YouTube Pundit Eric July Calls Gotham Knights “Dead On Arrival,” Questions Who It’s Made For

JB Augustine |

May 26, 2022

YouTuber, commentator, writer, and voice artist Eric July, better known as Young Rippa, is unsurprisingly one of those who doesn’t have hope for The CW’s Gotham Knights endeavor.

Speaking on the recent poster reveal, a first look at the emerging DC drama, Rippa can see the show being canceled before it gets off the ground when CW finds a buyer, even a low-rent one.

“This is dead on arrival but you didn’t need me to tell you that,” he said. “This is coming next year, if it makes it. I don’t see how it doesn’t get canceled.”

Rippa foresees, half tongue-in-cheek, “someone makes a bid for 3 dollars to purchase CW and says ‘This show is not going to happen because no one is going to watch it.’”

In a way, it’s a lost opportunity as the concept could find an audience under the right circumstances. As Rippa states, “It’s a layup” when you have Gotham and Batman’s remaining wards and sidekicks teaming up to defend the city he left behind.

Never minding Batwoman and 2002’s failed Birds of Prey adaptation worked under the same premise, Rippa argued if CW was smart they’d show people the costumes and build season one around how each character becomes their respective vigilante persona.

We aren’t shown that, however. The poster released shows the cast in street clothes and it’s difficult to figure out right away who each of the individuals on it is. Looking at the cast, Rippa feels DeGrassi, YA novel vibes.

Previous casting news tells us Spoiler Stephanie Brown and a race-bent Carrie Kelly are in it. Likewise, a sample synopsis also released, reveals Bruce Wayne is dead and has a new ward named Turner Hayes who, ostensibly taking the place of everyone previously embodying the identity of Robin, is framed for murder.

Duela Dent, Joker’s Daughter and once the offspring of Harvey Dent, is also on the team with a pair of siblings, one of whom is transgender and described as “clever” as well as “tired of being polite and agreeable.”

Reading that, Rippa declares, “This is not Gotham Knights,” referring to the unreleased game from Warner Bros. Montreal wherein the real Bat Family – consisting of Robin, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Nightwing – picks up the slack for an MIA Bruce.

Rippa reiterates his point that the show is DOA and nobody will watch it, which is more bad news for the flailing CW brand most people turned off and tuned out in droves.

Noting their recent budget-cut woes, he quipped, “CW doesn’t like money,” adding when all is said and done after things get really desperate, “Maybe we’ll buy The CW.”

Though he is kidding, whoever does acquire the ailing network will likely be getting it at a bargain price and with a reduced slate of content in the making.

Most of the Arrowverse has been gutted by the recent cancellations of CW programming but Gotham Knight still has the go-ahead and will be one of the few DC shows left on the network aside from Stargirl, Superman & Lois, and The Flash.