After the success and popularity of Fox's Batman: The Animated Series, the WB decided to try its hand at re-inventing the Dark Knight with The New Batman Adventures. Both shows were crafted by Bruce Timm and have a sort of loose continuity.

There were a lot of familiar faces in the new show, including the characters of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Robin and Batgirl. Both of them had graduated college (let's hear it for higher education, Gotham City!) and Grayson had hung up his Robin tights in favor of his new crimefighting persona, Nightwing. Barbara continued her stint as Batgirl  and also worked at the Gotham Police Department during the day.

Bruce Wayne didn't go long without a ward though and young Tim Drake joined the cast as the millionaire's new Robin protege. The four crimefighters--Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl--patrolled Gotham City and its mean streets, rooting out evil and defending ordinary folks, who really needed the help as Gotham was teeming with villains of every type. Batman's old nemeses and some new (ugly) faces from the DC Comics universe terrorized the poor city and its unlucky citizenry. The Joker, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Clayface and others regularly matched wits with the four heroes. Even Killer Croc hatched an evil scheme or two (there is really no excuse).

The show's 24 episodes aired on their own, then in conjunction with Superman: The Animated Series and then as stand-alones again. The New Batman Adventures ran for two years and passed the torch on in 1999 to the next animated incarnation, Batman Beyond.