I've seen the show before. I saw episodes as a kid, as it played on reruns on channels. Born in the early 90s so obviously it was well before my time, but I enjoyed it unironically as a kid as kids don't pick up on all the silliness.
Then seen about a season of it in my late teens to early 20s on like netflix or something and enjoyed it for it's silliness.
Now watching it again, and yes, I see the bad acting, the campiness, the goofiness, the comedy, and it's all charming and enjoyable, but one thing in particular I absolutely love is that the Joker is just an over the top criminal with a clown gimmick. That's all he is, and it's great.
After all this post-modern waxing poetic from midwit pseudo intellectuals about the deep complexities of Batman and how "isn't it crazy how Batman and the Joker contrast each other...Bats are dark, but he is a symbol for good, and clowns are happy, but he's an agent of chaos" or "they need each other, they both would feel empty if either were gone"
Yadda yadda yadda.
This show, which was more in line with the older Batman comics, which I've never read, is like, "nope, Batman is a deputized member of the police and the Joker is just an eccentric goofy guy with clown makeup who pulls off zany heists."
It's refreshing after decades of Joker obsession from the pop culture/internet.
To me, Tim Burton Batman is the absolute darkest Batman needs to go. Batman 1989 is fun while having a more serious edge, but doesn't go too far with the "seriousness" like with the Nolan crap where it's deep philosophical musings involving a guy running around wearing bat ears.
Nolan Batman is so eye roll inducing....the pretentiousness.
Give me goofy Adam West camp over this "heckin realistic and serious" Batman any day of the week.
60s Batman, Tim Burton Batman, and Batman Forever (yes I like that movie, shut up). That's Batman to me. Everything else is garbage. I like the Arkham games too and a few other miscellaneous Batman stuff, but you get the idea.
Batman and Robin is also garbage. Just stating the obvious so you don't think I'm a contrarian with my enjoyment of Batman Forever. Joel Schumacher got lucky with Batman Forever and I think it's fun and the right amount of goofy whereas Batman and Robin went right off the cliff into the realm of retardation.
The Dark Knight unironically ruined both the Joker as a character and Batman as a property forever.
Literally no one was talking about the Joker as this deep philosophical symbol of chaos/anarchy prior, other than some real nerds who did that with everyone. He was just one of the main villains and had a gimmick who was a foil to Batman, as the loud, colorful to his brooding, dark. Not pretentious shit, basic bitch level.
For example, during the famous Batman/Spiderman crossover in the 90s when Joker teams up with Carnage, an actual symbol of chaos character, they break up because Joker is more concerned with theater and fucking plans than actually killing people. Including being grossed out at the thought of having to do it himself.
TDK as a movie is a solid movie, and Ledger puts in a great performance. But the hype it reached has basically destroyed everything about the character and it can never go back. People meme'd a reality into existence about him, and now every writer has to address it.