Updated: July 05, 2024

Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It was developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes. In its final ten episodes, the series was given the on-screen title The Adventures of Batman & Robin, which eventually spawned a spinoff show titled The New Batman Adventures.

The series was praised for its thematic complexity, darker tone, artistic quality, film noir aesthetics, and modernization of its title character's crime-fighting origins. IGN listed The Animated Series as the best adaptation of Batman anywhere outside of comics, the best comic book cartoon of all time and the second best animated series of all time ( after The Simpsons ). Wizard magazine also ranked it #2 of the greatest animated television shows of all time ( again after The Simpsons ). TV Guide ranked it the seventh Greatest Cartoon of All Time. The widespread acclaim led the series to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program.

The series was also the first in the continuity of the shared DC animated universe, spawning further animated TV series, comic books and video games with most of the same creative talent. Its ratings success and critical acclaim led the series to spawn two feature films: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm ( released to theaters in 1993 ) and Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero ( a direct-to-video release in 1998 ).