Celebrating the legacy of Batman: The Animated Series 20 years later: Why Batman:TAS is still the best.

This week will be the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series.  In its weird way, the show actually had three 'premieres'.  The first episode, "The Cat and the Claw part I", debuted on Saturday morning, September 5th, as a quasi-sneak preview of sorts.  The next day saw the official premiere, in primetime no less (Sunday night at 7pm) where Fox debuted the official pilot episode, "On Leather Wings".  Then came the first official weekday episode, Monday afternoon at 4:30pm, which was no less than "Heart of Ice", which to this day stands as not only one of the best episodes of the series run, but a shining testament to all that Batman: The Animated Series did right both in terms of the Batman mythos and the entire medium of childrens' action shows.  This will be the first in what I hope are a handful of essays detailing the long-term legacy of the Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski's groundbreaking animated saga. Today as we celebrate the first unofficial premiere, let me make this official pronouncement.  Batman: The Animated Series is the best interpretation of the Dark Knight Detective in any medium, ever. Yes, you read that right. Brilliantly written, flawlessly acted, gorgeously rendered and superbly crafted, Batman: The Animated Series is the best piece of long-form art concerning the character of Batman ever concocted.