A New Batman Series With A Fun Twist Is Now Streaming On Prime Video

Too often, Batman movies and television series are so excessively dark that they're not appropriate for kids who, y'know, love superheroes. Even the animated shows can be a bit much. So, it's nice to see DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation launch "Bat-Fam," a new Caped Crusader series skewing directly to young children.

The show just premiered on Prime Video, and it looks like the kind of animated superhero silliness I would've dug when I was eight. "Bat-Fam" centers on the misadventures of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Luke Wilson) and Damien Wayne/Little Batman (Yonas Kibreab), who live at Wayne Manor with Alfred (James Cromwell), Claire Selton/Volcana (Haley Tju), Alfred's niece Alicia Pennyworth (London Hughes) and the belfry-dwelling Kirk Langstron/Man-Bat (Bobby Moynihan). Also hanging around is the ghost of Ra's Al Ghul (Michael Benyaer), who, as Bat-fans know, also happens to be Damien's grandfather.

The series was developed by Mike Roth and Jase Ricci, who, respectively, directed and co-wrote the 2023 animated movie "Merry Little Batman," to which "Bat-Fam" is a follow-up. These guys are veterans in the kiddie animation world, having worked on "Regular Show," "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," and Disney's "Tangled" franchise. They know how to exhilarate a young audience, while, every once in a while, slipping in gags that parents will appreciate. So, what can we expect from this first season of "Bat-Fam?"

Judging from the trailer, "Bat-Fam" is going to split up its action between Bruce Wayne contending with the domestic chaos that comes with having young, troublemaking superkids under your roof and crime-fighting missions that'll find the Wayne collective battling the likes of Killer Croc, Clayface, Mad Hatter, and Live Wire. These are some of the more colorful members of Batman's rogues' gallery and a welcome reprieve from going to the Joker/Riddler/Penguin well again. Let kids know just how deep a bench of baddies Batman has to contend with in the comics, and they'll become dedicated readers in no time.

There are only three reviews of the 10-episode first season listed on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, but they all agree that "Bat-Fam" is a fresh and funny take on the Dark Knight mythos. Given the troubling times in which we live, this is a refreshing, much-needed change of pace. The 1960s ABC "Batman" series was my introduction to the character, which allowed me to grow up and into Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" and "Batman: Year One" (which he created with artist David Mazzucchelli). I hope it does well for DC Entertainment and Prime Video.