Opening screening of Gotham, at the New York Public Library Bryant Park
One of the most anticipated new series this fall television season is FOX’s Gotham. Inspired heavily by Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight film series, the show focuses on how comic book icons like commissioner Jim Gordon, Selina Kyle (Catwoman), Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin) and The Dark Knight himself lived in Gotham City before Batman. A month into the show’s run, what truly makes it stand out to us, among the other shows premiering this season, is the many scenes shot here in NYC. It only makes sense for the team behind Gotham to film in the city on which it got its name (unlike The Blacklist, set in DC but filmed entirely in New York) . In honor of Comic-Con this weekend, we present a short listing of NYC film locations featured in Gotham.
1. Crime Alley aka Cortlandt Alley
OK! Stop me if you haven’t heard this before. After a night out at the theater, Thomas and Martha Wayne, along with their young son Bruce are trying to find a cab home. Thomas Wayne decides that the richest family in crime riddled Gotham City should take a shortcut through a dark alley. Halfway through the alley, a mugger pulls out a gun and demands the family’s money and valuables. The couple oblige, however Thomas’s wallet and Martha’s pearl necklace is not enough. Unless you are a complete Bat-novice, you know what happens to Bruce Wayne’s parents.
We are not psychologists, but we have a strong feeling that Bruce is not going to take the whole “dead parents” thing well. That walk into the alley is where Bruce Wayne died. Not literally, as the mugger leaves Bruce alive, but with his innoence and childhood destroyed; Bruce spends the rest of his life redeeming the guilt of his parents lose by becoming The Caped Crusader.
In Batman lore, the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne is a significant part of history in Gotham City. The alleyway where they met their untimely demise is forever known as crime alley. A symbol of hopelessness for the people of Gotham City. Who could truly be safe from the crime of Gotham if the richest and most powerful people in Gotham could be killed in cold blood.
To see where the death of the Wayne’s and the birth of the World’s Greatest Detective, head to 23 Cortlandt Alley in Chinatown, one of the city’s most popular film locations.
2. 72 Pearl Street
Detective Jim Gordon tells young Bruce Wayne that he will find the man who killed his parents. The investigation leads him and his corrupt partner Detective Jim Bullock to the home of Mario Pepper. Pepper, who lives with his wife and daughter (who happens to really be into plants wink, wink) is suspected as being the man who murdered the Waynes. Believing he is being set up to take the fall, Pepper hightails it, leaving Gordon to chase him down on the rooftop of his building into the streets, where he is shot dead by Bullock, before he can cause permanent damage to Gordon.
For those who take the B,D,Q or N trains into Manhattan or Brooklyn everyday, this rooftop will look quite familiar. The rooftop on 72 Pearl Street in DUMBO features some distinct street art and graffiti. We noticed the rooftop before noticing the bridge itself, which has one of the city’s monumental arches.
3) Green-wood Cemetery
The funeral for Thomas and Martha Wayne takes place inside Green-wood Cemetery. The Wayne’s join NYC icons like Horace Greeley, Leonard Bernstein, Charles Ebbet and Jean-Michel Basquait. The cemetery in Kings County, Brooklyn became a national landmark in 2006 and serves as a Revolutionary War historic site. The people in charge of the cemetery hosts events and tours year round, which encourages people to visit the historic cemetery to learn the history of some of the prominent people buried there. There’s even a fun interactive map.
The cemetery has been a favorite for location scouts appearing not only on TV, but in films like Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.
4) 22nd Avenue, Long Island City
Before the show premiered, we are sure you noticed all of the posters on train stations, buses and taxis. FOX is betting a lot on this show. We understand that. Cable dramas on HBO and AMC have dominated the attention of audiences looking for quality television dramas for years. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have made strides in creating compelling television where people can watch entire seasons in a week instead of in weekly installments. Even shows like The Knick and Outlander, have made lesser known cable drama channels like Starz and Showtime get into the conversation.
For FOX it is now, more than ever, that they should be trying to reclaim viewers with high quality television. However, we question what is truly going on in there when they show us an episode titled The Balloonman. Can you imagine, in Gotham’s future, Commissioner Gordon and Batman having a discussion on top of GCPD headquarters and Jim just coming out and asking Batman what made him put on the cape and cowl? Only for Batman to disappoint him tremendously by saying (in his most gravely Christian Bale voice) “The Balloonman Jim, it was because of The Balloonman”.
In case you ever are interested in seeing the hideout of The Balloonman, you can head over to 24 22nd Street in Long Island City, which also serves as the Gotham Juvenile Detention Center.
5. 5 Pointz
The second episode of the season finds Gordon and Bullock at the scene of a murder. When we first watched the episode, we automatically noticed the graffiti (one of the best reasons to watch the show) around the area and instantly recognized that the crew filmed this scene at 5 Pointz. Once the mecca of graffiti culture in NYC, it is now currently being demolished to make room for luxury condos. The location has also been used recently for secret Punk Rock shows.
Before the demolition and the heinous white washing which took place this year, 5 Pointz was an industrial building (and former meter company) in Long Island City that graffiti and street artists from around the world merged to make one of the most interesting and beautiful buildings in NYC. Since the failed attempt at keeping the graffiti landmark alive, curator Meres One and fellow 5 Pointz artists have continued to make work in galleries and Brooklyn neighborhoods.
We will continue to view the upcoming season of Gotham and list down some more NYC locations featured on the show.
All screencaps courtesy of DC Entertainment, Primrose Hill Productions, Warner Bros. Television and FOX.
If you wanna head to Crime Alley and pick a fight with Batman, contact the author @ChrisLInoa