Batman: The Animated Series: The 20 Best Episodes Ever, Ranked!

It’s been a bit of a rough year for Batman. After a stellar 2022 — which featured The Batman, multiple TV projects and a new podcast — 2023 saw the cancellation of both Gotham Knights and Titans. Meanwhile, the return of Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight to the big screen, already abbreviated by the “disappearing” of the Batgirl movie, was further hampered by the critical letdown and commercial failure that was The Flash. 

More from TVLine

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine's 10 Best Cold Opens, Ranked - Which Comes In at No. 1?

• Harley Quinn Recap: Season 4 Finale Tees Up a New Team-Up, Ends With a Chilling Reveal

• Arleen Sorkin, Days of Our Lives Vet and Original Harley Quinn, Dead at 67

Of course, beyond the pop culture setbacks of the last year, the real loss for the Batman community came with the passing of both Kevin Conroy and Arleen Sorkin, who voiced Batman/Bruce Wayne and Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel in Batman: The Animated Series (B:TAS), respectively. With their legendary voicework, they brought the Caped Crusader and the Clown Princess of Crime to life, solidifying their status among an entire generation as the definitive voices of those characters. 

So for this Batman Day, TVLine invites you on a journey down memory lane with a now-extended Top 20 countdown of the best B:TAS episodes. Even with the five-episode extension, it was still tough to settle on just 20, so be sure to comment below with your favorite episodes and your memories of the late and great Conroy and Quinzel. 

20. “House and Garden”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

When several Gotham City bachelors are poisoned, Batman (Kevin Conroy) suspects Poison Ivy (Diane Pershing), despite her seemingly having settled down into a peaceful nuclear family lifestyle with a new husband.

Of course, the Caped Crusader turns out to be correct, as Ivy’s family turns out to be a horrific plant-based ruse. But not all of it was fake, as Ivy’s tears at the end of the episode over her lost family tease that maybe, just maybe, there is a rose hidden underneath all those thorns.

It’s a humanizing and authentic moment, one that plants the seed for a more sympathetic Ivy decades later in the Harley Quinn animated series.

19. “P.O.V.”

Directed by Kevin Altieri | Story by Mitch Brian | Teleplay by Sean Catherine Derek and Laren Bright | Watch on Max

The Gotham City Police Department takes center stage in this thriller, in which three GCPD officers —Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya and Officer Wilkes — retell the events of a sting gone wrong.

While viewers see the events for how they actually occurred, the narration of each cop matches their own personal views of the Batman: Bullock casts the Caped Crusader as an incompetent fool, while Wilkes gives the Dark Knight an almost mythical quality. Montoya is the only one who sees Batman for what he truly is: a hero just trying to make each night a little safer. So it is only fitting that the episode ends with a team-up between the good-hearted police officer and the Caped Crusader, resulting in a victory that is shared by both the GCPD and its masked vigilante.

18. “Legends of the Dark Knight” (The New Batman Adventures)

Directed by Dan Riba | Story by Robert Goodman and Bruce Timm | Written by Robert Goodman

Told through the eyes of some local Gotham City children, this love letter to the legacy of the Dark Knight features the various youngsters recounting their perceptions of the hero, with each arguing their version is the “real” Caped Crusader. Featuring the artistic styles of Dick Sprang’s Golden Age Batman comics and a retelling of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, along with references to Adam West’s 1966 series and Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, the episode shows just how far Batman has come and how he, despite the various tones of his adventures throughout the years, still stands atop the pedestal as one of the greatest superheroes ever. And that is something we can all agree on.

17. “Old Wounds” (The New Batman Adventures)

Directed by Curt Geda | Written by Rich Fogel

Ever since Nightwing (Loren Lester) made his debut early in New Adventures, a clear tension existed between the Caped Crusader and his former sidekick. “Old Wounds” finally reveals just what led to their falling out.

After Bruce misses Dick’s college graduation, ruins his date with Barbara Gordon (Tara Charendoff) and takes an interrogation too far, the former Robin begins to question his relationship with Batman. However, the breaking point comes when Batman reveals to Dick that he knew Barbara was Batgirl all along — and never told him — and enlists her in his never-ending crusade. Believing Batman to be manipulating both himself and Barbara, he abandons the Robin mantle to make it on his own, becoming a cold, violent, isolated hero. Sound familiar?

It is only when the new Robin/Tim Drake (Mathew Valencia) points out these similarities and reveals that Bruce actually gave the interrogee a second chance that Nightwing decides to rejoin the Bat-Family. Not as a sidekick, but as an equal.

16. “The Man Who Killed Batman”

Directed by Bruce Timm | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

Gotham City is in mourning after the Caped Crusader is seemingly killed by the third-rate, bumbling wannabe crime lord Sid the Squid. Told almost exclusively from Sid’s perspective, “The Man Who Killed Batman” is one of the few episodes where the Dark Knight hangs to the side, giving viewers a glimpse of Gotham City without the Bat. And while characters like Officer Montoya and Detective Bullock are saddened by the loss, no one takes Batman’s demise harder than the Joker.

Mark Hamill delivers some of his best voice work as the Clown Prince of Crime with Joker’s eulogy for his arch-nemesis, which is both equally tragic — “Without Batman, crime has no punchline” — and humorous — Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin) closes out the ceremony with a beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” on a kazoo.

Of course, the death of Batman was a ruse all along, planned by the Caped Crusader himself to expose Rupert Thorne as the leader of the drug trade. And while the innocuous Sid ends up behind bars, he is locked up with the “big shot” reputation he always desired, giving everyone — Batman, Sid and even the Joker — a happy ending.

15. “Joker’s Favor”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

With Joker so often focused on destroying Batman and the general populace of Gotham City, it can be hard to remember just how terrifying he can be to the individual, average citizen. But after accidentally running into the Clown Prince of Crime, the tragically average Charlie Collins (voiced by Ed Begley, Jr.) finds himself enveloped in one of the villain’s schemes. But while Joker thinks he has Charlie under his thumb, it is actually Charlie who has Joker all figured out.

“This is how it ends, Joker! No big schemes! No grand fight to the finish with the Dark Knight!” Charlie exclaims, finally standing up to the Joker and threatening to kill him and himself to protect his family. “See, I can destroy a man’s dreams too, and that’s really the only dream you’ve got, isn’t it?”

If that wasn’t enough, this episode also marks the first appearance of Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin) in any medium, and is one of the few times Batman actually laughs in the entire series — which, if you ask me, is scarier than any favor Joker could ever ask for.

14. “Double Talk” (The New Batman Adventures)

Directed by Curt Geda | Written by Robert Goodman | Watch on Max

Batman is often criticized for not doing more for Gotham City as Bruce Wayne. (Why waste time fighting a never-ending battle on crime when you can donate money to fight the systemic injustices that lead to it in the first place?) This episode addresses that, revealing that Bruce Wayne runs a halfway house that also offers work at Wayne Enterprises to those looking for a fresh start, including Arnold Wesker/Ventriloquist (George Dzundza), who is looking to move past his more evil personality, Scarface.

Dzundza voices Wesker with just enough uneasiness that one can never feel safe in his presence, unsure of when Scarface will take over the body. So it is all the more satisfying when Wesker finally does stand up to Scarface, giving the puppet one of Batman: The Animated Series‘ most gruesome deaths. (Since he is technically a puppet, the Batman: The Animated Series animators did not have to follow the strict guidelines for children’s TV when it came to Scarface’s demise.) More importantly, it gives Batman one of his only rehabilitation wins, giving hope to Gotham’s rogues gallery that maybe, just maybe, they can change for the better.

13. “Beware the Gray Ghost”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Story by Dennis O’Flaherty and Tom Ruegger | Teleplay by  Garin Wolf and Tom Ruegger | Watch on Max

While the murder of Batman’s parents pushed him to lead a one-man war against Gotham City’s criminals, it was The Gray Ghost — a pulpy TV series starring a masked detective that Bruce watched as a child — that gave the young boy the inspiration that he could make a difference in his rotten city. So when a serial bomber starts mimicking the events of an old Gray Ghost episode, Batman must team up with the series’ washed-up star — voiced impeccably by Adam West, star of the 1960s live-action, comedic Batman series — to save Gotham from a never-ending bombardment of explosives.

A commentary on nostalgia and an ode to heroes like the Shadow and West’s Batman, the meta-episode serves as a tribute to the classic heroes of yesterday and reminds us that, whether we are dressing up as a bat to avenge the death of our parents or enjoying a bowl of popcorn as we re-watch Batman: The Animated Series for the umpteenth time, we are all children at heart.

12. “Baby-Doll”

Directed by Dan Riba | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

Batman: The Animated Series is perhaps best known for introducing Harley Quinn, one of the most successful characters in DC history who has gone on to star in her own movies, TV shows and comics. But it also gave us the forgotten but compelling Mary Louise Dahl/Baby-Doll, a washed-up actress who suffers from a condition that leaves her forever looking like a child.

Looking to recreate the success of her early days as a child actor and seeking revenge against those who upstaged her, she kidnaps the cast members from her old TV show. But as her evil plot continues to unfold, it becomes clear that this is a cry for help from a woman stuck in a body she does fully recognize rather than a quest for vengeance.

But the true strength of this episode comes from voice actress Alison La Placa as the titular villain, who captures both the despair of a child who was never given the chance to grow up and the tragedy of a woman robbed of the life she was promised.

11. “The Demon’s Quest”

PART 1: Directed by Kevin Altieri  | Written by Dennis O’Neil | Watch on Max

PART 2:  Directed by Kevin Altieri | Story by Dennis O’Neil and Len Wein | Teleplay by Len Wein | Watch on Max

After building up his debut appearance with a cameo in “Off Balance,” the eternal eco-terrorist Ra’s al Ghul (voiced by David Warner) headlines this two-part episode that takes Batman on a rare field trip out of Gotham for an Arabian Nights adventure. While Joker may be Batman’s philosophical nemesis, Ra’s is “The Detective’s” physical and intellectual equal. He discovers the Dark Knight’s secret identity and the location of the Batcave, and holds his own against the hero in their duel to the death. So the two make an impeccable team when they join forces to save Dick Grayson and Ra’s’ daughter (and Batman’s new love interest) Talia from unknown assailants.

It all turns out to be a ruse, though, a test for Ra’s to see if Batman is up to the task of taking over his Society of Shadows. Given the chance to have it all — a father figure in Ra’s, a loving partner in Talia, an army of soldiers to protect Gotham in the Society — Batman declines, understanding that no one man should have all that power. Disappointed and angry, Ra’s attacks and falls against Batman, allowing him to become one with the planet he claims to love so much… at least for now.

10. “Second Chance”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Story by Paul Dini and Michael Reaves | Teleplay by Gerry Conway | Watch on Max

As the former best friend of Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent/Two-Face (voiced by Richard Moll) is one of the few villains who has a personal connection with Batman, so there is an additional emotional weight when the opportunity arises for the villain to undergo surgery to remove his evil persona. Batman sees this as a chance to reclaim his lost friend and rehabilitate one of his classic villains.

Unfortunately, things go wrong, and Harvey is kidnapped. After run-ins with a few red herrings, including Penguin and the mobster Rupert Thorne, it is revealed that Two-Face was taken by his worst enemy: himself. Bruce and Harvey confront each other at one of their old watering holes, with Batman once again saving his old friend from himself. But Bruce refuses to give up on Harvey and, as Two-Face is returned to Arkham Asylum, he pays him a visit, bringing out Harvey and giving them one final, touching moment.

“Bruce… Good old Bruce,” Harvey says. “Always there. You never give up on me.” Bruce can only offer a pat on the shoulder in return, but it is a tender one, a sign that some friendships do indeed last forever.

9. “I Am the Night”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Written by Michael Reaves | Watch on Max

The episode gives us a Batman we rarely get to see: one who is emotionally vulnerable and full of self-doubt. While trying to help a young street criminal get on the right path, the Caped Crusader is late to a police sting where Commissioner Gordon (Bob Hastings) is critically injured. This all happens on the anniversary of Bruce’s parents’ death, leading Batman down a dark spiral where he begins to question the merits of his crusade against crime. He conflates his inability to save his parents with his failure to save Gordon and wonders whether it is time to hang up the cowl.

It is only when Robin nearly puts himself in grave danger that Bruce snaps out of it, unwilling to let another friend — nay, family member — get hurt because of him. A heart-wrenching episode, it ends on an uplifting note, as Gordon recovers and Batman is able to get the young criminal to go straight, showing that, while he can never bring his parents back, he can continue to make a difference, one Gotham City citizen at a time.

8. “Harley’s Holiday”

Directed by Kevin Altieri | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

Harley Quinn takes center stage in this fun romp that sees the Clown Princess of Crime released from Arkham Asylum after undergoing rehabilitation, even earning a reserved yet warm best wishes from Batman and Robin. However, one misunderstanding leads to another and, before she knows it, she has Batman, the mob, the police and the United States military on her tail.

A balance of tragedy and comedy, like all Harley-centric episodes, this adventure proves yet again how fun Harley can be as a character when she is separated from the Joker. Moreover, despite their antagonistic past, it showcases just how well Harley knows Batman and, dare I say, Batman cares about Harley. Quinzel nearly recognizes Bruce Wayne as Batman (it’s that chiseled chin!) and even gives him a thank-you kiss at the end of the episode for saving her life. Meanwhile, Bruce displays a real caring desire to see Harley succeed and overcome her “one bad day” just as much as we do.

7. “Perchance to Dream”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Story by Laren Bright and Michael Reaves | Teleplay by Joe R. Lansdale | Watch on Max

Before Marvel’s What If…?, there was “Perchance to Dream,” which sees Bruce Wayne living in a perfect world where his parents are never murdered, he is engaged to Selina Kyle, and he never becomes Batman.  However, Bruce still has memories of his adventures as the Caped Crusader and the death of his parents, sending him on a spiral of confusion and paranoia.

It is only Dr. Thompkins (Diana Muldaur) who is able to settle Bruce, allowing him to accept this new yet off-putting reality, ending the “nightmare” he thought he was living as the Dark Knight. However, the respite is short-lived, as Bruce eventually figures out that this is all a ruse set up by the Mad Hatter (Roddy McDowall), who was willing to trap Batman in a perfect life just to get the hero out of his.

In the climax of the episode, Bruce confronts his true self to reclaim his old life, one where, in the words of Dr. Thompkins, “every deed has great value.” But is this value enough to give up his parents? Which life is the dream and which is the nightmare? That is a question that even the World’s Greatest Detective cannot seem to solve.

6. “Harley and Ivy”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

One of the most obvious flavor combinations is chocolate and peanut butter. It’s like the former’s sweet, smooth taste was created just to be mixed with the salty, crunchy jolt of the latter. And yet, humanity has gone most of its existence without this exquisite combination, with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups only being invented in 1928.

The same can be said for Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. While not initially an obvious couple, the second writer Paul Dini and director Boyd Kirkland send them on a crime spree in “Harley & Ivy,” pitting them against both Batman and the Joker, they are the only thing that makes sense. Their chemistry is electric and Harley’s bubbly personality is the perfect contrast to Poison Ivy’s leveled demeanor.

When they first meet, Ivy says that “this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” But after 30 years of comics and TV (HBO Max’s Harley Quinn very much included!), their relationship has blossomed into something deeper and more beautiful than we could have ever hoped for.

5. “Almost Got ‘Im”

Directed by Eric Radomski | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

We’ve seen Batman’s rogues gallery team up in the past, but “Almost Got ‘Im” puts the villains in a more casual setting, as Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Poison Ivy and Killer Croc enjoy a game of cards while trading war stories of how they all nearly killed Batman.

Producer and writer Paul Dini nails the dialogue here, allowing everyone’s personality to burst through in a tight-but-crowded 22 minutes that also finds time to include Catwoman and Harley Quinn. Each story takes its respective villain’s gimmick to the highest level — from Two-Face’s literal attempt to try and squash the Dark Knight with a giant coin to Penguin’s army of killer hummingbirds — only for Batman to outdo them all. And despite all the shenanigans, Dini still finds a way to end the episode on a softer, more personal note for the Caped Crusader, allowing him to share a romantic yet fleeting moment with Catwoman.

So yes, while his villains have come very close, not one quite gets the Dark Knight like Dini and the rest of the Batman: The Animated Series gang.

4. “Robin’s Reckoning”

PART 1 & 2: Directed by Dick Sebast | Written by Randy Rogel | Watch on Max

Dick Grayson gets the spotlight in this two-part episode, which sees Batman’s original sidekick seeking revenge on the man who killed his parents, Tony Zucco (Tom Wilson). Flashbacks of Robin’s past break up the hunt, showcasing the tragic death of his parents, his adoption by Bruce Wayne and the discovery that his new foster father is Batman himself.

But it is the father-son relationship between Batman and Robin in the present-day timeline that grounds the episode in its real emotional weight. Initially kept on the sidelines by Batman, Robin is furious that the Dark Knight won’t let him seek the revenge he deserves, believing he is trying to teach him some lesson about restraint and justice. It is only when Zucco is finally apprehended that Batman confesses that there was no lesson here. Just a father looking out for his son.

“It wasn’t that, Robin. It wasn’t that at all. Zucco’s taken so much, caused you so much pain, I couldn’t stand the thought that he might – take you, too.” It is here that Robin realizes that, while he will always love and miss his parents, he has a new family to take care of. One that, while not born into it, loves him nonetheless.

3. “Nothing to Fear”

Directed by Boyd Kirkland | Written by Henry T. Gilroy and Sean Catherine Derek | Watch on Max

One of Batman’s greatest weapons is the fear he imposes on the criminal world. They never know which dark corner he is hiding in, so they are better off leaving that bank untouched or that civilian unharmed, lest they suffer his wrath. But when Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane (Henry Polic II) weaponizes that fear against the Bat in the form of a fear toxin, we get a glimpse into the psyche of the Caped Crusader, revealing that, rather than anarchist clowns or killer crocodiles, Batman’s greatest fear is failing to live up to the name of the Wayne family and tarnishing his father’s legacy.

The fear is nearly too much to bear for Bruce, who is, at heart, a child forever mourning the death of his parents. But thanks to Alfred (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), Batman is able to overcome his fear and defeat Scarecrow. “I know your father would be proud of you because I’m so proud of you,” the loyal butler tells his surrogate child as we all sob into our couches. It would have won the episode, too, if not for Conroy’s powerful delivery of the now-iconic “I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!”

2. “Mad Love” (The New Batman Adventures)

Directed by Butch Lukic | Story by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm | Teleplay by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

While Harley Quinn may be the Joker’s girlfriend, everyone knows that the Clown Prince of Crime’s true love is Batman. So when the villain discovers that Harley plans on ending the Dark Knight for good — all so she and her Puddin can live a life together free of Batman’s pesky interference — he reacts as if she is cheating on him with the hero, nearly killing Harley by pushing her out a window in one of the most cruel sequences in the series’ history.

Batman eventually steps in, leading to a final, intense clash between the archenemies that leaves the Joker missing and presumed dead. The final episode of Batman: The Animated Series The New Batman Adventures to air, this masterful chapter brings the Harley Quinn/Joker relationship full circle, also showcasing how Joker manipulated the unassuming psychologist into his henchwoman by promising his companionship and love, despite the fact that he was already spoken for — breaking her heart and ours.

1. “Heart of Ice”

Directed by Bruce Timm | Written by Paul Dini | Watch on Max

Widely considered to be the best episode of Batman: The Animated Series, “Heart of Ice” tops our list as well. It reinvents Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara) from the laughing stock he was in the comics to a tragically compelling villain, so much so that even Batman can’t help but feel sorry for the man.

The opening scene sets the stage, with a Freeze monologue that is cold but so full of heart that it is almost poetic. From there, Freeze’s tragic tale of a man trying to save his wife unfolds slowly, as the real villain, GothCorp CEO Ferris Boyle (Mark Hamill) and his ruthless and hypocritical capitalistic instinct, is revealed. But despite the sympathy he garners, Freeze’s methods go too far, and he ends up in Arkham Asylum while Boyle is exposed for the criminal and fraud that he is.

Still, by the episode’s end, having watched Freeze’s full story, viewers are left lingering with his pain and the desire to offer a “warm hand to hold” to a man lost in the cold, isolated depths of grief.

Best of TVLine

• Shows That Aired After the Super Bowl: 10 Touchdowns, 5 Fumbles, 1 Field Goal

• TV's Best Series Finales of All Time, Ranked: Cheers, Six Feet Under, Friends, ER, 12 Monkeys, S.H.I.E.L.D. and More

• TV's Worst Series Finales of All Time, Ranked: Seinfeld, Dexter, Shameless, The 100, Gossip Girl, HIMYM and More

Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter

Click here to read the full article.