Let it be stated up front: William Dozier’s 1966 TV series “Batman” is not just the finest iteration of Bob Kane’s and Bill Finger’s superhero character, but it may be one of the best TV shows of all time. Using the outlandish trappings of superhero comics, “Batman” created nothing less than the wildest, most hilarious parody of conservative values in a generation. Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) were heroic, yes, but they were also unbearably square, drinking milk, going birdwatching, and supporting their local police to an unhealthy degree. We admired them and laughed at them at the same time. The show’s many villains were free agents, whose villainy offered a refreshing element of chaos to the world. They were sexual, exciting, and had fun.

All of this was wrapped in a stylized, mannered, near-cartoon universe. Reality was tilted. The show purported to support heroism, but somehow, without any cracks or winks to the camera, it celebrated colorful eccentricity. It was reserved and anarchic as the same time. What a work of genius. The “tortured” versions of Batman to follow Dozier’s series are all, as far as this author is concerned, footnotes. 

“Batman” ran from 1966 to 1968, lasting only three seasons. The presentation was novel, in that one 30-minute episode would air on Tuesday nights, ending with a cliffhanger, and the 30-minute conclusion would air on Wednesdays. The show started strong, gathering gangbusters ratings during its first season. It was successful enough to warrant a hastily-made (and equally brilliant) feature film in 1966. In the third season, however, popularity dropped off sharply, and the show was axed by ABC. NBC was going to take up the reigns, but ABC had already demolished the sets. Rather than rebuild them, NBC abandoned its desire to keep the show going.

The culprit? Perhaps the answer is predictable, but it was merely bad ratings. 

It was Burt Ward who recalled the fact that the sets had been demolished. He was interviewed by CNN in 2016, on the event of the show’s 50th anniversary, and he recalled that he and West might have been able to continue their antics for another season had ABC not been so cavalier with their smashing. There was every reason to believe that if NBC had access to the sets, the show may have lasted into a fourth season.

Then again, maybe not. Watching “Batman,” one can see the writers running out of ideas pretty quickly. By the end of the second season, the show had become repetitive and formulaic, sometimes straining to hide their low budgets; there was an episode wherein Batman chased Catwoman (Julie Newmar) across several rooftops, and they were clearly just the roofs of the ABC studios buildings. The third season saw a few changes to the show to increase ratings. Most notably, Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) was added to the series. Also, the traditional two-part cliffhanger structure was abandoned, giving way to more traditional weekly one-offs. 

“Batman,” while a blockbuster in its first season, merely held steady in its second. Frank Gorshin, the actor who played The Riddler, switched managers during the second season, leading to a contract renegotiation. During discussions, John Astin stepped in to play that role for two episodes. For the third season, Julie Newmar left to shoot a movie, and Eartha Kitt stepped in. This was after three actors (George Sanders, Otto Preminger, Eli Wallach) had already played Mr. Freeze. All of these actors are hilarious and capable, mind you, but the constant recasting likely made the show feel ephemeral. 

Despite all this, NBC was still eager to step in and keep “Batman” going. Sadly, without sets, they didn’t want to make the commitment, so “Batman” was canceled. So it goes. But this show will ever remain in our memories as the best piece of Batman media ever produced. We’ll always have that.