Ranking Every DC Animated TV Series From Worst To Best

Jul 28, 2017 July 28th, 2017

1. Batman: The Animated Series

Predictable? Maybe. Undeserving? Absolutely not.

To devote just two hundred words to the greatness and majesty of Batman: The Animated Series would be a disservice to its legacy. The show kickstarted DC's decades-long dominance of the animated medium, inspired and influenced characters on the screen as well as off it, and left an indelible mark on The Dark Knight himself. It's probably the only iteration of the character that could even arguably be called definitive, but it is. Kevin Conroy's Dark Knight embodies the essence and duality of Bruce Wayne in a way that no one else has since been able to replicate, and much of that can be owed to the fierce creative team that propelled the series to its now iconic status.

The aforementioned pairing of Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett (this time also joined by Eric Radomski) navigated the Caped Crusader's history with ease, and they did it all to the beautiful tunes of the late Shirley Walker; a composer who, without question, produced the finest notes to have ever been given to the character (Mask of the Phantasm is worth a watch for her soulful compositions alone).

There's just so much about BTAS that makes it so special, and indeed, one of the reasons why it is so great has to be down to its treatment of Batman's rogues gallery. Mark Hamill's now iconic turn as The Joker remains the most maniacal and indeed terrifying portrayals of the character ever put to screen, and the treatment of many of the character's villains were equal parts terrifying and tragic. Episodes like Heart of Ice and Feat of Clay turned horror icons like Mr Freeze and Clayface into tragic characters with their own tragic pasts, and there were countless others that further reiterated the series' commitment to showing the nuances of the mythos onscreen.

The series is definitive in so many ways, and it's a testament to its quality that, after almost 25 years, it remains the proverbial king of Warner Bros. Animation. There is, quite simply, nothing quite like it.

Which animated series is your favourite? Do you also think that BTAS is the best cartoon ever? Be sure to let us know in the comments underneath!

Comics

The Scariest Joker We've EVER Gotten...

TrekCulture

How Star Trek Writing Needs To Change

Ewan Paterson

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

See more from Ewan