Batman: The Animated Series’ “Home Alone” Episode Is Still One of Its Worst (& Was Disowned By The Show’s Creator)

When it comes to the best superhero television shows of all time, especially in the realm of cartoons, there are several in discussion. Spider-Man: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series, The Powerpuff Girls, Batman Beyond, Invincible, and Justice League Unlimited are all in the conversation. However, the general consensus is that Batman: The Animated Series stands as the best of the bunch. The series features an impressive animation style, takes on the characters that feel true to the comic books, storylines that feel mature for a show aimed at kids, and holds up incredibly well more than three decades later.

Of course, no matter how great a television series is, there are always going to be a handful of episodes that miss the mark. It’s nearly impossible to deliver nothing but great installments across several seasons. There’s one episode of Batman: The Animated Series that’s widely considered to be the worst. It feels like a nod to the classic ’90s Christmas movie Home Alone, yet also feels like it was out of place compared to the rest of the show. In fact, even the creator of the series admitted that he wouldn’t watch it and discussed some of the issues with the script.

Why “I’ve Got Batman In My Basement” Is Poorly Received

The episode in question is titled “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement” and it’s a relatively early installment of Batman: The Animated Series. The premise sees Batman going after The Penguin for stealing a Fabergé egg. The Penguin incapacitates him with nerve gas, leading a young amateur detective and his friend to hide Batman in their basement and protect him from the villains. Therein lies the Home Alone nod, as the kids come up with clever ways to even the odds against their dangerous foes, and they feel like the heroes until Batman recovers and takes out the Penguin for good.

On paper, “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement” comes across as a goofy little episode that can mostly be ignored. However, the childish tone felt way out of place in Batman: The Animated Series. Yes, the show was aimed at a young audience, but it never felt overly juvenile or silly. It also feels like it plays too much into the Home Alone of it all and comes across like it was kind of ripping it off. That made the screenplay seem lazy in the eyes of many critics and fans.

One of the biggest contributing factors to the episode’s problems is that it actually marked the debut of The Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series. He’s one of the most notable and formidable foes in Batman’s rogues’ gallery, which is impressive given the depth of that roster. Even if you enjoy “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement”, it still feels like a lackluster entry point for such an iconic character. While his ability to take out Batman temporarily was a good start, not being able to best a couple of kids doesn’t make for a strong villain.

What The Creator Of Batman: The Animated Series Said About The Episode

Bruce Timm is one of the creators of Batman: The Animated Series and he was also extremely vocal about his feelings on “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement”. He said, “The script came in and it was terrible. Normally, I tell the director to do what he can to make it interesting, and nobody could figure out a way to make it interesting. The storyboard artists didn’t care, and it shows.” Timm also noted that he can’t even bring himself to watch the episode in full. It takes a lot for a creator to basically ignore a complete episode of their show, which shows how much Timm dislikes this installment.

That said, Timm did admit that children seemed to enjoy the episode, so there’s that. Still, Timm wasn’t alone in his disdain for the episode. Director Frank Paur also noted that he felt the storyboard crew was lackluster for the episode, which further added to the problems. There are also a handful of production inconsistencies, like one of the kids mentioning that his basement isn’t like the Batcave, which was odd since the public shouldn’t really know what a Batcave is.

On top of that, fans don’t really like the episode, with some pointing out that the script is childish and even the action, which includes Batman battling Penguin with a screwdriver, missed the mark. Between Bruce Timm’s feelings, the views of the fans, and the many production issues, “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement” is an episode remembered for all the wrong reasons.

What are your thoughts on this episode of Batman: The Animated Series? Let us know in the comments!