Some of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes have become even more special three decades after the instant-classic show premiered. Following the success of Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), Warner Bros. commissioned a Batman animated series to be released alongside Batman Returns as part of a brand-synergy strategy for the sequel’s release. While Batman: The Animated Series was inspired by Burton’s Batman on some level, the show was set in its own continuity and had a different creative team. From accurate takes on Batman characters to new interpretations of the Dark Knight’s mythos, Batman: TAS had dozens of incredible episodes.

There is a great Batman:The Animated Series episode for almost every popular Batman villain or iconic part of Bruce Wayne’s journey. Some classic comic book moments were adapted into the show, yet Batman:TAS also created its own lore. In addition, it served as the beginning of the DC Animated Universe's timeline, which included shows like Batman Beyond and Justice League. After almost 30 years in which Batman received dozens of other adaptations for movies, television, and video games, revisiting Batman:TAS confirms how timeless the show became. Here are 10 of the best Batman:The Animated Series episodes that still hold up 28 years later.

10 Season 1, Episode 3, “Heart Of Ice”

Batman: The Animated Series’ influence on Batman and DC as a whole includes the creation of characters that would one day join the comics, namely Harley Quinn. However, the show also reinvented classic Batman villains, with the best example being Mr. Freeze. Before “Heart of Ice,” Mr. Freeze was a generic tech-based Batman villain whose entire character came down to the freezing-gun gimmick. Batman: The Animated Series reinvented Mr. Freeze by telling a new origin story in “Heart of Ice,” an Emmy-winner episode that sees Victor Freeze looking for revenge against those responsible for a tragedy that happened with his wife. Beautifully written, “Heart of Ice” is a Batman: TAS classic.

9 Season 1, Episode 7, “Joker’s Favor”

Batman: The Animated Series rarely had uninteresting episodes. That said, any episode featuring the Joker, played by Mark Hamill, was a highlight of the show. “Joker’s Favor” is one of the many great Joker-centered Batman: TAS episodes, yet it is now even special 28 years later. “Joker’s Favor” saw Harley Quinn’s first appearance in any DC property. Created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Harley Quinn was originally nothing but a sidekick to the Joker. Harley’s role in the series would only get bigger, and now the character has become a DC Comics icon of her own, appearing in countless books, movies, shows, and video games.

8 Season 1, Episode 10, “Nothing To Fear”

Kevin Conroy’s portrayal of Batman will forever be associated with the character. For decades, Conroy voiced Batman in several adaptations, but one scene from Batman: The Animated Series’ “Nothing to Fear” might be the best example of how incredible his Batman performance was. The iconic “I am vengeance… I am the night… I am Batman” line, which has been referenced in modern adaptations like Matt Reeves’ The Batman, comes from “Nothing to Fear.” In this episode, Batman has to take down Scarecrow, whose toxin makes Bruce question whether his parents would be proud of him. A profound character study, “Nothing to Fear” is an essential Batman story.

7 Season 1, Episodes 17-18, “Two-Face”

Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face received a two-part episode in Batman: The Animated Series. “Two-Face” explored the friendship between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent before the latter became a Batman villain, adapting elements from the comics but also reinventing portions of Dent’s story. Similar to “Heart of Ice,” “Two-Face” took what could be just a “gimmick villain of the week” and delivered an intense, emotional story that explored the psychological aspect of Harvey Dent’s character. Three decades after Batman: The Animated Series, “Two-Face” is still one of the best, if not the best, versions of Two-Face’s origin story in any media.

6 Season 1, Episode 26, “Perchance to Dream”

Batman: The Animated Series explored Batman’s character on a level that not even most comics and other adaptations could match. Despite being an episodic, 20-minute cartoon aimed at younger audiences, Batman: TAS had some of the best Bruce Wayne character-study moments in the character’s history. This includes “Perchance to a Dream,” which sees Bruce waking up in a world where he is not Batman, his parents are alive, and he has built a family with Selina Kyle. A tragic yet beautiful episode, “Perchance to Dream” summarizes Batman’s character and explores themes that continue to be revisited in modern adaptations of Bruce Wayne.

5 Season 1, Episode 32, “Beware Of The Ghost”

Batman: The Animated Series incorporated almost every iconic aspect of Batman’s mythos from DC Comics. However, the show also crafted its unique lore, some which of would later be incorporated into the DC canon. One example is the Gray Ghost, an in-universe fictional character from a TV show Bruce Wayne used to watch as a kid. In “Beware of the Ghost,” Batman has to investigate a series of crimes connected to Simon Trent, the actor who portrayed the Gray Ghost in this TV series. The late Adam West, who played Batman in the classic Batman series from 1966, voiced the Gray Ghost in Batman: TAS, making this episode even more special.

4 Season 1, Episode 34, “I Am The Night”

Of all the character-study episodes in Batman: The Animated Series, “I Am the Night’ me be the best one. After Jim Gordon is shot and sent to an intense care unity, Batman questions his entire mission. Gordon was now at the same age Thomas Wayne was when he died, which only added to Batman’s pain. The imagery of Batman staring at the abysm, wondering whether he was making any difference in Gotham proved yet again how well Batman: The Animated Series’ writers understood the character. In hindsight, “I am the Night” was one of the darkest and most serious Batman: TAS episodes.

3 Season 1, Episode 35, “Almost Got ‘im”

Part of what makes Batman so successful is its “rogues gallery,” which includes some of the most recognizable supervillains in pop culture’s history. While Batman: TAS was a great take on Batman, it also delivered fantastic versions of classic Batman villains. “Almost Got ‘im” summarizes how fun and engaging Batman: TAS villains were, and how much better the show was because of them. In “Almost Got ‘Im,” Penguin, Poison Ivy, the Joker, Two-Face, and Killer Crock reunite for a poker night. During the game, each of them tells a story of when they almost caught Batman, delivering a timeless episode that captures the essence of those villains.

2 Season 2, Episode 9, “Trial”

“Trial” was another instant-classic, villain-centered Batman: The Animated Series episode. Here, the Joker is the judge as Batman faces trial for everything that he has caused to Gotham’s villains, including names like Penguin and the Riddler. Despite the absurdity of it all, “Trial” explores the debate of whether Batman is the reason why Gotham has so many supervillains. The escalation Batman causes in Gotham has been at the center of several stories, including but not limited to DC Comics’ “The Long Halloween” and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. “Trial” combines the charm of its villains with an interesting Batman debate to deliver a great episode.

1 The New Batman Adventures Episode 11, “Over The Edge”

Whether The New Batman Adventures is part of Batman: The Animated Series is open for debate. However, the same creative team was involved, and Max even includes The New Batman Adventures as Batman: The Animated Series season 3. Regardless, “Over the Edge” is one of the best episodes to come out of the “Timmverse.” Batgirl dies; Gordon believes Batman is responsible, and the rest of the Bat Family has to stand together as strange things begin to happen. While The New Batman Adventures had a lighter tone compared to early Batman: The Animated Series episodes, “Over the Edge” was a dark story that pushed Batman to his limits.