The '60s Batman Show Only Exists Because Two Other Characters' TV Rights Weren't Available

1966's "Batman" has obtained legendary status in superhero TV history, but its creators originally set their sights on two other comic characters: Superman was their top choice for a primetime adaptation, followed by Dick Tracy.

In "The Official Batman Batbook" by Joel Eisner, "Batman" executive producer William Dozier recalls that ABC had polled members of the public on which comic characters they'd like to see on TV. Superman came out on top, Dick Tracy was second place, and Batman landed in third. However, Dozier explained that ABC "couldn't get the rights to Superman ... because there was a Broadway show called 'It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman,' and that is what stopped them." He added that they couldn't get Dick Tracy, either, "because [the character's creator] Chester Gould was in some kind of peripheral negotiations with NBC, which never came to anything." As a result, ABC sought out the rights to Batman.

Adam West's campy take on the Caped Crusader may have been a far cry from the darker, grittier adaptations that followed, but it marked an important step forward for the character — and the superhero genre as a whole. While "Batman" wasn't the first superhero adaptation to grace the small screen, it was far more successful than any that had come before it, proving the potential of comic books to launch live-action global megafranchises. It's hard to imagine now that "Batman" wasn't the series ABC initially wanted to make.

When ABC's "Batman" was first conceived, the Dark Knight was far from the icon he is today. In the early 1960s, sales of Batman comics had declined massively from their peak in the 1940s, with the character only drawing half as many readers as the far more popular Superman. That all changed when "Batman" arrived on television. The ABC series was an instant success, catapulting Batman to worldwide fame and influencing many subsequent television series. For example, while producers initially preferred Dick Tracy over Batman for the lead of their primetime show, Chester Gould's no-nonsense police detective ended up riding the Caped Crusader's coattails.

In "The Official Batman Batbook," Dozier notes that, "after 'Batman' went on, everybody wanted to do the same kind of show. I made a deal with Chester Gould to do the pilot for 'Dick Tracy.' I didn't think it was very good." Apparently, networks shared Dozier's sentiment, as the "Dick Tracy" pilot was never picked up. Dozier had more success with the "Green Hornet," on which he noted he "tried to duplicate" the success of "Batman." That series ran for just one season on ABC, although its heroes did share the screen with the Dark Knight during the second season of "Batman" – once in a fleeting cameo, and then again as part of a full, two-part crossover event.