Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It was developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on the Fox Network from September 5, 1992 to September 15, 1995; with a total of 85 episodes. During its second season, the series was given the on-screen title The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
The series was praised for its thematic complexity, darker tone, artistic quality and modernization of its title character's crime-fighting origins. IGN listed The Animated Series as the best adaptation of Batman anywhere outside of comics, the best comic book cartoon of all time and the second best animated series of all time (after The Simpsons).Wizard magazine also ranked it #2 of the greatest animated television shows of all time (again after The Simpsons). TV Guide ranked it the seventh Greatest Cartoon of All Time (out of 60). The universal acclaim led the series to win four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program.
The series was also the first in the continuity of the shared DC animated universe; spawning further animated TV series, comic books and video games with most of the same creative talent. Its ratings success and critical acclaim led the series to spawn two feature films - Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (released to theaters in 1993) and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (a direct-to-video release in 1998).
