The visual style of the series is based on the artwork of producer Bruce Timm. The original series aired on Fox from September 7, 1992 to September 15, 1995. When the first season of the series aired on weekday afternoons, it lacked an on-screen title but was officially titled "Batman". When its timeslot was moved to weekends (on some Fox channels) for the second season, it was re-named The Adventures of Batman & Robin.

The original series was partially inspired by the Frank Miller comic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the Tim Burton films Batman and Batman Returns, and the acclaimed Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1940s. Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski designed the series by closely emulating the Tim Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness," incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards, police blimps (even though no such thing has existed, Timm has stated he found it to fit the period they were going for), 40s influenced look and a "vintage" color scheme in a largely film noir-influenced style. The series initially took a variation of music written by Danny Elfman for the Burton films Batman and Batman Returns as its theme; later episodes of the series used a new theme with a similar style by Shirley Walker (who was occasionally Elfman's conductor on the films they worked on). The score of the series was influenced by Elfman and Walker's work on Batman and Batman Returns and the music of 40s film noir. The other major element inspired by the 1989 film is the series interpretation of the Joker character as half way between psychotic killer and prankster clown versions of the comic book character. His real name in the series, like the film, is given several times as Jack Napier, although it is later suggested that it is simply his primary alias.

The program was much more adult-oriented than some previous typical superhero cartoon series. It was the first such cartoon in years to depict firearms being fired instead of laser guns (only one person has ever been actually depicted as shot; Commissioner Gordon in the episode "I Am the Night" was seen to have a gunshot wound after the firefight was finished), Batman actually punching and kicking the antagonists, as well as the existence of blood; in addition, many of the series' backgrounds were painted on black paper. The distinctive visual combination of film noir imagery and Art Deco designs with a very dark color scheme was called "Dark Deco" by the producers. First-time producers Timm and Radomski reportedly encountered resistance from studio executives, but the success of Burton's first film allowed the embryonic series to survive long enough to produce a pilot episode, "On Leather Wings", which according to Timm "got a lot of people off our backs."

The series received critical acclaim for its distinctive animation and mature writing. Fans of a wide age range praised the show's sophisticated, cinematic tone and psychological stories. Voice-actor Kevin Conroy used two distinct voices to portray Bruce Wayne and Batman, as Michael Keaton and Christian Bale have done in the live-action films. The series was also notable for its supporting cast that included major actors performing the voices of the various classic villains, most notably Mark Hamill, who defined a whole new career for himself in animation with his cheerfully deranged portrayal of the Joker. The voice recording sessions were recorded with the actors together in a studio, like a radio play, unlike most animated films, in which the principal voice actors record separately and never meet (various interviews have noted that such an arrangement (having the cast record together) was a benefit to the show as a whole, as the actors were able to 'react' to one another, rather than simply 'reading the words'). This method would later be employed for all subsequent animated series in the DC Animated Universe.

Key to the series' artistic success is that it managed to redefine classic characters, paying homage to their previous portrayals while giving them new dramatic force. The characterization of villains such as Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and the Riddler as well as heroes like Gordon and Robin demonstrate this. One of the series' most famous innovations of the series was the Joker's assistant, Harley Quinn; DC Comics later added her to the mainstream Batman comics continuity due to her popularity. The Penguin also underwent change. His appearance was remodeled after the version seen in Batman Returns, which was being released at the same time as the series. The series also gave new life to nearly forgotten characters like the Clock King. In addition, dramatic changes were made to villains such as Clayface and Mr. Freeze. With the help of the series, the character of Mr. Freeze was turned around from a clichéd mad scientist with a gimmick for cold to a tragic figure whose frigid exterior hides a doomed love and a vindictive fury. Part of this tragedy aspect of Mr. Freeze was later mimicked throughout the plot of Joel Schumacher's infamous movie Batman & Robin, although much of the drama was lost with the resurrection of the pun-quipping mad scientist image.

"Robin's Reckoning" won an Emmy in 1993 for Most Outstanding Half Hour or Less Program. "Heart of Ice" also won the show an Emmy in 1993, but instead for Most Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program.

Sixteen minutes of animated segments in the video game The Adventures of Batman and Robin for the Sega CD are sometimes referred to as a "lost episode" of the series. These segments are intended to be interspersed between gameplay elements of an early-1990s video game and as such, the sound, color and story are not of the same quality as the actual television program. Similar cutscenes appear throughout the video games Batman Vengeance and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.

The show also featured numerous adaptations of various Batman comics stories over the years to when the show was produced. The following episodes that were adaptations were:

New villains such as Red Claw, Kyodai Ken, Tygrus, and the Sewer King were invented for the series, but to little acclaim. On the other hand, Joker's accomplice Harley Quinn, Gotham City police detective Renee Montoya, and the sociopathic vigilante Lock-Up grew much popularity in which they became characters in the comics.

Aside from creating characters that crossed over into the mainline DC Comics, several of the series' reinterpretations were carried over as well. Mr. Freeze was revised to emulate the series' tragic story, the success of which actually compelled DC to bring the character back after "killing" him off some years earlier; Clayface was revised to be much more similar in appearance to his animated counterpart; Poison Ivy took on the slightly inhuman skin color she received in later episodes of the series; and Two-Face's black and white suit has become a common appearance for the character.