> @phoenixc#0738 said:
> That old Batman show was more balanced and didn't have anywhere near the self-absorbed negativity and pessimism as Rick and Morty, true, but it was a quirky and often snarky and sarcastic look at both the comics and the wider entertainment industry in general and was swarming with in-jokes that most people nowadays probably don't pick up since they lack the context.
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> One example of that lack of context is that in Batman Returns the producers decided to make Penguin that weird deformed nutcase from an old-money family and concentrate on the gross-out humor (like the fish scene) because they thought his original concept, that of a stereotypical rough-tempered and cynical (and often Nouveau riche) opera snob funding his excesses with stolen money would not be recognizable by 1990s viewers though it was readily recognizable by viewers in the 1960s because of all the old movies with that stereotype still being shown back then.
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> Some other ones were ones were subtle references to other things the actor or actress playing a particular character was known for (like Julie Newmar playing the android AF709 (aka Rhoda) in her comedy My Living Doll), or some detail of the plot that spoofed or lampshaded Hollywood or comic clichés of the time, but explaining those in-jokes would take quite a bit of space and are not really important in of themselves.
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> According to Numeris, the Canadian equivalent of the Neilson ratings, PIC came in like a lion on the Space channel but quickly fell into lamb territory as it has a significantly steeper and deeper drop in viewership after the pilot than average.
I believe the changes to Penguin stem more from director Tim Burton’s love of “freaks” more than anything else.
It was probably both really, but the not understanding the stereotype reason was the official line.
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It was probably both really, but the not understanding the stereotype reason was the official line.