20 Animated TV Shows That Are Practically Flawless

There have been dozens of Batman adaptations over the years, and many of them, from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Rockstar's Arkham games, are very good. Even so, none of them can compete with The Animated Series.

With crisp animation, brilliantly crafted characters and a level of grit and realism few if any other Batman adaptations have been able to muster, The Animated Series injected Bruce Wayne's double life with a confidence and faithfulness that has never been bested.

A superhero thriller wrapped in a noir drama and a gripping detective story, the show's thematic complexity and dissection of its thematically complex characters -- from Kevin Conroy's titular vigilante to Mark Hamill's deranged Joker -- made it an early masterstroke all Batman properties are still trying to match.

There have been plenty of great animated superhero shows (X-Men made this very list), but The Animated Series stands heads and shoulders above them.