Fox gives ‘Gotham’ full season; great news for Ben McKenzie, Robin Lord Taylor, cast

Fans of “Gotham,” know that you are going to be getting a chance to visit the famed city for at least another 19 episodes this season. Fox confirmed today that they have handed a full-season order to their highest-rated show.

Is this a surprise? Not even remotely. Fox is a desperate network right now; “Utopia” was a catastrophic flop for them, “Sleepy Hollow” is sagging, and despite some good efforts like “Gracepoint,” they continue to have a hard time drawing some good ratings. The rebuilding process for Fox is not going to be done in a day, but this series is a valuable stepping stone, and you may as well give it a second season already (even if that’s not official).

In a statement confirming the full-season pickup, Fox Television Group’s Chairmen / CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman had the following to say:

“Gotham debuted as one of the most buzzed-about shows of the fall, and with good reason … Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon have created an incredibly rich world, with characters that draw you in and a cast that brings to life these heroes and villains in a way we’ve never seen before.”

What gives us hope for the remainder of “Gotham’s” first season is that you’ve got a great setting, but then also some awesome characters to go along with it. Ben McKenzie and Robin Lord Taylor have both been standouts; this is a big week especially for Taylor, given that you may have seen him briefly on “The Walking Dead” last night. (We won’t spoil it, just in case you didn’t see the episode.)

What may have prompted this news coming out today were the huge live+7 numbers for “Gotham” that came out over the weekend.