"Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement. From here, you can't see the enemy."

-  Frank Miller, 'Batman: Year One'

That's pretty much how Gotham City would be from atop the Wayne Tower, or from across the Vincefinkel Bridge - needless to say, from a good safe distance. But it's a different story altogether in the bowels of the city, in places like Park Row, for instance, where a young Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents - the catalyst that would one day give rise to Batman.

But not yet.

"Gotham," the new superhero television series on Fox created by Bruno Heller (HBO's "Rome,") tells the story of Gotham City before it was under the watchful eye and protection of the Dark Knight. The series is based on characters appearing in DC Comics' "Batman" canon, exploring the life of a young Bruce Wayne, the early days of James Gordon as a detective in the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD,) as well as the origin stories of several of Batman's foes, including the Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler. 

Ben McKenzie, known for playing Ryan Atwood in "The O.C.", stars as Detective James Gordon. Gordon is an idealistic and principled rookie detective for the Gotham City Police Department's Homicide Squad, a former college football star and a war hero in 'Gotham', according to a report by Deadline.  

Donal Logue, who appeared in "Sons of Anarchy" and "Vikings" plays Detective Harvey Bullock. Bullock is the rough-around-the-edges partner of detective Gordon, reports Variety.  

David Mazouz of the TV series "Touch" stars as the young Bruce Wayne, condemned to an unsociable life after the murder of his wealthy parents.

Zabryna Guevara plays Sarah Essen, captain of the GCPD Homicide Squad and Gordon's boss.

English actor Sean Pertwee plays Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family's butler. Pennyworth is a tough as nails former Royal Marine from East London. He is overly protective of Bruce Wayne following the tragic deaths of his Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce's parents.

Robin Lord Taylor is the polite but sadistic Oswald Cobblepot, the man who would become the Penguin.

Erin Richards is Barbara Kean, an emergency doctor and the fiancé of Detective Gordon.

Carmen Bicondova stars as Selina Kyle. The Wrap describes her as a teenage orphan, street thief and skilled pickpocket who is suspicious and wholly unpredictable. Selina Kyle would grow up to become Catwoman.

Cory Michael Smith plays Edward Nygma. Nygma is a brilliant young forensic scientist working for GCPD and has a penchant for discoursing in cryptic language, Entertainment Weekly reports. Edward Nygma will become the Riddler.  

Jada Pinkett Smith is Fish Mooney. Mooney, as describe by Deadline, is an imposing and sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner with an almost extra-sensory abilities to read people like an open book.  

The likes of Catwoman, the Riddler, and the Penguin, however, aren't the only villains in Batman's long list of enemies to appear in the prequel narrative of the series.

The Joker was mentioned in a synopsis released by Fox in March 2014, hinting that Batman's future archenemy will appear at some point in the series, Superhero Hype reports.  

Bruno Heller told IGN in an interview that Professor Hugo Strange will be appearing in the series as it will also tackle the origins of Arkham Asylum. Strange is familiar to gamers for his role in the "Batman: Arkham" series of action-adventure video games. Moreover, Strange is one of Batman's earliest villains, preceding the Joker, and is also one of the first to deduce that Batman is Bruce Wayne.  

Executive producer Danny Cannon confirmed that Mr. Freeze will be introduced in the series, Digital Spy reports. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries, is a scientist who must wear a cryogenic suit in order to survive and performs his crimes using a "cold" or "ice" theme.  

The first season of "Gotham" will consist of 16 episodes. The pilot episode aired on September 22, 2014 on Fox.