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Description
The BATMAN TV series debuted on January 12, 1966 and would run for three seasons until its cancellation on March 14, 1968. In all, the series spawned 120 episodes and one feature-length film outing (for many years the only legally available excursion of the series anywhere), but for good or ill remained the best live action adaptation of Batman for years until Tim Burton took things back to the shadows. The '66 series comes full circle as part of the "New Look" that DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz had initiated back in 1964 when he took over the stewardship on the main Batman title and Detective Comics, primarily getting the character away from the silly science-fiction trappings that previous Jack Schiff (taking cues from the success that Mort Weisinger had done for Superman) had raised to the limit in the early 1960s. Until the show's third season sales on the Batman comic titles soared and Bat-Mania took the country by storm, with a merchandise juggernaut that wouldn't be duplicated until the summer of 1989 with the merchandise machine for Burton's first Batman film.

With time the importance of the show receded, ridiculed for everything from the silly sound effects when a punch or kick would land to the completely uncool portrayal of Adam West's Batman. Some would even say that the '66 show ruined any hope for the character to be taken seriously in any medium outside of the comics (which, ironically enough, went with a more back to basics approach after the show ended, paving the way for the detective stories of Denny O'Neil, Len Wein, and Steve Engleheart and the moody artwork of Marshall Rogers, Neal Adams, and especially Jim Aparo). Until Michael Uslan could convince studios otherwise, most attempts at another live action Batman were met with derision as they all wanted to make another version of the '66 show.

I've spoken on and on about the importance of the '66 Batman to me and how it'll always be my favorite depiction of the character. But its importance to the wider pop culture universe needs a bit more light shone upon it. Superheroes in the cinema were not a new phenomenon by the time the show debuted, with many of them appearing in the 1940s in film serials from B-movie studios such as Republic, RKO, and Columbia (Batman making his own debut in 1943 for Columbia Pictures). Superman had enjoyed a long popularity in the 1950s thanks to the "Adventures of Superman" television series that starred George Reeves as the Man of Steel, and had since his debut been something of a popular choice for advertisements and toys of the like. But nothing compared to the glut that the '66 Batman series received, as more than just toys and lunchboxes became widely available. Adam West and Burt Ward appeared in character for commercials, advertisements, even taking time out to appear on other TV programs. Producer William Dozier attempted to create one of the first shared cinematic universes when he commissioned the Green Hornet for production, and even mounted a similar attempt with Dick Tracy; only the Green Hornet made it to full production, with Dick Tracy not making it past the pilot episode. Had he been successful, the influence that the '66 Batman had would have undoubtedly led to an interest in reviving Superman sooner than the Richard Donner film

Another importance is that it offered for the first time the cinematic debuts of most of Batman's major villains, with Catwoman, Riddler (Frank Gorshin's portrayal bringing the character back to the forefront, having not been seen since the 1940s), Penguin, and of course Joker. But it also offered one of the only times that the original, pre-Crisis Mr. Freeze (renamed from Mr. Zero in the comics, but keeping most of his original Mr. Zero persona) as well as the Mad Hatter imposter being given spotlight. But even teh villains specifically created for the show like Bookworm, King Tut, Egghead, Shame, and Louie the Lilac being just as memorable as many of the familiar rogues.

Description
The BATMAN TV series debuted on January 12, 1966 and would run for three seasons until its cancellation on March 14, 1968. In all, the series spawned 120 episodes and one feature-length film outing (for many years the only legally available excursion of the series anywhere), but for good or ill remained the best live action adaptation of Batman for years until Tim Burton took things back to the shadows. The '66 series comes full circle as part of the "New Look" that DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz had initiated back in 1964 when he took over the stewardship on the main Batman title and Detective Comics, primarily getting the character away from the silly science-fiction trappings that previous Jack Schiff (taking cues from the success that Mort Weisinger had done for Superman) had raised to the limit in the early 1960s. Until the show's third season sales on the Batman comic titles soared and Bat-Mania took the country by storm, with a merchandise juggernaut that wouldn't be duplicated until the summer of 1989 with the merchandise machine for Burton's first Batman film.

With time the importance of the show receded, ridiculed for everything from the silly sound effects when a punch or kick would land to the completely uncool portrayal of Adam West's Batman. Some would even say that the '66 show ruined any hope for the character to be taken seriously in any medium outside of the comics (which, ironically enough, went with a more back to basics approach after the show ended, paving the way for the detective stories of Denny O'Neil, Len Wein, and Steve Engleheart and the moody artwork of Marshall Rogers, Neal Adams, and especially Jim Aparo). Until Michael Uslan could convince studios otherwise, most attempts at another live action Batman were met with derision as they all wanted to make another version of the '66 show.

I've spoken on and on about the importance of the '66 Batman to me and how it'll always be my favorite depiction of the character. But its importance to the wider pop culture universe needs a bit more light shone upon it. Superheroes in the cinema were not a new phenomenon by the time the show debuted, with many of them appearing in the 1940s in film serials from B-movie studios such as Republic, RKO, and Columbia (Batman making his own debut in 1943 for Columbia Pictures). Superman had enjoyed a long popularity in the 1950s thanks to the "Adventures of Superman" television series that starred George Reeves as the Man of Steel, and had since his debut been something of a popular choice for advertisements and toys of the like. But nothing compared to the glut that the '66 Batman series received, as more than just toys and lunchboxes became widely available. Adam West and Burt Ward appeared in character for commercials, advertisements, even taking time out to appear on other TV programs. Producer William Dozier attempted to create one of the first shared cinematic universes when he commissioned the Green Hornet for production, and even mounted a similar attempt with Dick Tracy; only the Green Hornet made it to full production, with Dick Tracy not making it past the pilot episode. Had he been successful, the influence that the '66 Batman had would have undoubtedly led to an interest in reviving Superman sooner than the Richard Donner film

Another importance is that it offered for the first time the cinematic debuts of most of Batman's major villains, with Catwoman, Riddler (Frank Gorshin's portrayal bringing the character back to the forefront, having not been seen since the 1940s), Penguin, and of course Joker. But it also offered one of the only times that the original, pre-Crisis Mr. Freeze (renamed from Mr. Zero in the comics, but keeping most of his original Mr. Zero persona) as well as the Mad Hatter imposter being given spotlight. But even teh villains specifically created for the show like Bookworm, King Tut, Egghead, Shame, and Louie the Lilac being just as memorable as many of the familiar rogues.