Mrs and I have been watching this on Netflix the past couple nights. Best daggum TV since Breaking Bad, IMHO. It is very well done.
The premise sucked me right in: what was Gotham like around the time that young Bruce Wayne's parents were killed?
Every other Batman story that begins with the killing of Thomas and Martha Wayne just skips over the aftermath of the murders, and uses the murders as a vehicle to explain how Bruce Wayne emerges as the vigilante Batman. This series explores the immediate aftermath, and hits so many touchstones, it's a treat to watch.
Young newly-minted detective Jim Gordon is the main character. The ongoing theme is his solemn promise to Bruce to solve the Wayne murders, even as corruption within Gotham's police department seems to thwart him at every turn.
As Bruce comes to grips with his parent's murder, and begins to investigate on his own why they were killed (to Alfred's chagrin), we get to watch the formation of Bruce's interest in the power of Wayne Enterprises, and how it influences events in Gotham City.
Several of the eventual criminal masterminds are woven into the story. The main villian character is interestingly Oswald Cobblepot. We get to watch him use his cunning to begin his rise from sniveling object of scorn for Gotham's major crime bosses as he evolves into "The Penguin". But several other Batman villians are present in their nascent stages before their Batman era notoriety. I'll leave them for you to discover.
The acting is excellent. The story is excellent. The dialogue writing is excellent. The world and characters created in Gotham are just slightly "off", giving everything a perfect blend of comic book feel, traditional cop vs bad-guy fare, with a tinge of pulp fiction feel.
It's rated TV-14, and I think the rating is appropriate. The sexual situations are at a minimum; swearing is nearly non-existent; violence is much less than many other programs.
I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.