go if Ivy didn't threaten to let her go or she'd tell. While Ivy realizes her mistake immediately [[LeaveNoWitnesses it goes as well as you expect.]]

** In "Better to Reign in Hell" when Ivy Pepper is trying to find Selina Kyle in the hideout of the Fish Mooney gang of literal monsters, who she knows has powers, she gets mistaken for a spy. [[spoiler: When Selina says she's just her friend they still fear that they will tell someone which Selina promises she won't. Knowing Fish Mooney and Ivy just being a kid she might have let her go if Ivy didn't threaten to let her go or she'd tell. While Ivy realizes her mistake immediately [[Leave No Witnesses it goes as well as you expect.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: Definitely so, when compared to the previous Fox-produced ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' TV show with Creator/AdamWest. On the other hand, it could be considered a tad LighterAndSofter than the Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy, at least in the sense that some of the dark humor of the [[Creator/TimBurton Burton]] films (and the 1990s ''Batman'' comics that took their cues from those films) is sprinkled throughout. Also like the Burton films, ''Gotham'' has a more old-fashioned, stylized, "Hollywood" look to it than the ThisIsReality aesthetic of the Nolan films.

* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: Because ''Gotham'' premiered only a year after the start of the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'', they were only allowed to use the names of the characters not featured in the DCEU at the time (Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, Harvey Dent, Mr. Freeze etc), with an exception made for Jim Gordon. The name ''Batman'' could only be alluded to. That wasn't a big deal, as the whole point of the series was to show Bruce his origin story, and path of becoming the Batman, but it did create a problem when it came to the ''Gotham'' version of the Joker. Jerome Valeska, despite the fact that he has many traits similar to those of the Joker, was never referred to by that name. Originally, the producers want to present the Joker as more of an idea rather than a character. Even though his twin, Jeremiah, becomes the next "proto-Joker" near the end of Season 4, he is never referred to by the supervillain alias either, as Cameron Monaghan revealed that Warner Brothers forbade ''Gotham'' to refer to their Joker by that name on screen or use bright green hair for the character (hence the look he had in the GrandFinale), presumably due to both ''Film/SuicideSquad'' & ''{{Film/Joker}}''. However, some promotional material has referred to Jeremiah as "Mr.J" (Harley Quinn's nickname for the Joker, her ''Gotham'' equavalent being named Echo), and the producers did state that Jeremiah was indeed ''the'' official ''Gotham'' Joker.

** The fifth season was hit hard by this due to the reduced season; the season 4 finale and 5 premire hinted that past characters including Freeze, Firefly, and Scarecrow were going to be amongst the main threats along with new enemies including [[spoiler: Man-Bat]]. ''None'' of these characters ever play a key part beyond a mention and the latter doesn't even appear again after season 4.

The show ran for 5 seasons, with the final episode airing on April 25th, 2019. The showrunners then went on to create another Batman mythos-inspired "{{prequel}}" show, ''Series/{{Pennyworth}}'', which premiered in July 2019 on Creator/{{Epix}} and [[FlipFlopOfGod may or may not]] be set in the continuity of ''Gotham''.

** Tabitha Galavan is usually dressed in some sort of SpyCatsuit with high-heeled boots, wears her hair in a tight ponytail, wields a whip, and is adept at various forms of torture. She's implied to be some sort of inspiration for the young Selina Kyle, the future Catwoman.

* WhipItGood: Tabitha Galavan favors a bullwhip in combat, and she lets Selina try her weapon out in "Heavydirtysoul".

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** In "A Dead Man Feels No Cold," the GCPD finds an officer frozen solid, including the bullet that he'd just fired, just like Frozone does in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Alice Tetch. She appears in only two episodes before her untimely death, but she has a huge influence on several characters and future story arcs, mainly thanks to the virus in her blood.

** Tabitha wears a top that shows her cleavage very often, with short skirts [[ShesGotLegs baring her legs too]], and long leather boots.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Surprisingly averted in relation to ''Series/{{Smallville}}''. While both are series about an iconic DC superhero before they became such and are named after the city they take place in, ''Smallville'' is a teen show which focuses on Clark and as the story progresses becomes wackier and reminiscent of the golden age stories. Meanwhile, ''Gotham'' has an older cast, focuses on Gordon and has a marked noir style that as the story progresses turns to dark camp.

* WretchedHive: This is Gotham City before a certain night-prowling costumed detective and his police commissioner partner would clean it up. Seedy bars and abandoned warehouses clutter the landscape as gangs position themselves for a coming mob war. And we haven't even met a particular psychopath who's dying to put a ''smile'' on every victim's face... When Bullock asks the Balloon Man who his last target was going to be, the vigilante's response: Anyone.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Barbara seems to take any problem that is going on and twist it in a way to how it is causing her problems. This goes UpToEleven after her FaceHeelTurn.

* HospitalHottie: in 'The Fear Reaper' Jim Gordon is gassed by the Scarecrow's fear toxin and hallucinates having a conversation with his ex-fiance Barbara Kean who is dressed as sexy nurse. When she claims this means he still has feelings for her he reimagines her dresssed as a nun.

* HollywoodGenetics: The Galavan siblings Theo and Tabitha look nothing alike, as the actors aren't even the same race. Creator/JamesFrain (a White Englishman) plays Theo, and Black/European Canadian Creator/JessicaLucas is Tabitha. We never see their parents, so it's possible (but unlikely) they come from a mixed race family with each of them just looking like one side (it's never stated they're {{not blood siblings}}).

* EurekaMoment: In "All Happy Families Are Alike", Bruce and Alfred tear Thomas Wayne's study apart looking for some clue as to what he had been secretly working on. After failing to find anything, Alfred attempts to persuade Bruce that he is on a wild good chase and remarks "There are none so blind...". This suddenly gives Bruce the inspiration for where he should be looking.