Current Events > There was a Birds of Prey DC show way back in 2002

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/Birds_of_Prey_%28cast%29.jpg/230px-Birds_of_Prey_%28cast%29.jpg

It failed hard of course because back then that was definitely obscure, but nowadays with the CW it would definitely be a long running show like the rest of the CW's content.

Most notably it had Oracle, the version of Batgirl that isn't seen as much outside of comics.

But I made this topic because I just found out it was Mia Sara who was playing Harley Quinn this whole time

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D3txvegJ36M/hqdefault.jpg

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/7/73/HarleyMia.jpg

And if you don't recognize her... it's literally ferris bueller's girlfriend

https://i.insider.com/5e3461d2ab49fd0e6452a787?width=600&format=jpeg&auto=webp

saspa posted...

but nowadays with the CW it would definitely be a long running show like the rest of the CW's content.

Nowadays, it have missed the whole CW superhero boat. The channel has been sold and is being retooled into an extremely low-cost network. Which means no expensive original programming like superhero shows.

Hell, Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn could almost be considered a homage to this short lived kinda crappy series that few of us barely even remember

https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/lady-gaga-harley-quinn-birds-of-prey-mia-sara.jpg

it was nice to get Oracle on screen, especially since not long after mainline DC decided the character had become stagnant and the best way to rectify that was to regress it a further 25 years. But I disagree with it being in the wrong time, Smallville premiered the year before this so it's not like it couldn't have carried on, if it didn't suck.

And they did a little nod in the CW shows, the birds of prey version of Huntress was one of the cameos at the start at Crisis (presume they didn't want to muddy the waters for a cameo by pointing out that worlds Black Canary looks just like a totally different character in Batwoman)

I watched it back in the day and rewatched it a few hours ago. I don't see it making passed the 3rd season even in this day.

Jonny2284 posted...

especially since not long after mainline DC decided the character had become stagnant and the best way to rectify that was to regress it a further 25 years.

Nah, the Birds Of Prey series made its debut about a decade before Babs became Batgirl again. The show is from 2002 and Babs getting rid of the Oracle mantle was in 2011.

Compsognathus posted...

Nowadays, it have missed the whole CW superhero boat. The channel has been sold and is being retooled into an extremely low-cost network. Which means no expensive original programming like superhero shows.

Oh wow. Then I guess it would be more accurate to say just under 10 years ago. The mid 2010s was pretty much the CW show era for DC live action for better or worse.

It's crazy that way back in 2002 an exec at WB even greenlit this show in the first place, but yeah. The only explanation I can think of is that they were trying to get some of that Charmed demographic. And maybe a little bit of Dark Angel.

I remember watching a bit of it, but I don't remember it much. I know Huntress' had to get therapy (court ordered, I think?) and her therapist was Dr. Quinzel. Kind of an interesting dynamic there.

I remember that show. CW was trying hard to capitalize on the Smallville craze back then

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

I remember that show. CW was trying hard to capitalize on the Smallville craze back then

That's the thing, this was the cringe era of the 2000s where they were sort of ashamed of being comic book characters, so they almost never dressed up the characters in their suits and instead had them wear a lot of leather that was vaguely color matching to their costume. Like a lot of leather.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/JusticeLeague.jpg

Anyway this was an odd property to pick because young me definitely didn't even know it was a Batman/DC property at the time, it honestly felt like a fever dream watching it because it was sort of comic book characters, but also not?

I remember watching this when it aired wondering when Batman was going to show up.

I watched that show. Oracle was the only thing I liked about it.

I remember watching it and liking it. Of course, I was only about 7 or 8. Don't know how I'd like it today.

I watched that show but I can't remember much of it.

Only thing I remember was that it was "that Batman show without Batman".

Which worked when it was the only Batman without Batman show, but they just keep doing it.

Is that the show where they explained Batman's absence as him and Joker dying or something and because they were too cheap to get actors they had them fighting as shadows on a wall? and yeah, I definitely remember the leather craze and Batman Beyond. Black leather was all the rage in the early 2000s late 90s just like sunglasses in doors

https://youtu.be/zSxd6csxows?si=SJmiFQ3p2BZrFyQx

https://youtu.be/RO6b2tBpdJY?si=6X5u5A7aKm0CTGBn
That Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill.

But yeah After Smallville saw success they really wanted to do a lot of spinoffs and even backdoor pilots, they wanted to do an Aquaman spinoff, they wanted to do a Supergirl spinoff, they even wanted to do a Green Arrow spinoff.

@Jonny2284 posted...

And they did a little nod in the CW shows, the birds of prey version of Huntress was one of the cameos at the start at Crisis (presume they didn't want to muddy the waters for a cameo by pointing out that worlds Black Canary looks just like a totally different character in Batwoman)

That would've been fine, since they had Brandon Routh already on the roster playing The Atom, but also had him playing a version of Kingdom Come Superman (a nod to him being Superman Returns) in the special.

And they drew attention to that with him having a decent amount of time on screen as supes, little different for what ultimately would have been a 6 second cameo.

Superman Returns was also a much bigger deal than one show that ran for one season like twenty years before. People understand the cameo.

Alice also wasn't even in Crisis + Batwoman had only been on air for half a season.