Birds of Prey 

In the future, long after the Batman has driven himself into exile, his legacy lives on in the form of the Birds of Prey--Black Canary, Oracle, and the Huntress.

Creator:

Laeta Kalogridis

Stars:

Ashley Scott, Dina Meyer, Rachel Skarsten

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ashley Scott	...	Helena Kyle / ... 14 episodes, 2002-2003
Dina Meyer	...	Barbara Gordon / ... 14 episodes, 2002-2003
Rachel Skarsten	...	Dinah Lance 14 episodes, 2002-2003
Shemar Moore	...	Jesse Reese 14 episodes, 2002-2003
Ian Abercrombie	...	Alfred Pennyworth 14 episodes, 2002-2003
Mia Sara	...	Dr. Harleen Quinzel / ... 13 episodes, 2002-2003
Shawn Christian	...	Wade Brixton 8 episodes, 2002-2003

Storyline

Now Gotham's Undercover Superhero Batman has disappeared leaving behind a daughter from his long-time love Catwoman. Her name is Helena the mysterious superhero known as "The Huntress". She has teamed up with the paralyzed hero "Batgirl" together they meet up with their next teammate Dinah Lance. Dinah is a telepath and psychic who had terrifying dreams about Batgirl's brutal accident. They must learn how to work together and become not only a team of superheroes but also a family.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | camp | antagonism | reference to batman | reference to catwoman | 

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Taglines:

Batman's Little Girl Is All Grown Up.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

The WB Waner Home Entertainment - DVD site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

BOP

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television, DC Entertainment, Tollin/Robbins Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shot of the Arkham Asylum plaque shown in the pilot is taken directly from Batman Forever.

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Quotes

Barbara Gordon: Dealing with demons is never easy, whether they're on the outside or the inside.

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Crazy Credits

Although she is included in the opening credits of each episode, Mia Sara only appeared in about 1/3 of the episodes that were broadcast.

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Alternate Versions

The original version of the pilot differs from the aired version in numerous ways.

• The original began with Selina Kyle's murder, then cut to Barbara Gordon in the shower, intercut with Batman and Batgirl fighting Joker. There is a voice-over by a reporter on this. Barbara then hears this reporter, who is on her TV, announce Selina has been murdered and goes to the door where she is shot by Joker. The aired version is edited differently. It starts with footage of Batman fighting Joker, then has a shot of Helena and Selina Kyle walking together that wasn't in the previous version. It then adds new footage of Batman and Catwoman fighting. It then cuts to Barbara Gordon's apartment, intercut with footage of her fighting. It cuts directly from her in the shower to her opening the door, where she is shot by Joker. The whole thing has new narration by Alfred Pennyworth.
• The most obvious difference is that Harley Quinn was recast. Scenes originally shot with Sherilyn Fenn were reshot with Mia Sara.
• There a few alternate scenes involving Barbara Gordon, including one that indicates her involvement with a fellow teacher has been going on for six months. In the TV series, the relationship begins in the pilot and progresses through the series.
• There are also considerable differences in the score and sound effects.

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Connections

References Batman Returns (1992)

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Soundtracks

Revolution
Performed by Aimee Allen
Episode: {all episodes}

User Reviews

In Defense of "Birds of Prey"

There are those comix purists who will complain that BoP violates "continuity". If the truth be known, that which constitutes "continuity" is in the eye of the beholder (At last count, there are over five -- and counting --different Batman "continuities" [Movie Batman, "Batman: The Animated Series", "Batman Beyond", "Justice League", "The Dark Knight", etc.] ). At last count, Superman has over EIGHT different continuities (radio show, TV shows ["Superboy", "Smallville", etc.], and countless cartoon incarnations -- in addition to the comics). This is to say nothing of the pre- and post-"Crisis" versions of each of these characters.

There are so many different versions of Batman and Superman and different eras that trying to please each and every comic fan out there is a nightmare and an impossible task for a screenwriter. There are some people who want to see this version and some who want to see this era and if the writers mix them up then all hell breaks loose in Comix Fandom. To attempt to satisfy the whims of each individual fan is to ask for trouble.

While the critics are marking off their checklists and tabulating how well BoP adheres to its "source material", they're missing out on a fun show peopled with some quirky and interesting characters (The Huntress holds the singular honor of being TV's first superhero to see a therapist on a regular basis!).

"Birds of Prey" is best enjoyed when judged on its own merits. In my opinion, it's a fun show that deserves a chance to come out from under the shadow of its comic book origins.