The 25 best episodes of 'Batman', ranked

In the third season, Catwoman was portrayed by Eartha Kitt, who took over from Julie Newmar. While we prefer Newmar, we have no beef with Kitt, who was particularly good at the “cat noises” that Catwoman would make. She really threw herself into the purrs. In this twofer, she works alongside Joker, and just as importantly we get to see her own personalized vehicle, the Catmobile.

While the “Big Four” of Joker, Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman make up the bulk of the villainy on “Batman,” there were other notable baddies, including some made up for the show. One of those is Dr. Cassandra, who shows up in the penultimate episode of the show. She’s basically a ‘60s-style hippy witch, and she has an equally hippy-ish compatriot named Cabala. There are also cameos by all the major “Batman” villains, though they are all played by stand-ins, which means the last time we see, say, Joker or Riddler it’s some random actor standing in for them.

This one may be controversial, and we understand it. Frank Gorshin IS the Riddler to many. However, he did not appear in the second season of “Batman.” The one time Riddler shows up, he’s played by John Astin, best known as Gomez Addams from “The Addams Family.” Is Astin as good as Gorshin? Of course not, but he’s quite good. Plus, there’s a slow-motion underwater fight and a giant cake that Riddler uses to try and kill the Dynamic Duo.

The Joker is Batman’s most-seen enemy in this show, which is fitting given the nature of those two characters. In his last episode, Cesar Romero’s Clown Prince of Crime goes all out with one of his crazier plans. He builds a functional flying saucer to try and convince the citizens of Gotham City that aliens are invading. His henchmen are dressed up to be aliens as well. It’s supremely goofy, even by “Batman” standards, but in a charming way.

The Minstrel is a villain who is an old-timey medieval-style minstrel, complete with a lute. That may be odd, but it tracks within the world of this show. It’s not so crazy that there would be a villain who sings songs of a sinister variety. However, “Batman” takes things to the next level by also making The Minstrel an electronics and engineering genius. That’s the kind of extra level this show would include to ratchet up the absurdity.

OK, so this is a joke that may no longer land. Shame is a cowboy villain whose name is a parody of the ‘50s Western “Shane.” It’s an excuse to do a reference to the famed final moments of “Shane” a few times. And yet, Cliff Robertson (an Oscar winner!) really helps make Shame more than a one-joke villain.

“Batman” is as indebted to pop culture as any show. Years before a “Community” or a “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” “Batman” was constantly riffing on pop culture and working it into their stories. For example, in this story arc, Catwoman steals the voices of British pop duo “Chad and Jeremy,” who were apparently real. She holds their voices for ransom, but mostly it’s just a lot of fun Britpop stuff at a time when Beatlemania and the British Invasion were still going on.

They called Milton Berle “Mr. Television,” and he did all sorts of different things on the small screen over the decades. And yet, perhaps the thing that sticks out the most (aside from his MTV award show appearance next to RuPaul, of course) is his turn as Louie the Lilac. He’s basically a stereotypical gangster, but he’s flower-themed. He’s basically trying to strong-arm his way to the top of the florist industry. Here he does everything he can to gain control of the “flower power” types in Gotham, because if he has them, he’s going to have a stranglehold on the flower business, naturally.

Egghead is perhaps the best exemplifier of the brilliant absurdity of this version of Batman. He’s played by Vincent Price, for starters. Second, he has an “egg-shaped” head and uses a bunch of egg puns. Here he joins forces with Olga, Queen of the Cossacks to try and hatch a dinosaur egg. Oh, and they succeed. Of course, they do. Price hams it up a ton, but he’s somehow not the hammiest “Batman” villain.

Even by the standards of “Batman,” Catwoman really puts Batman and Robin through their paces in these episodes. They face one of those rooms where spiked walls close in on you AND Batman has to fight off a tiger. This is not as out-there as other “Batman” episodes, but it’s just really well done and Julie Newmar is on her game, even when falling into a “bottomless” crevasse. Don’t worry, she’ll survive. She has nine lives, after all.

Liberace is not an actor. This is clear in his turn as TWO characters in one two-part “Batman” adventure. As Chandell, the criminal pianist, he’s perfectly fine. He’s basically just playing himself. However, he also plays Chandell’s mobster twin brother Harry. It’s so broad and campy, and also a ton of fun.

When we mentioned the hammiest performer among Batman’s rogues gallery? That would be Victor Buono as King Tut. He chews scenery like he’s Matter-Eater Lad, but it’s always fun. Part of the enjoyment is King Tut’s backstory. He’s just a mild-mannered professor of Egyptology who comes to believe he is King Tut every time he is hit on the head. Hit him again? He’s back to being a professor.

The budget on the third season of “Batman” is smaller, and that’s readily apparent in episodes like “Ring Around the Riddler.” It seems like half of it is taking place in a black void. And yet, it’s so good. It’s also Frank Gorshin’s return as Riddler, but also his final appearance. He goes out as a legend.

Has the villain actually gone straight? It’s a premise that “Batman” did a few times. Seemingly every major villain got a chance to try and fake out Gotham City. However, you can’t fool Batman, even if you decided to go to college as Catwoman does in these two episodes.

You know, maybe this episode isn’t as fun now. The premise is that Penguin has contaminated all of Gotham City’s money with “Lygerian Sleeping Sickness,” vaccinated themselves, and then destroyed all the other vaccines. Nevertheless, this silly 1996 version of a potential epidemic is still enjoyable, and this is Penguin’s last episode which is also worth noting.

These are the first two episodes of “Batman.” They introduced the tropes of the show. The baddie catches Batman and Robin at the end of the first episode and may be able to kill them in a needlessly elaborate way. Will they survive? Is this the end of the dynamic duo? You had to tune in tomorrow. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.

King Tut did something nobody else was able to do for certain on the show: He figured out who Batman was. How did he do that? By drilling into the Batcave accidentally and realizing it’s under Wayne Manor. Of course, as we mentioned, King Tut is prone to bonks on the head messing with his personality and memory. When Tut gets smacked on the head, he reverts to his true personality, and he forgets all about who Batman is.

Shame is back, and he’s better than ever. He also has Calamity Jan by his side this time. They do some riffing on Westerns and make some jokes at the expense of casting white actors for non-white characters. Also, Shame accuses Batman’s mother of wearing army shoes, to which Batman replies, “Yes she did, as I recall she found them quite comfortable!”

Catwoman is able to kidnap Robin, and not only that uses drugs to get him to turn bad and join her gang. Along the way, he meets a henchwoman named Pūssycat, played by Lesley Gore. You may recall Gore for her song “It’s My Party.” She gets more of a highlight than any other henchperson, and she and Robin even get a little romance. Oh, and Pūssycat sings of course.

Riddler decides to use silent films as his new motif, which makes zero sense but is really funny, and on “Batman” that means you go with it. The whole point of West’s version of Batman was for things to be silly, absurd, and fun. The show was always in on the joke, but they played it straight enough to not tip their hand. This is a sterling example of that.

Years before Jack Nicholson’s Joker would blast “Party Man” and take over a museum, “Batman ‘66” beat them to the punch. Joker remakes himself as a Pop Artist, though it’s all for a ploy, of course. Still, the jokes at the expense of art are a treat, and Joker just lends himself to that world so well as a character, especially Romero’s Joker.

This is the first Joker episode, and it starts in a truly startling way for people who are steeped in the history of the Joker. When we first see him, he’s in a prisoner’s uniform. It’s all bland grays! It’s jarring. Of course, he then proceeds to use a spring-loaded pitching mound to jettison himself out of the prison, and then the fun begins. Fun that involves Joker getting his own utility belt.

Yes, three Joker episodes in a row in the top five. Look, Cesar Romero’s Joker is the best villain on the show, and also he’s the best Joker ever. While we’re at it, West is the best Batman. Those may be controversial statements. We don’t care. We do want to mention that Joker’s scheme in this episode is to rig a high school’s vending machines to blackmail the school’s basketball team so he can win money…betting on high school basketball.

Everything about these episodes is so funny. Penguin runs for mayor of Gotham City and Batman gets in the race to try and beat him. The political debates and their signage are so entertaining. Penguin sings a song at one of his rallies. It’s a bit of gentle political satire, but mostly a bunch of great, often absurd jokes.

Want to summarize “Batman” in a nutshell? Watch “Surf’s Up! Joker’s Under!” It’s hilarious and ridiculous in the perfect way. The culmination of the episode is Joker and Batman having a surfing competition to see who will be declared “King of the Surf” and thus have sway over the surfing teens of Gotham. They both wear bathing suits over their usual outfits. Batgirl is there too, and we haven’t had a chance to mention her yet. This is one of the silliest half-hours of television, but we love that.