A catchy theme song, campy style and plenty of action were some of the driving forces in the 1966 Batman television show, which celebrates its Golden Anniversary this week. Starring Adam West and Burt Ward in their now-legendary roles as Batman and Robin, the Batman show endeared itself to its audience and maintains a strong following now, 50 years later.

Batman began airing on ABC on January 12, 1966; for its first two seasons it ran twice-weekly, and into its third it became a once-a-week affair. A total of 120 episodes ran during the series’ run, and a theatrical film was also made.

Most episodes followed a pretty typical format: the villain of the story would stage some sort of heist, Batman and Robin would investigate, beat up said villain’s henchmen, and recover what was taken. Many episodes were two-parters, with the first part of the story ending on a cliffhanger, with the Dynamic Duo left in some great danger.

Beyond West and Ward, the series also starred Alan Napier as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred, Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, Stafford Repp as Chief O’Hara, Madge Black as Harriet Cooper and, perhaps most importantly, Yvonne Craig as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. Though Batgirl is a mainstay in the DC comics universe now, she was first introduced in the Batman television series and was brought into the comic realm in 1967’s Detective Comics #359, “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl.”

The villains featured in the series also made their mark. Cesar Romero played the Joker (and notoriously refused to shave his mustache, which could almost always still be seen under the white makeup), Burgess Meredith portrayed the Penguin (and created the now-commonplace “wenk” Penguin laugh), and Vincent Price popularized the villain Egghead. Other villains saw multiple actors play them: The Riddler was portrayed by Frank Gorshin in seasons 1, 3 and in the film, but John Astin donned the green spandex in season 2; Catwoman was played by Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, and Lee Meriwether; Mr. Freeze saw George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach rotate through the role.

Though ratings fell harshly enough to cancel the show after just three seasons, the show’s cast had multiple reunions throughout the following years. West and Ward returned to their roles – voice only this time – in the 1977 New Adventures of Batman animated series, and two years later they were joined by Frank Gorshin for Hanna-Barbera’s Legends of the Superheroes specials.

More recently, DC has somewhat revived the Batman television series in the form of their Batman ’66 comic book. The book has received rave reviews and, like the series, crossed over with The Green Hornet as well. West and Ward discussed in 2015 that they would return to their roles in upcoming animated specials as well.

With 50 years in the Batmobile’s rearview mirror, it’s pretty clear that the Batman television show will continue to hold a special place in fans’ hearts for quite some time to come.