TBG TV: Batman - The Brave & The Bold

Channel and Time: Cartoon Network, Fridays at 8:00 PM

The 10-Word Premise: (Not-So) Dark Knight joins forces with less-known heroes against evildoers.

Starring: Peter's neighbor from Office Space is the voice of Batman. Apparently, he was also a supporting character on The Drew Carey Show, which I never really got into. Ten years ago, I'd have been cruelly labeled a "humorless elitist" for not climbing aboard the Drew Carey bandwagon. Today, I'm called "prescient". I told you he wasn't funny.

The Best Thang: MUCH lighter in tone and dialogue than every other Batman depiction since the early 1970s, this show is a weekly 30-minute homage to old-school superhero cartoons. All of the characters are always IN character (no alter ego angst here); the plots are refreshingly ludicrous (Bats uses a "Tibetan technique" to raise his spirit to the surface after Gentleman Ghost buries him alive…ahem) and the wisecracking is cranked up to 11 ("That's the last time I ever work with a kid partner.")

The Worst Thang: Unless you're a hardcore DC geek, you might not easily embrace all of the (relatively) obscure heroes and villains who populate the storylines from week to week. Some of them have been given the briefest of back stories, but – for the most part – these episodes and plots stand alone without allowing for any character investment.

The Verdict: Love it. And, if YOU grew up on Superfriends, you should be watching, too. Oh, wait…I forgot the obligatory blogger comment: "Too bad it comes on at 8:00 PM on Friday nights. I've got SO much going on that it's hard for me to find time to watch." Pfft…dorks.