According to Variety, the CW has ordered a pilot for something called The Graysons, a Smallville-esque drama which will trace the adolescence of Dick Grayson in the years before he becomes Robin, Batman’s partner-in-crimefighting. How Smallville-esque, you ask? Well, it’s being executive produced by the Smallville showrunners (along with McG) and, in case Clark Kent doesn’t last another season, The Graysons is being positioned as a potential pre-superheroic replacement.
Follow me after the jump for an explanation of why this is the Worst Idea Ever of the Week.
1) Dick Grayson’s origin story goes like this: He was a kid when his circus-acrobat parents died in an "accident" engineered by very bad men. He’s taken in by Bruce Wayne, who channels the kid’s fury into fighting crime, and gives him a girl’s/bird’s name to do it. Not a whole lot there to base a TV show around, unless you monkey with his origin to a point where it’s unrecognizable. Which is exactly what they’re doing. According to the Variety piece, The Graysons "will be set in modern times, young DJ will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up." Ecch.
2) They’re changing his name to D.J. Grayson. Look, I get that you don’t want your hero to be called "Dick" all the time. But what’s wrong with "Richard’? Every time I hear "D.J." I think its going to be followed by "and the Bear."
3) Of all the DC Comics properties to make a TV show out of, this is the wrong one to choose. Hell, even if you wanted to make a Batman-related show, to capitalize on The Dark Knight‘s success, there are far better choices. Here’s one, of the top of my very large head: Gotham Central, a police procedural that shows how the cops deal with all the stuff Batman doesn’t have time for. You never once have to show Batman, it’s not his show. So, no tights. But you still have access to the entire Batman rogues gallery. You do that one right, it’s like Law and Order…but 23 percent more awesome.
4) See No. 2. Blurg.
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And I thought I was old, when I think “DJ”, I think of Full House. And yes, this is SO going to SUCK. They have really had problems with the Chloe-Clois-Lois issues in Smallvile, how can they not spend any amount of time on this guy and already be painted into a corner where they have to go straight to who he was post-Batsy. And I thought when you were suggesting Gotham Central, it would be all about Gordon’s rise…now that could work.
What an awful idea! They can make this, but they couldn’t give “Moonlight” a shot? Anyway, everytime I hear D.J. I think of “Full House,” which is not something that should be associated with Batman-related things. As for “Gotham Central,” I think I might actually watch that. Off topic, what ever happened to the Aquaman show they were supposed to be doing?
It’s “BJ and the Bear”, not DJ
This idea doesn’t sound any better or worse than any other garbage idea that’s managed to make it to the TV and movie screens.
I’ve said it a hundred times: Give Ollie/Green Arrow his OWN show!!!!!!!! For the love of god, no one cares about Robin!
LOL if Gotham Central was on CBS, would it be dismiss as a another procedural
While i am not sure this is going to be a terrible show, i am not sure it will be good either. This show sounds average at best. However, the Gotham Central show would be incredible. You could even include superhero cameos like they do on Smallville if you wanted to. Or since the Batman villains, for the most part, are not super powered, it could be very realistic. There are always new crime dramas on television so whats wrong with one more, especially with that premise.
Or they could’ve done Dick Grayson as Nightwing…after he’d moved out of Wayne Manor. That would’ve been a lot more interesting and brooding than this schlock.
I think Gotham Central sounds awesome! A crime procedural with comic villains is genius.
The Graysons is total blurg.
I love Batman and almost every thing involved in world, but this has all the makings of a disaster. I never liked smallville because of the “reinvisioning” and I am not looking forward to this treatment.Why don’t they stop this and seek new ideas instead, isn’t that what writers do?
of all the dumb ideas. dj grayson… arg.
anyone reading the batman comic nowadays? batman just lost. bad.
This reminds me of the Family Guy skit about Robin…Yes, agree, totally terrible idea.
This has got to be one of the worst things I’ve heard since the Palin Couric interview.
Except that it was BJ and the Bear.
I… I’m agast. what a terrible idea. And I’m a big genre fan and a Batman fan as well. If they want a young skewing repalcement for Smallville, there are at least a dozen GREAT ideas I can think of… and none of them would *ever* call Dick “DJ”. It’s… horrifying.
This doesn’t sound to promising…
I would rather see a show about Nightwing. Batman wouldn’t even have to be in it.
I’ve heard that Gotham Central has been shopped around before. Why hasn’t it become a TV show yet!? If you liked The Dark Knight, you’ll like a TV show based on Gotham Central.
The Graysons sounds horrible. I would totally watch Gotham Central though!!
Lol i stopped reading after “(along with McG)”
I refuse to watch anything that hack has somethin to do with. If i found out he was doing an episode of lost, which i watch religiously, i’d skip it for fear the cast would be taken over by super models and product placement all involved in huge explosions.
Holy Stupid Idea, Batman!
did anyone see the trailer for the fake movie “Grayson”? it actually looked decent for what it was (you can find it on YOUTUBE). way better than what this sounds like.
need i remind people of the show “BIRDS OF PREY” that also came from the creators of Smallville? it was pretty bad. This sounds worse though.
Why don’t they just dust off the Aquaman pilot and reboot that? The buzz was pretty big around it.
I Agree this is a horrible idea for a show. Warner Bros will NEVER allow Bruce Wayne or Batman to interact on the show since they have famously denied the character to Smallville and they have begged the entire time it has been on air. What is the point of having a powerless kid in a circus if he will never meet Batman never be trained to fight. Like someone else said it would be better to just use Nightwing. At least he is trained and you can have some of the other DCU characters visit the show and believably interact
I agree with your view of the proposed t. v. series on Robin’s origins. Laura Vandervoort (the actress who played Supergirl/Kara Kent on Smallville) recently revealed that the C W had considered creating a Supergirl spin off series, but it did not work out. That would have been a far better idea to my mind. It would be a more logical follow up spin off series to “Smallville” since it would feature and star Clark Kent’s super powered Kryptonian cousin who is played by a beautiful, sexy and gorgeous actress. The writers/show runners of “Smallville” treated the Kara character so badly that I actually I wrote and mailed a letter of protest about their decision not to have Kara as a series regular character and to leave the character in the Phantom Zone. I like to think my letter was a factor in their decision to bring Laura Vandervoort back for at least one episode to wrap up Kara’s story line.
I will not watch the new Robin series as it will be dull and silly.
yeah, i love the character Dick Grayson, but no one is gonna wanna watch a show about him pre batman. maybe a Nightwing show, when he’s cool enough that people may not be so juvenile to laugh at his name. what they should do is a Green Arrow spin-off.
Gotham Central? It’s been done: Read “Powers” by Brian Michael Bendis.
How can anyone think the audience would enjoy a show where, the entire time you’re watching him interact with his parents you’re wondering, “Is this the episode where they die?”. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
Pliskin
There was also a comic-book series called “Gotham Central.” That’s where the idea for adapting it into a TV show came from.
I totally agree with the Gotham Central comment. Maybe on another network though. This is the CW we’re talking about where being over 30 is basically the same as being at death’s door. I could totally see it on cable.
This sounds like a joke. Sure they didn’t announce it on April Fools Day?
It makes Birds of Prey sound like a better choice. Aquaman was never a good idea. It would have ended up being “Super Baywatch.” Supergirl spin-off would have crashed and burned only slightly faster than a Green Arrow spinoff.
I do like the idea someone suggested about Nightwing — Can’t get Batman, use Batman Jr. The police procedural (whether it’s “just” cops or Gordon’s rise) is a much better concept.
Here are a couple of my ideas to throw into the mix — first, spin-off options…
1. Lex Luthor. This would be an interesting arc to follow.
2. Lois and/or.Chloe
The investigative girl reporter(s) before there was a guy in a cape to fly to her rescue full-time. Still allows for existing Smallville heroes to drop in (Aquaman, Green Arrow, et al.)
Originals: let’s be bad!
3. Joker
Why not follow the rise of the clown prince of crime?
4. Harvey Dent, Attorney At Law
5. Catwoman
could work
Funny… every time *I* hear DJ, it’ll be followed by “Tanner”.
This is just another reason why CW, or WB, or UPN, or whatever they want to call themselves:
1) Suck
2) Are a joke
3) Are why less people watch network TV