Gotham Season 1

If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Gotham Season 1 is available on and right now. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. 3,737 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Ben McKenzie anchors it with a performance that grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Gotham Season 1 is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Gotham Season 1 uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. A new recruit in Captain Sarah Essen's Gotham City Police Department, Detective James Gordon is paired with Harvey Bullock to solve one of Gotham's highest-profile cases: the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. During his investigation, Gordon meets the Waynes' son Bruce, now in the care of his butler Alfred Pennyworth, which further compels Gordon to catch the mysterious killer. Along the way, Gordon must confront mobstress Fish Mooney, mafia led by Carmine Falcone, as well as many of Gotham's future villains such as Selina Kyle, Edward Nygma, and Oswald Cobblepot. Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2014. The rules of Gotham Season 1's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find Gotham Season 1 genuinely rewarding. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete run is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch for Ben McKenzie in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.