# Batman The Television Series: Season 2 Part 1 - DVD Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=38482[/img] 
*Title: Batman The Television Series: Season 2 Part 1* 

*Movie:* :4.5stars:
*Video:* :4stars:
*Audio:* :4stars: 
*Extras:* N/A 

*HTS Overall Score:*74




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=38490[/img]*Summary*
It’s taken almost 50 years, but we finally have the original 1960’s version of the dynamic duo on home video at last. Rights issues between Fox and Warner has kept the series in a state of limbo that has frustrated fans of the seminal TV series for many decades. It had been so long and the rights wars so arduous that many, myself included, had given up on ever seeing the series in our own homes in a way that we could actually OWN. Thankfully Warner has given us a plethora of ways to enjoy the series, releasing a big giant box of swag edition on Blu-ray with little figures, books and extras special swag, a trimmed down series boxset on Blu-ray as well as a complete series boxset on DVD as well. Now Warner has given us the option of buying the series on DVD in season form for those who wish an extra-less version that comes with a cheaper price tag. 

“Batman The Television Series” has always been a favorite show of mine as I grew up watching it from the tender age of 6 (at least that’s the earliest that I can recollect watching the show), and am delighted to watch the show once more in my own home. The show is literally the antithesis of every version of Batman that we have seen in modern cinemas and TV series. The caped crusader has been portrayed by many as a morose and brooding superhero, both in comics and on screen. Nolan made his trilogy based upon that mantra and tried grounding it in “reality” even more so than earlier versions. “Batman The Television Series” was created in a much different environment and took its cues from the much earlier comics of the 1950s and molded the dynamic duo into an atmosphere of ludicrous camp and cheeriness. The episodes are farfetched, the heroes upbeat and spouting life lessons for kids at every turn and the camp level was turned up to 11, resulting in an intoxicatingly enjoyable show that is both refreshing and giggle worthy (in a good way) at the same time. I always like to compare this version of Batman as being very similar to the Superman serials made famous by George Reeves. They were both made back in a time when shows like these exemplified and exaggerated how we’d LIKE life to be, not how it actually is. There’s plenty of pain and somberness in this world as it is, and the creators of “Batman the Television Series” decided to give us a show that allowed us hope and an escape from the drudgery that befalls many in life. We could all enjoy the antics and escapades of our moral and ethical crime fighters in a family setting that everyone can enjoy, from the littlest tyke to the adults of any age.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=38498[/img]
I couldn’t bring you the review of Season One on DVD, but this second season is really where the show started to take off. Considered widely as the best season of the whole show, Season 2 amps up the writing from season one and gives more screen time to many of the iconic villains. Julie Newmar makes here return as the mistress of pilfering herself (Catwoman) and Cesar Romero as probably the best Joker invented (sorry Heath). We’ve even got a full array of some of the lesser known comic villains such as King Tut, the Archer and the Minstrel. Most of the series is based in two parters, with a pair of episodes revolving around a particular villain and storyline, but the series itself isn’t very serialized in it’s overarching plotline, so watching an episode pair at random is much easier and allows the viewers to not really lose anything in the process.

Season 1 was considered a “half” season and thus realeased in whole on DVD, but season two had 60 episodes and Thus warner has split Season 2 into two parts, with this part being released on February 10th, and the second half coming out later on (as well as season 3). So for anyone who wants to split up the payments over spending the large lump sum for the DVD or Blu-ray sets, this is the ideal way to do so.




*
Episode Rundown

Shoot A Crooked Arrow
Walk The Straight And Narrow
Hot Off The Griddle
The Cat And The Fiddle
The Minstrel’s Shakedown
Barbecued Batman?
The Spell of Tut
Tut’s Case Is Shut
The Greatest Mother Of Them All
Ma Parker
The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes
The Clock King Gets Crowned
An Egg Grows In Gotham
The Yegg Foes In Gotham
The Devil’s Fingers
The Dead Ringers
Hizzonner The Penguin
Dizzonner The Penguin
Green Ice
Deep Freeze
The Impractical Joker
The Joker’s Provokers
Marsha, Queen of Diamonds
Marsha’s Scheme of Diamonds
Come Back, Shame
It’s How You Play The Game
The Penguin’s Nest
The Bird’s Last Jest
The Cat’s Meow
The Bat’s Kow Tow
*








*Rating:* 

Not Rated by the MPAA




*Video* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=38506[/img]While it’s been quite a while since “Batman” was filmed, the series has undergone a painstaking restoration process that nets us a very VERY pleasant looking image. The series has literally never looked this good (except on the Blu-rays) and looks like the negatives were in very good shape. Colors are bright and cheery, and tend to have a slight red/orange push to them. The facial tones tend to look a bit ruddy as a result, but that in no way looks off kilter or obstructs the fine detail. The detail level itself is excellent, and shows off more intricacies of the show than I have ever seen, even on the Television broadcast re-runs over the years. The crazy gadgets in the bat cave or the intricate detailing on the Batmobile have never looked so real and lifelike. The episodes sometimes open with stock footage of varying quality, but that is something that is kind of out of the studios control in terms of restoration. The show has a lot of episodes per disc, but no major compression anomalies jump out at you, besides some mild macroblocking here and there. 











*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=38514[/img]Given the same Dolby Digital 1.0 track that the blu-ray got, the show sounds rather excellent given its source. The 1.0 track naturally doesn’t give a 5.1 experience, but being that the show was shot in 1.0 it is a very faithful representation of the Television show and certainly will please fans. The dialog is clean and crisp with no pops or hisses or other anomalies in the track that was quite common among the older TV shows of that era. Clarity of effects also is on par with the dialog, blending in seamlessly to create a well-crafted track for fans to enjoy. I have no complaints about the track itself, but rather can’t give it a higher score due to the inherent limitations coming from a 1.0 track in a 5.1 and greater world. Excellent restoration work and a great audio track. 







[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=38522[/img]*Extras* Nada

















*Overall:* :4stars:

I’m honestly shocked and flabbergasted that the series is finally in our hands. It’s been decades of fighting and begging and we actually have it in our hands! The show is phenomenal and the presentation is excellent on both the Blu-ray and the DVDS. Warner has given the consumer several options in which way they want to purchase the series, from digital copies, to Blu-ray, to a big massive Blu-ray box of swag as well as DVD and these individual seasons. The only thing that may cause some people to hesitate on these individual season sets is the fact that they are missing all of the extras from the big boxsets. However, if extras mean very little to you, than these seasons are by far the cheapest way of acquiring a fantastic show. Highly recommended. 


*Additional Information:*

Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Burgess Merideth, Alan Napier
Created by: William Dozier
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 MPEG2
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 1.0, Portuguese DD 1.0
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: Unrated
Runtime: 755 Minutes
Own it on DVD February 10, 2015



*Buy Batman The Second Season Part 1 On DVD at Amazon*



*Recommendation: Highly Recommended​*







More about Mike


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Thanks for the review. I remember watching this series when I was a kid after school. Of course, as kids we enjoyed it. I am curious if as an adult, I still find it amusing. I suspect I will. Kind of like reliving my childhood again, I guess. I will check the entire series once all of it is available.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

while the show never breaks the fourth wall you can see that the actors firmly have their tongues in cheek as the show seems to know it's ridiculous and just rolls with it. as a 35 year old man I find I still have a great time with the goofy fun. 

as for it being complete. the show actually already had the big boxsets and digital release done. these season sets are actually coming AFTER the big complete sets came out and are just the "trimmed down" way to get the series without all the extras etc.


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Great. Thanks for the clarification on the box sets.  

I do agree with you that the silliness of the series is the "funny part" and as fans, regardless of age, it will be enjoyable. Thanks.


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## typ44q (Apr 7, 2008)

My sister purchased the full bluray box set as a Christmas present for her husband and we watched a LOT of it while I was there visiting. The video quality is rather amazing for a TV show of this age. I was a huge fan of this when I was growing up and still really enjoyed it as an adult. Yes it is very silly and campy but that was the point. My sister really did not see the appeal of it but I was loving it.


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