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What if Bruce Wayne / Batman wasn’t the loner that he’s portrayed as being in the comics and movies over the past 86 years? What if he was not only a dad who did dad things but he also took in wayward former-villains as foster kids? That’s the idea behind the new animated series Bat-Fam. BAT-FAM: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? Opening Shot: Damian Wayne aka “Little Batman” (Yonas Kibreab) chases his cat through Wayne Manor, playing “The Floor Is Lava.” The Gist: The Wayne Manor is getting crowded lately, with a now-bearded Bruce Wayne (Luke Wilson) reveling in being a dad — with the creaky help of Alfred (James Cromwell), of course. They’ve recently taken in Claire Selton (Haley Tju), a flamethrowing 12-year-old that used to be a supervillain named Volcana, until she was transformed into her preteen self by Damian’s grandfather, Ra’s Al Ghul (Michael Benyaer), who now haunts the mansion as a ghost. Also floating around somewhere is Man-Bat (Bobby Moynihan), a former scientist-turned-bat who seems to like olives and doesn’t exactly work out. Claire is frustrated that Damian doesn’t stick to her “knock first” rule; in fact, she’s annoyed that he’s even there. She’s too old to play the kid games he likes playing, but also doesn’t think her place in the mansion is secure; she doesn’t trust anyone and doesn’t think anyone trusts her. Also moving into the mansion is Alicia Pennyworth (London Hughes), Alfred’s niece. She grew up with Bruce in the manor, so the two of them know each other well — though Alicia does not know that Bruce is Batman or that Damian is Little Batman. When Alicia drops her phone and Claire sees that she’s been texting with King Tut (Fred Tatasciore), she sees this as an opportunity to gain trust in the Wayne household. She recruits Damian to join her in following Alicia to see why she’s meeting with the supervillain; Damian is happy to don the kid-sized cowl and get in the Batmobile to help. Meanwhile, Bruce organizes a family game night, and wants to make sure it’s planned down to the second. What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Bat-Fam, created by Mike Roth and Jase Ricci, is a follow-up to the Prime movie Merry Little Batman. It kind of feels a bit like Teen Titans Go!, but much less funny. Our Take: Bat-Fam is essentially a “found family” show married to a decades-old comic franchise, and it makes for a fun — but not that funny — show. Maybe we’re being too harsh; seeing Bruce Wayne in a dad beard, wearing casual shirts as he plans game night instead of fighting crime is pretty funny, and seeing Alfred creak along gave us some chuckles. Seeing little Damian don his tiny cowl and create havoc while driving the Batmobile (while standing!) is fun. But for the most part, Bat-Fam is a lot of noise and havoc combined with more heartwarming content about becoming a family. Yes, there will be scenes where the family does battle, especially when Ra’s Al Ghul unleashes something destructive, as he does in the first episode. And we’re curious to see where the writers take Alicia, who is a social worker who has a nonprofit that helps former supervillains establish themselves in “regular” lives. But the show will work best when Claire and Damian get into some chaos, whether it’s with Batman’s longtime enemies or new villains, as long as they continue to bond and become one big crimefighting family. What Age Group Is This For?: The show works for kids 10 and up, though one character says “Holy crap!”Parting Shot: When Alicia says that it’s unlikely another deadly, para-dimensional demon will be unleashed, Bruce tells her the chances are higher than she thinks. Man-Bat finds that out the hard way. Sleeper Star: Among the guest voices during the first season will be Diedrich Bader, Kevin Michael Richardson, Reid Scott and Natasha Leggero.Most Pilot-y Line: “I don’t want to brag, but in one night, I took out The Joker, Penguin, Bane and Poison Ivy. Sure, my dad was there, but I totally carried him that night,” Damian tells Claire. Our Call: STREAM IT. Bat-Fam is a watchable show that isn’t as funny as it wants to be, but a dad version of Batman trying to manage a crazy household has a lot of potential. Where To Stream Bat-Fam If you aren’t a Prime Video subscriber yet, you can get started with a 30-day Amazon Prime free trial, including Prime perks like the Prime Video streaming service, free two-day shipping, exclusive deals, and more. After the free trial, Amazon Prime costs $14.99/month or $139/year. All 18- to 24-year-olds, regardless of student status, are eligible for a discounted Prime for Young Adults membership as well, with age verification. After a six-month free trial, you’ll pay 50% off the standard Prime monthly price of $14.99/month — just $7.49/month — for up to six years and get all the perks. Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
