Gotham has the distinction of being a Batman TV series without the Batman.

Set during Bruce Wayne's formative years, it focuses instead on a young Jim Gordon, a good cop in a bad city. And, while comics lore would have you believe that Batman's gallery of rogues arose because of the Caped Crusader's existence, this series shows a city where freaks with gimmicks fought to build their criminal empires first -- inspiring young Wayne, the victim of great personal tragedy, to become a hero.

It's a nice reversal.

And it has a good Bruce Wayne, too. David Mazouz started the role young and grew nicely into the role, hardening as his resolve to protect his city grew.

But this is, without question, Gordon's show, and Ben McKenzie gives the cop a steely sense of purpose, an unflinching moral compass and a passion for justice. Yes, it's true, his step falters along the way -- a good man has a hard row to hoe in a city as corrupt as Gotham -- but he always comes back to his righteous path.

Around him around an assortment of allies, including Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), who could be a good cop with the proper motivation; Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin), a compassionate doctor with a circuitous role to play in Gordon's life; Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), Wayne's steadfast butler and caretaker; Lucius Fox (Chris Chalk), a genius on Wayne's payroll; and a young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova), more of an antihero than a hero, true, but a loyal friend when the chips are down.

Of course, heroes are judged by their villains, and Gotham has plenty. The series begins with your typical gangland shenanigans, led by the likes of Carmine Falcone (John Doman), Sal Maroni (David Zayas) and Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), but the unusual urban environment inspires unusual villains with trademark quirks: foremost among them are Ivy "Poison Ivy" Pepper (alternatively played by Maggie Geha, Clare Foley and Peyton List), Jervis "Mad Hatter" Tetch (Benedict Samuel), Victor "Mr. Freeze" Fries (Nathan Darrow) and Professor Pyg (Michael Cerveris). There's also Harley Quinn prototype Ecco (Francesca Root-Dodson), Scarface/The Ventriloquist (Andrew Sellon), mad experimenter Hugo Strange (BD Wong), Ra's al Ghul (Alexander Siddig), Nyssa Al Ghul (Jaime Murray) and a surprisingly entertaining Victor Zsasz (Anthony Carrigan).

Of special note are Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) and Edward "The Riddler" Nygma (Cory Michael Smith), who are major players throughout the series, as well as Barbara Keen (Erin Richards), who begins the show as Gordon's fiancee and ends up ... well, her story is complicated. And then there's Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska (both played by Cameron Monaghan), who adds thrilling new layers to a potential Joker backstory.

The five-season series starts out slowly but builds, and it's a really unique and enjoyable take on the familiar Batman story and characters. You think you know how certain plotlines will go, and sometimes they do, but more often than not the series keep viewers guessing. It's dark and gritty and sometimes depressing, but often funny and colorful and comic-booky. (Yes, it's over the top, but it's based on a comic book, so what did you expect?) Bottom line, it tells a good story, with lots of threads weaving together to bring us to the actual birth of the Batman.

The success of superhero movies has spawned any number of comic-book TV shows. Some are great, some are laughable, but Gotham is definitely worth a Batman fan's time. I only wish they'd squeezed another season out of it, so we could see a proper "Batman Year One" storyline with this excellent cast.