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Spoilers (13)
Ben McKenzie stated that for inspiration for his character, he basically became the younger version of Gary Oldman's portrayal of Jim Gordon from the Dark Knight Trilogy.
In the Wayne study on a shelf sits a bust of William Shakespeare, the same kind used to activate the secret passageway to the bat cave in the 1960s Batman and Robin series.
Actors Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin who play a couple on the show are dating in real life and have a child together.
Jada Pinkett Smith brought a man on a leash to her audition as Fish Mooney.
Robin Lord Taylor has cited Danny DeVito's portrayal of the Penguin as his inspiration for Oswald.
Ben McKenzie voiced Batman in the DC Animated Original Movie Batman: Year One (2011). He is the second actor that has portrayed both Batman and Jim Gordon. Bruce Thomas played a live action Batman in the OnStar commercials (2001-2002) and voiced Commissioner Gordon in the DC Animated Original Movie Son of Batman (2014) (May 2014).
Jim and Barbara live in a clock tower. In the comics their daughter Barbara Gordon, after her time as Batgirl, donned the alter ego Oracle, who based her operations out of a clock tower (as also seen in Birds of Prey (2002)).
Although its time setting is not determined, the series' is visually inspired by the late 70's and early 80's New York.
After the preview for the following weeks show you can see a green question mark between the T and H in GOTHAM. This is obviously a nod to The Riddler.
Edward Nygma's real name is actually Edward Nashton. The comic book character took on the guise of Edward Nygma along with The Riddler.
Of natural blond hair, Robin Lord Taylor dyes it black every two weeks for the character. According to him, his dark hair seems to always be "levitating off" his head when his clear roots grow under.
Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin)'s suits were made by tailor Martin Greenfield, who has had U.S. presidents as clients.
Oswald Cobblepot's (The Penguin) father is played by Paul Reubens, who also played the part in Batman Returns (1992).
Cameron Monaghan's character Jerome Valeska was initially described as a "proto-Joker" by Bruno Heller.
Jada Pinkett Smith's character Fish Mooney does not exist in the comics and was created for the series.
Morena Baccarin has a busy career in comic book media, playing Dr. Leslie Thompkins on Gotham, the voice of the Gideon computer on The Flash (2014), and starring as Vanessa Carlyle/Copycat in Deadpool (2016). She was also the voice of the Black Canary in the animated series Justice League Unlimited and Talia al Ghul in Son of Batman (2014) and Batman: Bad Blood (2016).
The first Batman-related TV show to appear on the Fox Network since Batman: The Animated Series (1992), which also featured Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya, and whose opening title sequence featured the blimps over the city that were featured in the show's early promotional material.
In the episode featuring Thomas Elliott (alter ego of the villain, Hush), Elliott is depicted as a bully, as he teases Bruce about his parents' death. In the comics, Elliott was Bruce's childhood best friend until an incident caused by the young Elliott drove them apart.
Robin Lord Taylor is a fan of Danny Devito's portrayal of the Penguin in Batman Returns (1992). Carol Kane, who plays Penguin's mother, co-stared with Danny Devito in the TV series Taxi (1978). They both remained as friends after the show ended. Robin Lord Taylor stated that Carol Kane came back to the set after having lunch with Danny Devito and relayed a message from him stating that "he watches the show and likes his performance." This comment sent Robin Lord Taylor "over the moon."
Ben McKenzie suffered an accident while shooting a fight scene, in which he slammed his head onto a concrete pillar.
One of three new television series scheduled for release in 2014 based on DC Comics characters. The others being Constantine (2014) and The Flash (2014).
Bullock remarks how similar "therapist" is to "the rapist." This may refer to the comic storyline 'Batman: Hush,' where Lois Lane made a very similar comment.
David Mazouz, who plays a young Bruce Wayne in the series, has the same birthday of the fictional character on February 19th.
The large neoclassical painting occasionally visible in Wayne's mansion is Jacques-Louis David's 'The Oath of the Horatii.' The gens Horatia were a Roman family of the ruling class. The painting depicts three brothers vowing to defend Rome with their lives. Of the three, only one will survive and he will be the destroyer of their opponents. The brothers might be said to symbolise the Wayne family with Thomas and Martha represented by the two brothers who will be slain in the virtuous fight, while Bruce is represented by the brother who will - in victory - survive.
The movie that is watched in the prison scene with Ben McKenzie in Season 2 is a musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which starred Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman in the 1960's TV series Batman.
Crispus Allen is one of the DC comics characters to have been host to the hero known as The Spectre.
The Joker's real name and backstory is never fully explained in any form of media. The only exceptions are for Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989), and "The Killing Joke" graphic novel, written by Alan Moore, in which the man who will become The Joker is an unnamed engineer who quits his job at a chemical company to become a stand-up comedian, only to fail miserably. He then helps several men break into the chemical company, only to trip into a vat of chemicals after seeing Batman. The Joker says that even this is probably fake due to him always forgetting his past.
New York is used as a template for Gotham, and some landmarks are recognisable during early episodes. As the series progressed though the producers interlaced the New York skyline with more and more CGI to give Gotham a more original feel. The buildings created were designed to reflect an architecture that would be appropriate to the Gotham City from the DC Comics universe.
Cameron Monaghan stated that "there's something serpent-like, snake-like about Jerome in the case that he could be looking away one second and then the next he's striking you and he's at your throat."
Right after she starred in this series, Jada Pinkett Smith's husband Will Smith was cast as Deadshot in Suicide Squad (2016), another DC Comics production featuring Batman.
Tommy Elliot (Cole Vallis) is the alter ego of the villain Hush.
Showrunner Bruno Heller stated that Gotham is not set to any time period. To achieve this effect, older and outdated technology such as rotary phones, CRT monitors, tube televisions are seen used throughout the show as well as contemporary devices like cell phones.
Camren Bicondova's casting appearance was that she looked so much like a young Michelle Pfeiffer who arguably has portrayed the most successful and iconic Catwoman in 1992 Batman Returns with Paul Reubens, Danny DeVito, and her Batman/love interest aka the "bat and cat" Michael Keaton.
Ben McKenzie has voiced Batman in the animated movie Batman: Year One (2011). Ironically, just like the show, the main focus of this movie revolves around the origin of how James Gordon joined the Gotham police force and ultimately became Commisioner.
Camren Bicondova who portrays Selina Kyle in Gotham used some of her dancing for some of the moves you see in Gotham.
Sean Pertwee's father, Jon Pertwee, is best known for having played The Third Doctor on the British television series Doctor Who.
Morena Baccarin's second time appearing in a Batman production. She also voiced as Talia Al Gul in Son of Batman (2014).
Carol Kane actually worked with two "penguins" - one is in Gotham as Oswald's mother and in Taxi with Danny De Vito who was the penguin in Batman Returns.
The character of mob boss Sal Maroni in this show is portrayed by David Zayas. In the 2008 film The Dark Knight (2008), Maroni is played by Eric Roberts. Roberts and Zayas starred opposite each other as the main antagonists in the 2010 film The Expendables (2010).
The name of the character Edward Nygma is a play on words. When the given name is initialized to E, it sounds like "enigma" which means "an inscrutable or mysterious person" according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Additionally, he has occasionally been referred to as "Mr. E," which sounds like mystery.
Early in the first season, the industry website deadline.com reported that there had been a hair and makeup test performed on the set in advance of shooting in which a white stuntwoman was made up in blackface (a process known as "painting down") to prepare her to double for a black guest actress. Painting down stuntpeople is against SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) rules; a SAG representative said that the situation was "presumptively improper... in other words: the practice of 'painting down' is unacceptable anywhere and particularly so in a production center like New York City with so many qualified stuntwomen of color trained for this type of work." When Deadline called this issue to Warner Brothers' attention, WB at first tried to minimize its importance but later released this statement: "A mistake was made this week in casting a stunt woman for a guest star in a particular scene on the show. The situation has been rectified, and we regret the error."
It has no connection to Ben Affleck's Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). However, Geoff Johns stated that the TV universe (starting from Arrow (2012)) and the cinematic universe co-exist as part of a DC "multiverse".
This is the second comic book based movie or television show in which Donal Logue, Michael Chiklis, Morena Baccarin, and Zabryna Guevara starred in. These three actors were in Marvel Comics based movies. Donal starred in Blade (1998) and 'Ghost Rider (2007)_; Michael was best known as the character The Thing in _Fanstastic Four (2005)_ and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007); Morena Baccarin was Wade's girlfriend in 'Deadpool (2016)_'; Zabryna was Trask, the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)_'
Carol Kane (Penguin's mom) and Dan Hedaya (Bullock's old partner) have also portrayed characters in the Addams Family franchise. Carol was grandma Addams (In Addams Family Values (1993)) and Dan played the slimy accountant to Gomez (The Addams Family (1991)).
Tommy Flanagan, Michael Chiklis, Donal Logue and Niko Nicotera have also starred in Sons of Anarchy (2008).
Jessica Lucas (Tabitha Galavan/Tigress) was part of the cast of the short-live CW series Melrose Place (2009), where her co-star, Katie Cassidy, also portrays a DC comics character in another series Arrow (2012) as the heroine Black Canary.
Two of the actors in supporting roles, Peter Scolari as Commissioner Loeb and Richard Kind as Mayor James, are both primarily known for their comedic work. Here, in "Gotham", they are both able to show off their dramatic acting skills.
James Carpinello plays the son of crime mob boss Carmine Falcone, he also played the son of another of crime mob boss Howard Saint in The Punisher.
As well as appearing as Penguin's estranged father, Paul Reubens' well-known film Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1988) was directed by Tim Burton - same director of both Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992)
Jim (James Gordon) and Lee (Leslie Thompkins) joined together, form "Jim Lee" famous artist that created the HUSH story arc on "Batman" comics.
Maria Thayer (Detective Bullock's girl) and Robin Lord Taylor (Oswald Cobblepot), starred in a previous film together called, "Accepted".
Season 2 is the second collaboration between David Mazouz (Bruce Wayne) and Natalie Alyn Lind (Silver St. Cloud). The first was in the movie Dear Dumb Diary (2013)
Sean Pertwee played in the movie Equilibrium (2002) with co-star Christian Bale, who later played Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
Spoilers
Ben McKenzie stated that Batman will only appear on the show in "the very last frame of the very last episode of the very last season, whenever that turns out to be, that's when we'll see Bruce Wayne put on the cape and cowl."
Most of the time, that Nicholas D'Agosto alias Harvey Dent is shown, only one side of his face is illuminated, the other remains in shadow. Obviously a harbinger of his later transformation.
Before his death in S2E3 (The Last Laugh), it was widely believed that Jerome would later become the Joker.
In Victor Fries' (Mr Freeze) first full episode, he leaves a pharmacy by uttering the words "I'll be back" - a quote famously used by the titular character in The Terminator (1984). Arnold Schwarzanegger most famously portrayed the latter and also played Freeze in Batman And Robin (1997)
In 2016, Cory Michael Smith, who plays Edward Nygma, confirmed that Jerome will return to the show, despite the character's death, and that his body can be seen in Hugo Strange's lab. However, he was unable to confirm when the return would take place. Cameron Monaghan later hinted on Instagram that he will return to the show, but said it would be "in a season or 2".
In the season finale of Gotham season 2 you can hear the familiar cackling laugh of Jerome and you can even see a person with a similar hair style and wearing the iconic bath robe worn by the iconic killer. However, this was not actually Jerome, and Season 3 revealed that Jerome was not resurrected until a few months after the monsters escaped from Indian Hill.
Morena Baccarin's character says that she is pregnant in the show because it relates to her actual pregnancy with her Gotham co-star Ben McKenzie
Paul Reubens makes an appearance as Oswald's father. He also played the same role in Batman Returns.
The Dollmaker's henchmen Patti (Lili Taylor) and Doug (Frank Whaley) were originally scripted to be shot and killed by Gordon and Bullock but in the final cut, they do not get shot and are arrested instead.
Nicholas D'Agosto also starred in Final Destination 5 (2011).In a fight scene of that movie, another character tries to push Nicolas's character's half face into a pan of boiling oil. As we all know Nicholas D'Agosto plays Harvey Dent in Gotham who turns out to be Two Face, who has his half face burned because of acid thrown at his face by Don Maroni.
An apparent tribute to Hitchcock's masterpiece, Vertigo: In season 3, Isabella looks just like the deceased Kristen Kringle (both played by Chelsea Spack.) Isabella wears her blonde hair up (very similar to Madeleine in Vertigo.) Isabella makes herself over into the deceased Ms Kringle by changing her hair and dressing like her. During the transformation there is also a green glowing mist coming from behind her and through the windows as she walks toward Edward.