All episodes Season 2 S02E01 1993-09-13 30 min 1990s Fox Kids

Batman: The Animated Series

Shadow of the Bat

TV Flash files “Shadow of the Bat” as the first listed hour of season 2 — Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) on Fox Kids, season 2, episode 1, aired 1993-09-13, 30 min.

From the desk

How this hour is filed

This leaf is S02E01: listed hour 61 of 85 in the Batman: The Animated Series guide, first listed hour of season 2. It aired 1993-09-13 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Fire from Olympus” (S01E60). Next is “Shadow of the Bat Part II” (S02E02).

Batman: The Animated Series — Shadow of the Bat (S02E01)

Catalog log

Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.

When Commissioner Gordon is framed for taking bribes from Rupert Thorne, his daughter Barbara pleads with Batman to show up at a rally being put on in the commissioner's behalf. But when Batman disappears after finding the person behind the frame-up, Barbara takes the law into her own hands as Batgirl.

Viewer FAQ

Where does Shadow of the Bat sit in the Batman: The Animated Series guide?

S02E01 is listed hour 61 of 85 — first listed hour of season 2, season 2 episode 1.

When did Batman: The Animated Series S02E01 air?

Shadow of the Bat aired 1993-09-13 and is listed at 30 minutes.

Did this series create Harley Quinn?

Yes — Harley Quinn was created here (voiced by Arleen Sorkin) and later entered comics, films, and the wider DC brand.

In the series

Why this series still plays

Art-deco Gotham with Kevin Conroy's growl and Mark Hamill's Joker — kids' TV that adults claimed without irony. Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski built black-sky noir, jazz menace, and villains as tragic theater. Harley Quinn walks out of this show into the wider DC canon. Still the gold standard for Western superhero animation.

The first useful thing *Batman: The Animated Series* does is treat Saturday morning like prestige genre. A noir-styled Batman stalks an art-deco Gotham where villains are tragic theatrical forces. Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski built a timeless design language — black sky, sharp shadows, jazz menace — for a 1992 Fox Kids premiere. Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamill's Joker became definitive voice performances for a generation. Arleen Sorkin's Harley Quinn spun out of this series into comics and films. Kids' TV…

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Filed against

Also in season 2

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