"Gotham" just aired its pilot episode and it's already garnering raving reviews. However, there are still many who are stuck on lamenting the fact that Batman would not be making an appearance on the show. Gotham without Batman for some sounds silly, but Ben McKenzie, who plays the lead character Gordon on the show, thinks it's sillier to dismiss the show based on this premise.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben defended why "Gotham" is worth watching even without Bruce Wayne. He thinks those who immediately pushed the show aside because of their disappointment that Batman is not included on the show would be missing out, especially since "Gotham" is going to be true to the spirit of DC.

"I find some of the immediate dismissal of the show if it doesn't have Batman in it silly. You're not interested in other iterations of mythology that didn't involve Batman. It's sort of silly because for more than 75 years these stories have been interpreted and reinterpreted countless times by countless numbers of artists. Story points will conflict. If you read one comic it'll conflict with another. We're trying to be true to the spirit and a lot of the characterizations. There's this kind of mythological stuff and we embrace the spirit of it and say, 'Come along with me,' to the fans," the actor explained.

Before the pilot aired, Calgary Herald reported that the actor already claimed that he trust that the fans of Batman would still enjoy the show even if it would not feature Bruce Wayne. He said that those who went to see the movies where Christopher Nolan played Batman did not necessarily went just to watch his performance as Batman. Batman fans went to enjoy all the other characters, too. This does not mean Ben does not understand where the fans are coming from.

"I understand the criticism," he shared, "but my short answer is: 'Just watch it.' If you don't like it, don't keep watching it, but I'm really proud of the pilot we've made. ... I think people who are fans of this are, for the most part, going to lose their minds."

The actor shared that viewers can expect a lot of cool twists on the show. Even though the show is trying to stay truthful to the spirit of the comics, viewers can expect something unique. This makes it imperative for them to tune in.