How to Watch Batman: The Animated Series

Since the dawn of the internet, DC Comics fans have endlessly sought the answer to the age-old question: Who is the best Batman actor? There's certainly no shortage of candidates, beginning all the way back in the 1960s with the original series starring Adam West (Family Guy). Most would probably look towards the movies for the usual suspects for people who have played the Caped Crusader, such as Michael Keaton (Batman), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Robert Pattinson (The Batman), and even Will Arnett (The LEGO Batman Movie). However, when it comes to video games, tv movies (and one theatrical film), and animated shows, there's one person who stands high above the rest.

The worlds of both the DC adaptations and voice acting general lost a true star this past week with the passing of Kevin Conroy, who has voiced the iconic Dark Knight for over thirty years. No voice-over artist to date has portrayed Bruce Wayne nearly as much as Conroy to date, has brought the character to life through projects like the Batman: Arkham trilogy, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), and more, but arguably his most beloved time in the role is the series that started it all.

That of course is Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995), the Primetime Emmy Award-winning series that not only brought fans one of the best Batman shows of all time, it also started a connected universe long before the DC Extended Universe was even a thought. For those who want to revisit the start of Conroy's illustrious career as the Batman, or experience it for the very first time, here's exactly how to watch Batman: The Animated Series (and perhaps even the shows that lie Beyond the show).

Batman - animated - Kevin Conroy — Image via Warner Bros

Where is Batman: The Animated Series Streaming?

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that HBO Max, which is owned by DC Entertainment's parent company Warner Brothers, is the streaming home of many Batman stories, including Batman: The Animated Series. All three seasons of the hit show are available to stream in their entirety on the service.

Currently, HBO Max has two subscription plans available, in addition to being included in select cable packages that include HBO. The first package contains all the content available on HBO Max with limited ads at $9.99 USD per month, with a discounted yearly plan costing $99.99 USD per year. The second tier is completely ad-free, allows downloading for movies and shows, and offers 4K UHD streaming at $14.99 USD per month or a discounted rate of $149.99 USD per year.

Watch the Iconic Title Sequence for Batman: The Animated Series

There hasn't been a high-quality trailer released in quite some time for Batman: The Animated Series released in a while, but the title sequence gives a pretty good sense of how the show looks and feels. Taking clear inspiration from the 1989 film by Tim Burton (Wednesday), even going as far as to use Danny Elfman's (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) beloved theme song, it introduces the beautifully hand-drawn gothic world of Gotham City, in a version of the comic book location that is dark and brooding, but still family-friendly. We see Batman doing exactly what we'd expect him to be doing, tracking down and dispatching a group of bank robbers before watching over the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City.

Which Villains Does The Dark Knight Face in Batman: The Animated Series?

the joker in batman the animated series — Image via Warner Bros

While there is certainly continuity between episodes, Batman: The Animated Series takes a more episodic approach to Batman's adventures in Gotham, adopting a more "villain of the week" approach with episodes featuring mostly self-contained plot lines. Kevin Conroy is able to expertly bring to life the duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman, being a suave and cocky philanthropist by day, and a fierce and serious protector by night. As many know, the Batman IP is armed with arguably the greatest rogues' gallery of all time, and we get to see a lot of the usual suspects in the series, such as Penguin (Paul Williams), Two-Face (Richard Moll), Riddler (John Glover), Bane (Henry Silva), Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara), and more. Batman: The Animated Series also shows some love to some of the more obscure members of Batman's supervillain coterie, such as the monstrous scientist Man-Bat (Marc Singer) and the actor-turned-shape-shifting monster Clayface (Ron Perlman).

Though, there are two characters who stand high above the rest, those two, of course, being Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as The Joker and Arleen Sorkin (Days of Our Lives) as Harley Quinn. Hamill has been voicing the Clown Prince of Crime for as long as Conroy has voiced the Dark Knight, bringing deliciously infectious charm, humor, and scares to rival even that of Jack Nicholson (Batman) and Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight). Joker's literal partner in crime Harley, who as many may know is a character created for the show and wasn't originally from the comics, doesn't need much explanation as her recent popularity speaks for itself.

Are the Follow-Ups to Batman: The Animated Series Also Available on HBO Max?

Animated Batman Beyond flies using glider wings

As we mentioned, Batman: The Animated Series kick-started a connected universe, eventually leading up to several other heroes getting their own shows where Kevin Conroy appears as Bruce Wayne in nearly every single one. Most of the shows and films are available to stream on HBO Max, but take a look at the below comprehensive guide to the DC Animated Universe and how to watch them both by release date and chronologically.

Release Date:

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000) - Available to stream on HBO Max
The New Batman Adventures (1997-1999) - Not currently available to stream or rent
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Batman Beyond (1999-2001) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Static Shock (2000-2004) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) - Available to stream on HBO Max
The Zeta Project (2001-2003) - Available to rent on Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu
Justice League (2001-2004) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) - Available to stream on HBO Max
Justice League vs the Fatal Five (2019)