Batman is one of the most enduring creations from DC Comics, as a hero, a symbol, and a property. The world that sprung forth from Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s creations birthed a bevy of heroes and villains, many of whom have gone on to have solo adventures almost as storied as The Dark Knight, himself. While offerings like Gotham Knights or Max’s The Penguin are poised to grab viewers’ eyes, there was an earlier attempt to bring Gotham adventures without Batman that may have just been too ahead of its time. This, of course, was the 2002 series Birds of Prey.
Birds of Prey was the brainchild of Laeta Kalogridis, following the crime-fighting adventures of Helena Kyle (Ashley Scott), the daughter of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Each episode began with a preamble that told the story of a historic battle between Batman and The Joker that led to the disappearance of each and the near-total destruction of Gotham City. Limping back from extinction as New Gotham, the city is home to broken citizens and lawless streets. Rising up to tackle these new problems is Helena, aided by Barbara Gordon (Dina Meyer), and newcomer Dinah Lance (Rachel Skarsten), with further assistance from legendary butler and enabler Alfred Pennyworth (Ian Abercrombie).
'Birds of Prey' Offered Something New to the Superhero Landscape
Birds of Prey debuted on the WB on October 9, 2002, achieving the network’s highest ratings at that point for its pilot episode. Based on the comic series that started in 1996, the series was a perfect addition to the WB’s superhero slate which already featured Smallville in its second season. Elsewhere, on the television landscape, Fox’s The Tick had already shriveled up, and it seemed viewers wanted to see things they were familiar with. As Birds of Prey took place in something like Gotham and hooked in viewers with the lore of Batman and his rogue’s gallery, it seemed a surefire hit.
The WB was tumultuous at best in the early aughts. While it debuted with situational comedy and kids’ programming, it quickly pivoted to pseudo-edgy teen dramas. Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Angel informed the overall design and execution of Birds of Prey far more than the Emmy Award-winning animated programs of Batman’s world had. The music, fashion, and even romantic interests of the chief characters were plucked to the exact same cadence as Felicity, Dawson’s Creek, and Everwood. Part of this design could have also been inspired by the fact that the original trailers and opening credits featured Michael Keaton's Batman and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman as Helena's parents, making Birds of Prey a part of the Tim Burton Batman movies. However, it's unclear if they stuck with this by the time of the show's release.
What the show did well, however, was give the female leads agency within their world. Barbara Gordon had once soared alongside Batman as Batgirl, but an attack by the Joker has left her paraplegic. Undaunted, she continues to affect positive change in her city by combating crime as Oracle, a tech-savvy mastermind who serves as the nerve center for the Birds of Prey. Helena, also known as Huntress, possesses meta-human abilities that give her beastly control over her body, allowing for increased agility, leaping, and superhuman sight. Dinah has a form of telepathy and telekinesis, allowing her insight into others and even the ability to manipulate matter at the mere suggestion. Though their abilities and tenacity are admirable and enviable, it is truly their ability to support and aid one another that set them apart from the primarily male-dominated hero team-ups until that point. The show celebrated heroism through classically regarded feminine lenses such as empathy, nurturing, and fierce loyalty.
'Birds of Prey' Has a Talented Cast With Surprising Cameos
The most dominant factor for the rewatchability of Birds of Prey is its cast. Lead actress Ashley Scott is known these days for her voice and motion-capture role as Maria Miller in Naughty Dog’s acclaimed game The Last of Us. Her portrayal of Helena as a wounded soul still grieving the loss of her mother at a murderer’s hands and only discovering after her passing that Batman is her father is sensitive, powerful, and alluring all at once. Barbara/Oracle is played by Dina Meyer, of Starship Troopers and Johnny Mnemonic fame. Dinah/Black Canary is played by Rachel Skarsten, who went on to play Alice in the Batwoman series on The CW, a truly inspired choice of casting.
Serving as the love interest for our Huntress but largely a Drake-in-distress is the ubiquitous Shemar Moore. Rounding out the core cast is Mia Sara, of Legend and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fame, as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Savvy fans will recognize that moniker as that of the infamous Harley Quinn, who uses her status as Helena’s therapist to discern the identity of the crimestoppers, endeavoring to stamp out their plans to interfere with her designs to ruin and rule New Gotham.
The core cast aside, the show featured an impressive and prescient cadre of costars. Aaron Paul appears in the pilot episode, and shortly afterward, Rob Benedict, of Supernatural acclaim, appears as a series regular. Add to this noteworthy and recognizable character actors such as Stephen McHattie, Patrick Fischler, and Steve Hytner and one is left to wonder if the talent behind Birds of Prey knew something we didn’t know.
What Held the Show Back?
Despite all that was working in its favor, Birds of Prey only lasted one season. The silver lining is that all original thirteen episodes did get to air on television, and the “final” episode even ends with Alfred having a painfully one-sided conversation with “Master Wayne” in which he tells the offscreen Batman that he’d be quite proud. It feels like pandering and is reductive, and that might actually be the greatest crime that was committed in conjunction with the series’ cancellation. While the show was admittedly just okay, it can measure up and sometimes even surpass other Batman-adjacent shows likeGotham which ran for five seasons, Batwoman which limped onward for three seasons, and the current Gotham Knights which has been canceled after only one season.
Birds of Prey did more with less than many other Batman-adjacent shows, and even Superman-adjacent shows like Smallville. While the latter featured a Superman without a costume or flight, Birds of Prey promised a Gotham City without Batman. Birds of Prey was a good idea, but the execution wasn’t superb. The dialogue was often reduced to petty in-fighting for the sake of dramatic tension. The thing that led to this Gotham adventure not working, like many of the others, was its staunch resistance to showing Batman. This fact is doubly ironic as each and every episode offered a glimpse of Batman at its beginning, something no other show has done. It even shows and references the Joker by name and features his laugh, recorded by the definitive Joker, Mark Hamill. The rights issue behind the use of the caped crusader has been a long-time issue for DC tv shows, one that spans from the time of Birds of Prey to today. Though the show did more with less, it may have doomed itself by being too ambitious or hopeful for its time.
