The New Adventures of Batman 

Batman, Robin and Batgirl fight crime in Gotham City with the "help" of Batmite.

Stars:

Adam West, Burt Ward, Melendy Britt

Cast

Series cast summary:
Adam West	...	Batman / ... 16 episodes, 1977
Burt Ward	...	Dick Grayson / ... 16 episodes, 1977
Melendy Britt	...	Batgirl / ... 16 episodes, 1977
Lou Scheimer	...	Bat-Mite / ... 16 episodes, 1977
Lennie Weinrib	...	Commissioner Gordon / ... 16 episodes, 1977

Storyline

In this series, Batman, Robin and Batgirl battle various villians in Gotham City. Complicating things however is the presence of Batmite, a other-dimensional imp who considers himself the biggest fan of Batman and insists on helping him, regardless of whether Batman wants it or not.

---

Plot Keywords:

1970s | gotham city | robin the boy wonder | tarzan | superhero | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmation Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (16 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Riddler was shown in the opening credits but never appeared in any of the episodes. This was because Hanna-Barbera held the rights to use The Riddler, Scarecrow, and Solomon Grundy for Challenge of the Superfriends (1978).

---

Connections

Version of Batman's Lego Adventure: Part 2 (2013)

User Reviews

The return of West and Ward!

This series marked the return of Adam West and Burt Ward to the roles of Batman and Robin. prior to that, the cartoon voices of the Caped Crusdaers were provided by Olan Soule and Casey Kasem. West was a definite improvement, as he had a more subtle delivery and a deeper tone than Soule. Kasem versus Ward is a little closer. Kasem was a better voice actor than Ward, but Ward did well.

The series suffers from the broadcast restriction placed on it. Filmation knew full well they couldn't recreate their old Batman cartoons, as they were responsible for the networks cracking down on cartoon violence. So, they hoped the addition of West and Ward would draw people to the cartoons. For the most part it worked, but the comedy level was ramped up, especially with the addition of Batmite. Quite frankly, this detracted from the shows. The plots were more mundane, as physical confrontation was taboo, so the dramatic tension was weaker. Stock footage was used even more than in the original series and watching more than one episode at a time really drives this home. As such, this series ends up weaker than both the original Batman cartoons and the later BTAS version. Even the Super Friends had more lively action.

With all of the above said, the series is worth watching to catch West and ward. They do a fine job and are a bit better at the comedy than Soule and Kasem. More villains were featured than in the Super Friends and it bore a closer, if watered down, resemblance to the comics. Don't expect quality like the Bruce Timm shows, but it's at least entertaining to those with a forgiving eye and youngsters with an attention span.