How to Watch Gotham Without Cable

Villainy never looked so good, and in Fox’s Gotham, there is no shortage of it. The gritty superhero drama, which ran from 2014-2019, might be one of the most delicious comic book universe shows you missed. Chronicling Detective Jim Gordon before he was Police Commissioner and before there was Batman, Gotham walks the line between a stylish cop mystery and a ridiculously over-the-top comic book series that is irresistible. While the show may have ended its five-season run on the eve of the Dark Knight rising, you can still find ways to watch it and binge through all the wacky shenanigans. Read on for more on how to watch Gotham and what makes it worth it.

• How Many Seasons of Gotham Are There: Gotham ran for five seasons on Fox.
• Best Way to Watch Gotham: Netflix has all five seasons of Gotham.

How to Watch Gotham

While the series may be over, Gotham is worth a watch (especially if you want to watch Heller’s next project, Pennyworth, moving to HBO Max this spring). Here’s how to stream all five seasons of Gotham.

Gotham on Netflix

Netflix is the best place to watch all five seasons of Gotham. The streaming service carries the whole show, and if you don’t have Netflix yet, it’s easy to subscribe, with three monthly plans starting at $8.99, plus a free trial month. 

Their full plan options are:

• Premium – $19.99 per month – 4K HDR – allows four simultaneous viewings
• Standard – $15.49 per month – HD – allows two simultaneous viewings
• Premium – $9.99 – SD – allows one stream at a time

Also, check out our review of Netflix for more information on the service.

Gotham on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is the only other place currently streaming all five seasons of Gotham. Its “Entertainment” package is $74.99 a month, offering most major broadcast networks and a ton of cable TV channels. They offer a free trial to allow you to make sure Fox and its shows are offered in your area.

DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Windows and Mac PCs and laptops, Android and iOS devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Nexus player, Xbox One, 4th Generation Apple TV, Chromecast, and more. For more information, check out our review of DIRECTV STREAM NOW.

Gotham on Amazon and iTunes

Gotham can also be purchased through most services that sell series, including Amazon and iTunes, either by individual episodes for $1.99 SD and $2.99 HD, or $24.99 for each season. Both services offer apps to view purchased digital content through Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, and many mobile devices, video consoles, and gaming systems. 

All About Gotham

Based on DC Comics’ Batman series and developed by Bruno Heller (The Mentalist), Gotham is set in the early days of Detective Jim Gordon’s career, kicking off with his first big case—the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The show starts with both feet mostly in the procedural crime drama, focused on mobsters, corrupt cops, and political conspiracies, but quickly Gotham’s soon-to-be most wanted are introduced, and we get not just the origin stories of Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne, but also those of Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, and more evildoers than you can throw a batwing at. 

James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) begins on the Gotham police force as an idealistic, honest cop in a corrupt city. Over the series, he struggles with darkness, compromises, and the toll the job takes on his morals. In contrast to his clean-cut look and clear-cut view of good and evil is his scruffy, sarcastic partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), sloppy, cynical, ethically compromised, but a good-at-heart cop.

Bruce Wayne is almost a second-tier storyline in Season 1. He’s a grieving, lonely 13-year-old (David Mazouz), but as his interest in his family’s history and the complexities of Gotham’s underworld grow, he starts down the path to his destiny as the city’s protector. Both Bruce’s storyline and Mazouz’s ability to carry the weight of the role develop throughout the series to bloom in seasons 3 and 4. Sean Pertwee plays Bruce’s most loyal protector, Alfred Pennyworth, with less polish than other iterations, embracing a street-bred attitude and leaning into Alfred’s military ops background—he’s a butler with a proper waistcoat and a vicious right hook (if this version of Alfred interests you, check out Pennyworth as well). 

There is also a solid supporting cast of female actors. Befriending Bruce early on is Selina “Cat” Kyle (Camren Bicondova), a young, tough, street-wise thief with catlike instincts and fierce survival instinct. Erin Richards plays Gordon’s initial love interest Barbara Kean; Jessica Lucas is the whip-cracking Tabith Galavan; and Morena Baccarin as Dr. Lee Tompkins, who quickly becomes a central character in the series. 

Gotham is littered with a cadre of iconic characters that that cross the heroes’ paths, from friends to foes—frequently both simultaneously. The ensemble of ne’er-do-wells is led by Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot, who starts at the bottom of the mob food chain, but rapidly begins his rise as Penguin, triumphantly taking over Gotham (and audiences) with a combination of vulnerability, charm, spite, and manipulation, plus an irrepressible grin and incredibly tailored suits. Honestly, Penguin’s arc through the series is almost more interesting than either Gordon’s or Bruce’s, and Taylor regularly steals the show. Matching him blow for blow and suit for suit is Edward Nygma, played delightedly by Cory Michael Smith, who transforms from awkward and neglected office nerd to the dynamic and dangerous Riddler, continually battling his own duel personalities. 

And just when you think your favorite villain has been taken down for good, don’t forget, it’s a comic book world, and no one stays dead for long.

A few more quick nods are owed to Jada Pinkett Smith, who oozes and sashays across the screen as the sinister and deadly Fish Moody; B.D. Wong as the gleefully evil scientist Dr. Strange, heading up experiments at Arkham Asylum; and Cameron Monaghan (Shameless), who gives several good turns as Jerome Valeska, with a maniacal grin, wicked laugh, and penchant for chaos that takes clear influence from the Joker, if not the name. All of them are more than adept at just the right amount of scenery-chewing.

And there is plenty of scenery to be chewed, as the production design of the series is a major part of its appeal. Filmed on location throughout New York City and digitally enhanced to build the fictional city, the show is gritty, stylish, and incredibly well designed. Producers were clever in an approach that hints at the past without trying to be a period piece, designed with a heightened timelessness. It feels at once contemporary and like an old film noir, with dark corners, classic styling, and vintage-inspired costumes. Modern-day tech like smartphones, computer gadgets, and spy gear is removed to keep it from being distinctly here and now. The dedication to design has paid off, and Gotham is consistently nominated for Creative Arts Emmy Awards including Production Design, Costumes, Special Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Sound.   

Gotham Season 1 Trailer