Fox’s new superhero drama, “Gotham,” premiered Monday and introduced us to Bob Kane’s fictional metropolis sans its famous caped crusader. The new program, a serious contender against ABC’s “Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” begins when Bruce Wayne is still a young boy and emerges from a theater on the fateful night his parents are gunned down. During a strong premiere, director Danny Cannon establishes a new Gotham, one that doesn’t leap toward Batman’s rise, but focuses on the era immediately following the death of Wayne’s parents.

The show fits the detective mold more than a superhero format, with elements of Kane’s mythos sprinkled throughout. As such, it follows Detective James Gordon’s (Benjamin McKenzie of “The O.C.”) investigation into the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The first hour takes us on a whiplash tour of Gotham’s seedy underbelly, ruled equally by the corrupt police and the criminals who own them.

McKenzie, whose acting improved during his transition from “The O.C.” to “Southland,” plays Gordon as an ambitious do-gooder with his eyes set on reforming the Gotham Police Department. Fresh off a tour of duty, Gordon hits obstacles in his pursuit. Most vocal among these obstacles is his partner, Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), a disillusioned veteran who’s mastered the criminal spider web and quit any attempts to change it.

Jada Pinkett Smith plays Fish Mooney, a criminal boss who’s second only to Carmine Falcone (John Doman) in the struggle for Gotham’s soul. An ostensibly original character, Mooney has been the center of online rumors about her development into a famous Batman villain. That possibility isn’t too farfetched, considering the wealth of future villains, namely Catwoman and Penguin.

Smith’s performance outpaces everyone save for Logue. Her portrayal as a charming villainess at once warms you with a smile and chills you with a lacerating tongue and brutal modus operandi. Mooney truly could go anywhere.

Logue is fantastic as the grizzled Bullock. The coupling of ambitious rookie and battered veteran adds nothing new to the detective serial; McKenzie even starred in a similar pairing in “Southland.” Logue’s magnetic performance, however, saves this mold from cliché. He brings enough humor and wisdom to the role to offset its hackneyed premise.

Sweeping pans of a dim metropolis evoke both the Gotham from “Batman Begins” and the unnamed dystopia of “Se7en.” Steam rises in great plumes from the underbelly, where a war slowly coalesces amid a violent power struggle. With these shots, Cannon perfects an undeniably cinematic tone.

Bruno Heller’s script, while impressive for a basic cable superhero show, hits a few speed bumps. Its exposition reaches out and grabs your attention rather than deftly integrating new characters or peeling away the layers of a character’s history. Consequently, the narrative grows too obvious in constructing its world which detracts from the mystery.

Furthermore, nearly every character reiterates the oncoming war that will wash the streets of Gotham with blood. Since Fox granted “Gotham” 16 episodes from the onset, hopefully further scripts won’t be afraid to slow down their pace. Exposition, while integral for a new interpretation of a legendary canon, doesn’t need to hold the viewer’s hand. It risks eating up time to express axiomatic plot points.

“Gotham,” though technically an origin story, is not the origin tale of solely Batman. The murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne jolts the narrative into motion, but both Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) and Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee) are peripheral characters. Instead, “Gotham” zeroes in on Gordon and Bullock. Effectively, the program tells the origin tale of its titular city rather than any of its individuals.

Heller, who also created the show, has delivered a powerful debut for Fox. Disregarding bumpy exposition, “Gotham” can become one of basic cable’s staples if it builds on its pilot’s numerous promising plotlines.

NBC’s “The Cape” began with a similarly intriguing premise before devolving into a campy mess. Hopefully “Gotham” can evade the same downfall. Its pilot features surprisingly violent moments, so the writers don’t seem frightened of a menacing depiction of Batman’s city. If it continues to toe the line of Christopher Nolan’s big screen portrayal of Gotham and a bleak detective serial, Fox could have gritty gold on its hands.

Alexander Frail can be reached at [email protected].