Fox has renewed Batman prequel drama Gotham for a fifth and likely abbreviated final season. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the pickup is for 13 episodes, though the network and producers Warner Bros. Television have yet to make a formal announcement on the final season tally.
The renewal arrives as Gotham needs exactly 13 episodes to reach the 100-episode milestone needed to sell the show in syndication, with Warners fighting hard for one final pickup amid Fox's changing creative direction. A syndication deal for Gotham would be a sizable financial windfall for Warners, which as an indie studio without a Big 4 network backer faces an uphill battle to land series on the air in an era where ownership is becoming increasingly important.
That the Peter Roth-run indie studio achieved the Gotham renewal and a third season pickup for Lethal Weapon after the studio fired star Clayne Crawford should be seen a big win. Warners will now have the only two outside studio-produced shows on Fox's 2018-19 broadcast schedule.
Still remaining on the bubble at Fox are 20th TV-produced single-camera comedies Ghosted and L.A. to Vegas, both of which remain in the conversation for potential second season renewals. Thus far, all of Fox's new half-hour orders are multicamera comedies as the network pivots to a broader direction ahead of the corporate company's sale to Disney (which includes studio 20th TV).
Gotham, meanwhile, was never a ratings breakout for Fox but has been a reliable procedural with a DC Comics twist. Ben McKenzie stars in the series which revolves around a young Bruce Wayne. The pickup comes after Fox canceled fellow DC Comics-inspired Warners drama Lucifer after three seasons.
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