The first season of Batwoman premiered on The CW on October 6, 2019, and concluded on May 17, 2020. It was announced on May 3, 2019.[1]
The season aired on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM prior to Supergirl.
It arrived on DVD and Blu-ray on August 18, 2020.
Synopsis[]
"Kate Kane never planned to be Gotham’s new vigilante. Three years after Batman mysteriously disappeared, Gotham is a city in despair. Without the Caped Crusader, the Gotham City Police Department was overrun and outgunned by criminal gangs. Enter Jacob Kane and his military-grade Crows Private Security, which now protects the city with omnipresent firepower and militia. Years before, Jacob’s first wife and daughter were killed in the crossfire of Gotham crime. He sent his only surviving daughter, Kate Kane, away from Gotham for her safety. After a dishonorable discharge from military school and years of brutal survival training, Kate returns home when the Alice in Wonderland gang targets her father and his security firm, by kidnapping his best Crow officer Sophie Moore. Although remarried to wealthy socialite Catherine Hamilton-Kane, who bankrolls the Crows, Jacob is still struggling with the family he lost, while keeping Kate –– the daughter he still has –– at a distance. But Kate is a woman who’s done asking for permission. In order to help her family and her city, she’ll have to become the one thing her father loathes –– a dark knight vigilante.
With the help of her compassionate stepsister, Mary, and the crafty Luke Fox, the son of Wayne Enterprises’ tech guru Lucius Fox, Kate Kane continues the legacy of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne, as Batwoman. Still holding a flame for her ex-girlfriend, Sophie, Kate uses everything in her power to combat the dark machinations of the psychotic Alice, who's always somewhere slipping between sane and insane. Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate soars through the shadowed streets of Gotham as Batwoman. But don't call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, she must first overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham's symbol of hope."[2]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman (11/20)
- Rachel Skarsten as Beth Kane/Alice and Beth Kane (10/20)
- Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore (10/20)
- Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton (10/20)
- Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox and Luke Fox (11/20)
- Elizabeth Anweis as Catherine Hamilton-Kane† (8/20)
- LaMonica Garrett as Mar Novu/The Monitor (1/20)
- Dougray Scott as Jacob Kane and Jonathan Cartwright/Mouse (10/20)
Guest starring[]
- Greyston Holt as Tyler (5/20)
- Sam Littlefield as Jonathan Cartwright/Mouse (5/20)
- Ava Sleeth as young Beth Kane (5/20)
- Brendon Zub as Chuck Dodgson (4/20)
- Gracyn Shinyei as young Kate Kane (3/20)
- Giles Panton as Shane McKillen (2/20)
- Brianne Howey as Reagan (2/20)
- Sebastian Roché as Dr. Ethan Campbell (2/20)
- John Emmet Tracy as August Cartwright (2/20)
- Nicholas Holmes as young Jonathan Cartwright (2/20)
- Gray Horse Rider as unnamed trainer (1/20)
- Gabriel Mann as Tommy Elliot (1/20)
- Rachel Matthews as Margot/Magpie (1/20)
- Jim Pirri as Bertrand Eldon/Executioner (1/20)
- Christina Wolfe as Julia Pennyworth/Tuxedo One/Batwoman (1/20)
- Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels/Harbinger (1/20)
- Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne (1/20)
- Johnathon Schaech as Jonah Hex (1/20)
- Erica Durance as Lois Lane (1/20)
- Malia Pyles as Parker Torres (1/20)
Special guest starring[]
- Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (1/20)
- Caity Lotz as Sara Lance (1/20)
- Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer and Clark Kent/Superman (1/20)
- Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak (1/20)
- Candice Patton as Iris West-Allen (1/20)
- Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory/Heat Wave (1/20)
- Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent/Superman (1/20)
- Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane (1/20)
- Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers/Supergirl (1/20)
- Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash (1/20)
- Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor (1/20)
- Matt Ryan as John Constantine (1/20)
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent (1/20)
Episodes[]
| No. in series | No. in season | Episode title | Written by | Directed by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Caroline Dries | Marcos Siega | October 6, 2019 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Rabbit Hole" | Caroline Dries | Marcos Siega | October 13, 2019 |
| 3 | 3 | "Down, Down, Down" | Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead | Dermott Downs | October 20, 2019 |
| 4 | 4 | "Who Are You?" | Nancy Kiu & Denise Harkavy | Holly Dale | October 27, 2019 |
| 5 | 5 | "Mine Is a Long and Sad Tale" | Jerry Shandy & Ebony Gilbert | Carl Seaton | November 3, 2019 |
| 6 | 6 | "I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury" | James Stoteraux & Chad Fiveash | Scott Peters | November 10, 2019 |
| 7 | 7 | "Tell Me the Truth" | Caroline Dries & Natalie Abrams | Michael Allowitz | November 17, 2019 |
| 8 | 8 | "A Mad Tea Party" | Nancy Kiu | Holly Dale | December 1, 2019 |
| 9 | 9 | "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 2" | Don Whitehead & Holly Henderson | Laura Belsey | December 9, 2019 |
| 10 | 10 | "How Queer Everything Is Today!" | Caroline Dries | Jeff Hunt | January 19, 2020 |
| 11 | 11 | "An Un-Birthday Present" | Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux | Mairzee Almas | January 26, 2020 |
| 12 | 12 | "Take Your Choice" | Ebony Gilbert | Tara Miele | February 16, 2020 |
| 13 | 13 | "Drink Me" | Jerry Shandy | Dermott Downs | February 23, 2020 |
| 14 | 14 | "Grinning from Ear to Ear" | Denise Harkavy | Michael Blundell | March 8, 2020 |
| 15 | 15 | "Off with Her Head" | Natalie Abrams | Holly Dale | March 15, 2020 |
| 16 | 16 | "Through the Looking-Glass" | Nancy Kiu | Sudz Sutherland | March 22, 2020 |
| 17 | 17 | "A Narrow Escape" | Daphne Miles | Paul Wesley | April 26, 2020 |
| 18 | 18 | "If You Believe in Me, I'll Believe in You" | James Stoteraux & Chad Fiveash | James Bamford | May 3, 2020 |
| 19 | 19 | "A Secret Kept from All the Rest" | Jerry Shandy & Kelly Larson | Greg Beeman | May 10, 2020 |
| 20 | 20 | "O, Mouse!" | Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead | Amanda Tapping | May 17, 2020 |
Production[]
Filming[]
Production began in July 2019 and was scheduled to conclude in December 2019,[3] before The CW ordered an additional nine episodes on October 25, 2019.
On March 27, 2020, The season production ended .[4]
Set accidents[]
On September 27, 2019, lead actress Ruby Rose revealed, in an Instagram video, that she had undergone emergency surgery to correct severe herniation of two discs in her neck caused by stunt work on set that nearly paralyzed her.[5]
During a shoot preparation in Vancouver on March 11, 2020, production assistant Amanda Smith was paralyzed from the waist-down after the bucket of a lift was accidentally lowered on top of her, causing severe spinal cord damage and a burst vertebra.[6]
Reception[]
Critical response[]
As of March 16, 2020, the season has received a 78 percent approval rating, and an average rating of 6.8/10, among forty critics; and an underwhelming 13 percent approval rating, and 1.21/5 average rating, among more than seven thousand users on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus reads, "Though it needs more time to develop its own identity to truly soar, Batwoman's fun and stylish first season is a step in the right direction for representation and superhero shows alike."[7]
Ratings[]
The pilot episode premiered to 0.5 percent of homes in the United States, with an audience of approximately 1,860,000 live viewers, making it the most-watched series premiere on The CW since the debut of Black Lightning in January 2018. The second episode of the season fell down to an audience of 1,450,000 live viewers and a 0.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The following six episodes of the season remained with a consistent 0.3 rating before the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event episode that aired on Monday, December 9, 2019, rose to an audience of 1,710,000 live viewers and 0.6 percent of American homes, making it the highest-rated episode of the series. The following five episodes of the season then fell down to a 0.2 rating, with the exception of the January 26 episode, which only 0.1 percent of American homes tuned into that night due to the simultaneous broadcast of the highly popular Grammy Awards.
Controversy[]
Five days after being cast in the lead role of Batwoman, Ruby Rose terminated her Twitter account on August 12, 2018, after receiving a tremendous amount of casting criticism and backlash from users who challenged her sexual orientation, despite Rose mentioning that she had been openly lesbian since the age of twelve.[8]
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on September 22, 2018, producer Greg Berlanti defended the casting of Rose as Batwoman.[9]
Trivia[]
- On October 25, 2019, The CW ordered nine additional episodes for the season, boosting the original 13-episode order to 22.[10][11]
- On March 17, 2020, TVLine reported that it is very likely that the season would be shortened to 19 episodes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ "Batwoman - Ordered to Series by The CW?" - SpoilerTV
- ↑ "Batwoman" - The CW Press
- ↑ "Production Dates - Various Show" - SpoilerTV
- ↑ "‘Batwoman’, ‘Young Sheldon’, ‘The Bachelorette’ & More Shut Down As Warner Bros. TV Group Suspends Production On Series & Pilots Over Coronavirus" - Deadline
- ↑ Ruby Rose on Instagram: "To everyone asking about my new Pez dispenser scar on my neck... A couple of months ago I was told I needed an emergency surgery or I was risking becoming paralyzed... I had herniated two discs doing stunts, and they were close to severing my spinal chord. I was in chronic pain and yet couldn’t feel my arms... Thank you Dr Bray for everything you did and for allowing me to keep working and doing what I love. I am forever in your debt. And to anyone asking why I let them video it.. Did you not watch that Greys anatomy episode where they left a towel in a patient?? Also I wanted to see what happens when we go under."
- ↑ "‘Batwoman’ Production Assistant Paralyzed In On-Set Accident, Warner Bros. TV Cooperating With Investigation" - Deadline
- ↑ "Batwoman: Season 1" - Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ "Ruby Rose deletes Twitter following backlash from 'Batwoman' casting" - FOX News
- ↑ "Greg Berlanti Addresses Lesbian Batwoman Controversy: "Ruby Is Terrific in the Role"" - The Hollywood Reporter
- ↑ "‘Batwoman’ and ‘Nancy Drew’ get full-season orders at the CW" - TV by the Numbers
- ↑ "Episode Numbers for the 2019/20 Broadcast Season" - SpoilerTV
- ↑ "Coronavirus Interrupts TV: Which Seasons Will Be Shortened?" - TVLine