Although the series centers on Batman’s battles with various villains, it delves into their complex backgrounds, revealing the personal struggles that make them more "relatable."

Additionally, the series tackles social issues like divorce, patent law, insurance fraud, homelessness, class prejudice, age discrimination, typecasting, prison abuse, and animal testing.

[9] Sixteen minutes of animated segments in the video game The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD are sometimes referred to as a "lost episode" of the series.

These segments are intended to be interspersed between gameplay elements of an early-1990s video game so, the sound, color, and story are not quite the same quality as the actual television program.

[13] At the request of Jean MacCurdy, Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, who had never worked together before, produced a silent short film called The Dark Knight's First Night in about six weeks to pitch the series to Fox.

[12][13] Since the series had no writers at this stage, MacCurdy recruited Alan Burnett, who was considering leaving animation due to his frustration with the restrictions imposed by the Broadcast Standards and Practices department.

Without a precise temporal setting, the city features a blend of 1940s cars, police "blimps," and futuristic helicopters, alongside Batman's advanced vehicles, while television broadcasts are shown in black and white.

[18] The series employs "vintage" colors, partly inspired by the 1940s Superman cartoons, as well as film noir classics like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1921), Citizen Kane (1941), and Metropolis (1927).

[13] Background designer Ted Blackman cited Eyvind Earle and Bruce McCall as influences, particularly for their ability to depict "cartoonish settings.

[12] The credits omit the series title, as Bruce Timm and Tom Ruegger believed Batman's iconic nature made it unnecessary.

Similarly, each episode features a unique intertitle, typically designed by Eric Radomski, which conveys themes or significant events without the use of words, staying true to the series' visual storytelling approach.

Most notable was Mark Hamill, previously famous for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, whose prominence as a voice actor was heightened through his "cheerfully deranged" portrayal of the Joker.

Hamill, who found himself to be the biggest fan of the Batman comics among the cast, credited the laughs he had honed on stage in Amadeus with landing him the role.

Other actors included Ron Perlman as Clayface, Roddy McDowall as the Mad Hatter, David Warner as Ra's al Ghul, Michael York as Count Vertigo, Kate Mulgrew as Red Claw, George Murdock as Boss Biggis, Ed Asner as Roland Daggett and George Dzundza as the Ventriloquist.

The character is partly based on the one played by Arleen Sorkin, a friend of Paul Dini, during a dream sequence in an episode of Days of Our Lives.

She crafted character-specific themes based on traits, voice acting, and design, mirroring the techniques of composers like John Williams and Howard Shore.

[38] Produced by Warner Bros, Batman: The Animated Series features episodes that are typically 22 minutes long, fitting into half-hour time slots.

It began with a special broadcast of the first episode, "On Leather Wings," on September 6, 1992, to promote its upcoming debut on Fox Kids, and to elevate its appeal to a wider audience beyond children.

To attract younger audiences, the studio required Robin to appear in every episode, resulting in changes to the show's look, storylines, and title.

This shift affected potential storylines, including a scrapped episode featuring Catwoman and Black Canary due to Robin's absence.

[54] After DC Universe transitioned to a comics-exclusive platform, the series moved to HBO Max on January 1, 2021, as part of WarnerMedia's library.

[56] Critics unanimously praised the series for its mature tone, storyline, voice acting, visual aesthetic, and fidelity to the source material; Kevin Conroy's performance as Batman was singled out for acclaim.

[56][5][57] Scott Mendelson's Forbes article celebrates the series as the best superhero TV show, highlighting its grounded, life-sized drama and realistic portrayal of villains with relatable motivations.

The review applauds the series for revitalizing classic villains and introducing memorable characters like Harley Quinn, cementing its influence on subsequent Batman adaptations, and foreseeing the franchise's enduring popularity across different media platforms.

Most notable was Harley Quinn, who was initially introduced in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor", with the character being inspired and voiced by Arleen Sorkin.

[80] Another continuation of the series was in development as an audio podcast drama, with most of the original cast returning along with writer Alan Burnett, but the project was put on hold following Kevin Conroy's passing.

[90] DC announced in February 2020 that Paul Dini, Alan Burnett and artist Ty Templeton would be leading a new miniseries titled Batman: The Adventures Continue, set to be published in April 2020.

The novels included: Several video games based on the animated continuity were released during the 16-bit game-machine era, using The Adventures of Batman & Robin second season branding.

[93] The CD version has over 20 minutes of original animated footage comparable to the most well-crafted episodes,[94] with the principal voice actors reprising their roles.

To commemorate Batman's 75th anniversary, DC Collectibles released a line of articulated figurines in October 2014, featuring the characters from the series.