Birds of Prey (TV series) explained

Developer:Laeta Kalogridis
Composer:Mark Snow
Opentheme:"Revolution" by Aimee Allen
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:13
Location:Los Angeles
Runtime:39–47 minutes
Network:The WB

Birds of Prey is an American superhero television series that was developed by Laeta Kalogridis for The WB and is loosely based on the DC Comics series of the same name. The series takes place in a Gotham City abandoned by Batman. Despite the series debut garnering ratings of 7.6 million viewers (at the time, the network's largest premiere in the 18–34 demographic), the series was canceled after ratings fell sharply in subsequent weeks.[1] Thirteen episodes were produced and aired in total.[2]

The initial trailers for the series and its opening credits used footage of Michael Keaton (as Bruce Wayne / Batman) and Michelle Pfeiffer (as Selina Kyle / Catwoman) from Batman Returns, indicating that the series was to share a continuity with the Tim Burton Batman films.[3] [4]

Synopsis

The series is set in New Gotham City, several years after it has been apparently abandoned by Batman. In his absence, Oracle (Barbara Gordon) and the Huntress (Helena Kyle) have taken over his war on crime. The two are joined by Dinah Redmond, a telepath (after she assists them in defeating Larry Ketterly); Alfred Pennyworth, who serves Helena as she is heiress to the Wayne estate; and Detective Jesse Reese, a police officer confronted with crimes and abilities he cannot explain.

A central feature of the series is the concept of metahumans: individuals born with powers that cannot be explained. No two metahumans have the same abilities (unless hereditary), and there exists a whole subculture of metahuman society that the outside world knows nothing about.

Detective Reese reluctantly teams up with Huntress and the other Birds of Prey to defeat metahuman criminals. At first, he disapproves of Helena's vigilantism, even trying to arrest her, but eventually he realizes there is a need for the Birds of Prey to take down criminals the police cannot handle.

During the course of the show, the Birds of Prey often confront schemes masterminded by Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn), though they are unaware of her involvement until the final episode of the series. Quinzel's attempts to discover what Helena is hiding, and the duplicitous nature of their therapy sessions together, form a large part of the series arc, beginning in the pilot episode and being resolved in the series finale.[5]

Characters

Main

Recurring

Home media

Birds of Prey was released on Region 1 DVD on July 15, 2008. The four-disc collection includes the thirteen episodes that were broadcast plus the unaired pilot,[6] which features Sherilyn Fenn as Harley Quinn, and all three seasons of the Flash-animated series Gotham Girls. The episodes are presented in letterboxed widescreen format.[6] Some music differs from the original televised version including the theme song ("My Remedy"), which in the original airing was "Revolution" by Aimee Allen, as well as additional songs such as "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5 in the second episode,[7] and the fight music "All the Things She Said" by t.A.T.u. in the final episode which was replaced with "Beautiful Freak" by Dirty Children.

Arrowverse

Ashley Scott reprises her role as Helena Kyle for the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths",[8] which retroactively establishes the world of Birds of Prey as Earth-203 before the Anti-Monitor (played by LaMonica Garrett) destroys it. Dina Meyer additionally reprises her role as Barbara Gordon, though only in an uncredited vocal capacity.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Birds of Prey' wings clipped by WB . Mon . November 18, 2002 . . May 24, 2022.
  2. Web site: Paige. Albiniak . Here's How to Take Care of the Backend . . NextTV . November 24, 2002 . May 24, 2022 . Last week, The WB also was deciding the fate of its Wednesday-night drama, Birds of Prey. It's still in production, and The WB plans to air it through mid December, using all 13 episodes of the original order..
  3. Birds of Prey TV (2002) Long promo. YouTube.
  4. Birds of Prey TV (2002) Long promo original. YouTube.
  5. Web site: Beasley . Tom . February 8, 2020 . 'Birds of Prey': The twisted history of Harley Quinn, from animation to comics to the big screen . 2022-12-05 . uk.movies.yahoo.com . en-GB.
  6. Web site: Birds of Prey – Studio Updates Us About the DVD Set's Aspect Ratio & Unaired Pilot . https://archive.today/20130205084450/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Birds-Prey-Update/9454 . dead . February 5, 2013 . . April 23, 2008 . May 5, 2010.
  7. Web site: Birds of Prey: The Music. Gotham Clock Tower. September 8, 2018.
  8. Web site: Birds of Prey's Ashley Scott Will Bring Huntress to the Arrowverse 'Crisis'. TV Line. Ausiello. Michael. September 26, 2019. September 26, 2019.
  9. Web site: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Birds of Prey TV Show's Role Revealed. ComicBook. Jenna. Anderson. December 10, 2019. May 24, 2022.