“Gotham” is a superhero-based show that defies odds by not following the superhero, but rather one of the side characters, detective Jim Gordon. Gordon searches for justice in the deaths of Bruce Wayne’s (Batman) parents in the fictional city of Gotham.

The show is a prequel story and presents the creation of some of our favorite DC Comics characters: Catwoman, Poison Ivy, The Penguin, The Riddler and Batman. Not only does the show follow these icons, it gives information that cannot be found in the mainstream Batman movies or cartoons, but in the comics.

The character development of the show is memorable. Instead of focusing on one character, the writers take the time to develop multiple characters in the show. The writers portray the closeness of all the main characters in the show.

This connection is because one of the main focuses is how Gotham operates. The show’s writers cannot explore this without showing different viewpoints. A city is more than just one person, and there is more than one side to every story. These characters are what make Gotham, Gotham.

There is one character in the show not seen in any of the comics or movies: Fish Mooney. Played by Jada Pinkett Smith, she quickly becomes a major part of the show, when she emerges as one of the series major villains. Although she is The Penguin’s mentor, she is not seen anywhere else in the Batman universe. She was created purely for this show. If this caused me to be slightly upset, true fans of Batman must have been furious. Despite this fact, she is intriguing. Fish Mooney is extremely vindictive and manipulative and wants everything to go her way.

Fish Mooney is not the only character, making the show interesting. There is a constant power struggle not only between those who are considered bad and good, but also those who are supposedly on the same side. Although in a city such as Gotham, it is hard to define what is good and what is bad.

Not only are the characters intriguing, but so is the plot. In every episode there is more information uncovered about the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents or some secret dealings. With each episode, Gordon defies the status quo. He ignores what his partner, Harvey Bullock, tells him and he plays by his own rules.

My favorite part about the entire show is something minor. In certain cases, Edward Nygma, the coroner and forensics operative, is needed. Whenever he describes a piece of evidence or information to Gordon and Harvey, he goes into great detail. He talks in a way the audience can see how passionate he is about the subject. What I find funny is when Nygma starts talking, Gordon and Bullock tend to rush him along to get the information that they need. The look on his face when they do is hilarious but does not happen in every episode.

Gotham is a show for the masses. People who are not active in the Batman universe can easily watch this and follow along. Batman fans will fall in love with the show, too.

Gotham airs Mondays on Fox at 7 p.m.