O'BSERVATIONS - "GOTHAM"

From the left: 

Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin), Fish Mooney, Edward Nigma (future Riddler), Ivy Pepper (future Poison Ivy), Detectives Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth and Selina Kyle (future Catwoman - on the fire escape)

A lot of shows that have made/will make their debut this year need to be shunted off to alternate TV dimensions in order to keep Earth Prime-Time as Zonk-free as pozz'ble: 'The Strain', 'Helix', 'Madam Secretary', 'The Leftovers'.....  And 'Gotham' can be added to that list.

The Toobworld Dynamic is a visual universe instead of a conceptual one as is the case with the Wold Newton Universe.  Portrayals of pulp fiction characters in that crossover universe can be blended together despite the changes in appearance for many of the characters because in the end, it is how you perceive them in your mind that matters.  But for Toobworld, it has to be what is up there on the screen.

One of the rules for the Toobworld Dynamic - albeit not always enforced - is "First come, first served."  And that means the 1966 'Batman' TV series, no matter how campy it may have been, is the official representation of the Caped Crusader in Earth Prime-Time.

As dark as this version of the Batman legend looks to be, I think Evil Toobworld might be a better fit for it than Pre-Toobworld.  But 'Birds Of Prey', which takes place in the near future after that world's Batman has been eliminated from the scene, could also lay claim to that dimension.  
As it stands now, I think the most logical TV dimension for this show would be the most O'Bvious - Comic Book Toobworld, home of 'Lois & Clark', the new 'Flash' (as well as its connected episodes from 'Arrow'), and the ill-fated 'Wonder Woman' pilot from David E. Kelley.

Even if I could pick and choose which "Batman" version could be in the main Toobworld, I couldn't allow 'Gotham' to reside there.  This show is retelling the legend of the Batman from its beginning in that darkened alleyway where Dr. and Mrs. Wayne were gunned down.  And I don't think 'Gotham' will be on the air long enough to get to Bruce Wayne's adventures once he's grown up.  (In the show, he's about twelve years old.)

That timeline could never jibe with the rest of Earth Prime-Time, where Batman has already been accepted in the consciousness of the general public, as mentioned in other TV shows like:

• 'Bewitched'
• 'Coronation Street'
• 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'
• 'Seinfeld'
• 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'
• 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch'
• 'Farscape'
• 'The X-Files'

among many others.....

And the populace of Earth Prime-Time knows about Batman because a TV show was made about it in that world as well, which was mentioned on such shows as:

• 'Saved By The Bell'
• 'Movies Stars'
• 'That 70s Show'

And it even starred Adam West as Batman, which we know from his appearance as a member of the League of Themselves on 'King Of Queens'!

None of that could happen if 'Gotham' took place in Toobworld.  With the original 'Batman', we can find splainins for any mention of the Dynamic Duo, his enemies, Gotham City, or the Batcave.

Forty plus years on, that same Bat-Time heals all Zonks.

BCnU!