"BATMAN" '60s TV SERIES TO HIT DVD—THANKS TO CONAN? [VIDEO]

TV’s original take on Batman is finally coming to DVD–and that’s after more than a decade of delays due to rights issues. Batfans and boyishly-wondering newcomers alike will soon be able to enjoy a high-definition, extras-packed box set of the campy, madcap milestone show that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1968 and infused pop culture with wild outbursts of pop art.
The release of Batman: The Complete Series is superheroically good news. What makes it semi-super odd news is that the official announcement was made not by parent studio Warner Bros, or by series stars Adam West or Burt Ward, or by any other logical messenger, but instead by… Conan O’Brien via his Twitter account. And he accompanied the news with a Twitpic of himself in the vintage Batmobile, to bat-boot.
O’Brien has always been an outspoken devotee of the ’60s Batman. Its deadpan weirdness clearly and profoundly influenced his comedic style, from the ability to play it absolutely straight no matter what insanity is going on to the off-the-wall use of celebrity guest stars (which, in the case of Batman, was often literal. Check out the video).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d85gkOXeXG4&w=420&h=315]
So was it Conan who finally unraveled the DVD rights’ legal entanglements the way the Caped Crusader decodes gag clues left by the Joker? No definitive answer is forthcoming, so perhaps, like Alfred the Butler, only Andy Richter knows for sure.
Batman: The Complete Series is officially on the way later in 2014. As more details emerge, we’ll keep you posted—same COED time, same COED channel.