What to Binge This Weekend: Batman ’66

Related Articles

INTERVIEW: Brooklyn’s indie folk/chamber pop outfit Low Tide

Monday, October 28, 2019

Shark Navigator Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

Monday, October 28, 2019

Why John Hughes’ Films Offer Truly Terrible Relationship Advice

Monday, October 28, 2019

I was sick this past weekend. Yes, the rare summer cold. However, that put me in the perfect place to put a binge-watching weekend into practice. I mean, I didn’t do it, because I tried to just push through it and live my life as if though I wasn’t shivering despite it being in the 70s outside. At times, though, I had to acquiesce and simply sit on the couch and watch some TV. I didn’t want to watch anything challenging. I just wanted to have fun and relax, and nothing is better for that than Batman.

I’m talking, of course, of the ‘60s TV series starring the late legend Adam West as the Caped Crusader. I’ve written about this show a lot online. I mean A LOT. I got the entire series on DVD a few years ago and I plowed through it. West is my favorite Batman, and I mean that sincerely. It is my favorite Batman project, and I’ve seen just about all of them. Of course, The Dark Knight, which everybody seems to love, is one of my least-favorite Batman things, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that I love the Batman that is candy colored and ridiculous.

By this point, it’s common knowledge that Batman is funny. Most people also probably know by now that it was funny on purpose. If you haven’t seen it, though, you might not realize just how funny it is. This show is so delightfully goofy. Everything is over the top, and the camp factor is high. However, Batman is in on the joke. They want you to laugh and to go along for the ride, because you’re watching a man who dresses up like a bat and his teenaged sidekick fight a man dressed like a clown.

West is so good as Batman, his line readings are perfection, but so many of the villains are tremendous as well. I once wrote a piece that ranked them all, but the two kings of Batman villains are Frank Gorshin as Riddler and Cesar Romero as Joker. The only bummer is that Gorshin is basically just in the first season. His presence is missed in the second and third seasons, where he only makes one appearance in total. One time John Astin, aka Gomez Addams, played Riddler. It didn’t work as well.

The look of this show is so cool, with all the colors and attention to detail, although you can see the budget got slashed before the third season. The performers are delightful and campy. Plus, it’s really funny. A lot of it is steeped in irony and acknowledging the innate absurdity of what’s happening. There’s an episode where Batman and Joker have a surfing contest for the hearts and minds of the teenagers of Gotham. Why wouldn’t you want to watch this show?

While I have Batman on DVD, it’s available to watch on the Roku channel app, I think because it’s on some other free app that they have folded into their own app. My point is you can probably find it somewhere in this modern world of ours. Or just buy the entire series on DVD like I did. It’s up to you. If you need a pick-me-up sometime, though, it’s the ideal show for that.

I’ll be back with another recommendation next week. Same Bat Time. Same Bat Channel.