THE PURR-FECT CRIME: Why It’s Still the Best BATMAN ’66 Episode — 60 YEARS LATER
An ANNIVERSARY SALUTE to Catwoman’s shining moment… In January, for our latest BATMAN ’66 WEEK, we convened a Batpanel of experts to vote on the TOP 13 EPISODES of the 1966 Batman TV show, for the 60th anniversary of the program’s premiere. You can read the full countdown here, but — SPOILER ALERT — the phenomenal Catwoman debut The Purr-Fect Crime/Better Luck Next Time, the series’ best entry, didn’t win. Yet it might have if two of the panelists hadn’t inexplicably left the two-parter off their ballots completely. (You know who you are!) Being a bit of a sore loser, however, I vowed that we would return to that ep on its own 60th anniversary — Part 1 ran on March 16 — with a piece by Scott Sebring, who was among those of us who correctly placed it at the top. (Consolation prize: The Julie Newmar showcase drew the most No. 1 votes. So there.) — Dan — By SCOTT SEBRING The Purr-Fect Crime—and yeah, Part 2, Better Luck Next Time, absolutely counts—is my favorite Batman episode. This is always my Number 1. Everything else reshuffles depending on mood, day, phase of the moon — but this one never does. By the time you get to these episodes in Season One, the show is just there. It’s fully formed. It knows exactly what it is, and it’s firing on all cylinders. And this is right before the reaction phase kicks in—before the reviews, the ratings, and the audience response start steering the ship. After this point, the showrunners start leaning into what they think the audience wants instead of what they were building from the start. There’s still good stuff after that, obviously — but this is the sweet spot. The Purr-Fect Crime is a high benchmark for what Batman could be on TV. It’s loaded with plot, adventure, and crime-solving (file under “comic-book logic”), and it’s packed with real danger — honest-to-God traps, perils, and explosions. More than any other episode before or since. And if you care about the Caped Crusader’s suit — and I definitely do — this is the peak of how Batman’s costume evolved and screamed on the screen. Best cowl. Best utility belt. Best tights color. This is the best Adam West ever looked in the costume, period. It’s also the best Catwoman...
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