I’ve been pretty busy this fall, so I’ve had to ration my TV time carefully. But among the handful of shows I’m following, FOX’s Gotham has become a regular in the rotation.

Gotham is, in a nutshell, a prequel to the Batman stories. (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.) It starts with the street murder of young Bruce Wayne’s parents before his very eyes, and then quickly shifts to the police work of green detective Jim Gordon and his senior partner Harvey Bullock.

Gotham‘s Gotham City is a dark, corrupt urban society with a 1940s New York City look and skyline. It’s also a time bender with mobile phones and cable-quality TV reception. In the early Gotham episodes, we’re introduced to more of the characters who later will be part of Batman’s world. (I’ll leave it to you to discover them for yourself.)

If you grew up with the Batman television series of the mid-60s, be prepared for a contrast! This is not a zam-wham-pow kids’ show. Gotham is the stuff of comic book noir, a sinister place where nearly everyone has secrets and many are the make. I’m not an avid comics reader or a devotee of the superhero genre, but I think it’s a lot of fun.