I'll be honest, I was turned off by the first episode. You walk right into it and see a lot of characters have been changed from their traditional comic appearances to appeal to "modern audiences." Penguin in particular is just bad as some angry convincing mother. BUT the next episode absolutely nailed ClayFace with plenty of homages to the early 30s and 40s Universal Horror movies who the character is based off of that I decided to stick with it. The show as a whole copies the artistic style of the 90s Batman: The Animated Series which is considered by many to be the best Batman show of all time. This show mimics its Noir elements while also ramping up the age rating, giving us more gore, more horror, more "adult" themes, and the occasional swearing. However the show isn't without its flaws, because it's beyond obvious the creators had to make it more diverse so it would appeal to "modern audiences".
When this show misses, it's a strike out. Penguin is hands down the worst change. Bullock is also bad as an accomplish to the corrupt Flash. In the original show, he didn't trust Batman, but at least he was a honest cop. However when the show hits a home run, it's absolutely out of the park. There are so many Easter eggs and call backs to the various comics and what influenced the various Batman characters/arcs I couldn't help but appreciate the show has a hard core fan. For instance, Catwoman's costume is very much a callback to her golden Age outfit while her iconic claw marks scar is a reference to her Year One trademark. Firefly likewise they nail his psychological disturbance with fire (who imo is a very utilized villain) where once he sees a flame, he HAS to make it grow. Harley Quin, yeah they "change" her appearance (cough cough) but they actually do her psychologist profile justice much like her original appearance in the Animated Series, and no she is nothing like the MAX show depiction.
Is the show perfect? No. Am I happy they "updated it for modern audiences?" Also no. However that does not mean you should instantly write it off as a bad show. Skip the 1st episode and you will see the creators at least tried to make it a love letter to the existing Batman Media from across the decades.
