Jada Pinkett Smith is returning to TV to co-star in the FOX TV 1-hour drama series Gotham, which, after watching most of the trailers for new 2014/2015 series, is one of the few that I’m actually interested enough in to check out when it debuts.
I’m digging the seemingly dark, gritty world that the show’s creators have created, and, quite frankly, of the 4 major broadcast TV networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX), FOX’s primetime lineup in recent years (with series like Almost Human – which was sadly canceled – Sleepy Hollow and, one of my faves, The Following, as well as Cosmos) has had my attention above all the others. The network takes more chances with original content, in my not-so humble opinion – as much as a broadcast TV network can – and I’m always a fan of the dark and gritty. Let’s see if Gotham delivers when it premieres next TV season.
The new series is based on characters published by DC Comics, which explores the origin stories of Commissioner James Gordon and the villains that made Gotham famous.
Pinkett Smith plays a character named Fish Mooney, a key villain in the series, described as a sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner, with street smarts and almost extra-sensory abilities to read people like an open book. Further, she’s said to be imposing and hotheaded, and not one to be crossed!
I can foresee a #DontFuckWithFish hashtag on Twitter, when the series airs during the fall – or something more PC.
Pinkett Smith joins other series regulars: Ben McKenzie as James Gordon, Donal Logue as Detective Harvey Bullock, Zabryna Guevara as Captain Essen, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean, Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth and Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot (aka The Penguin).
Bruno Heller (The Mentalist, Rome) wrote the pilot script and will serve as executive producer.
Danny Cannon (the CSI series, Nikita) directed and executive produced the pilot.
Fox has released a behind-the-scenes look at the series, which shows us a lot more of Pinkett Smith’s Fish Mooney than we saw in the trailer (if you blinked, you would’ve missed her); here we get a whole segment – a very short one, but still enough to give us better look at the character than we had previously. The Fish Mooney portion starts around the 2-minute mark:
