Why did Adam West's Batman take so long to swing on to DVD?

In an age where half-remembered TV shows are routinely repackaged as "classic" box sets, it has always seemed odd that Adam West's Batman – a star-stuffed superhero series that ran for three seasons between 1966 and 1968 – has never been available on DVD, or even VHS. The news that a complete box set of the campest incarnation of the Caped Crusader would finally be released later this year broke in suitably eccentric fashion: Conan O'Brien, the former Simpsons writer and long-standing late-night talkshow host, tweeted about it on Wednesday. (Warner Bros Entertainment subsequently confirmed O'Brien's announcement, but offered up no further details.)

What took so long? Batman may have been able to deal with the Penguin and his avian-themed henchmen with a well-placed "kapow!" but such sweet chin music doesn't help when it comes to legal red tape. The licensing tangle between 20th Century Fox, that made and owns the actual episodes, and DC Entertainment, the renamed comics company that owns the characters, was hampered by contracts drawn up before home entertainment options were even being considered. The show's revolving door of big-name guest stars and cameos (whose estates could all be due residual payments) made things even more complicated.

For some fans, there was also the nagging feeling that DC Entertainment, who had spent decades repositioning Bruce Wayne's alter ego as a brooding, intimidating Dark Knight, a process that reached its gloomy apotheosis with Christopher Nolan's blockbuster movie trilogy, might be slightly embarrassed by Batman's hinterland as a Batusi-dancing boy scout with shark-repellent Batspray to hand. The first signs that some sort of legal détente had been reached came in 2012, when Batman TV merchandising began to appear, including an Adam West action figure in full costume with swim trunks and a surfboard.

This year is the 75th anniversary of Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics, so it seems an appropriate time to acknowledge how the TV show helped turn him into a pop-culture phenomenon. It burned bright and fast, pumping out 120 episodes – and a hastily assembled feature film – in a little over two years.

Powered by Neal Hefti's deathless, wailing theme, Batman was what US audiences tuned into two nights a week to see contemporary Hollywood idols at play. Burgess Meredith's squawking Penguin, Frank Gorshin's giggling Riddler and Cesar Romero's suavely demented Joker helped cement versions of those villains in the public consciousness. Eartha Kitt, Otto Preminger, George Sanders, Joan Collins and Roddy McDowall all did a turn; the great Vincent Price took part in a prolonged egg-throwing fight. For those two glorious years, Batman was the closest the US would ever get to panto.

Amid all the chaos and over-the-top plots, Adam West – and, to a lesser extent Burt Ward as Boy Wonder Robin – were dressed as colourfully as clowns but required to play it straight. West's stilted suaveness made for a singularly upbeat Batman who mingled with Gotham's citizenry in broad daylight. Rather than a brutal vigilante operating outside the law, he was a contracted crimefighter aligned with the authorities. It helped that Batman's traditionally harrowing backstory – declaring an unending war on crime after witnessing the brutal murder of his parents – was mostly brushed under the shag carpet.

After a stuttering start over here – the third season didn't appear on UK screens until 1974 – Batman went on to enjoy a vagabond life in syndication. The show became an unlikely staple on TV-am in 1987 when vital technical crew went on strike and panicked managerial staff needed instant programming. It has also enjoyed notable runs on BBC4 – presumably positioned as a pop-art time capsule worthy of re-examination – and, most recently, on ITV4, where it slots in cosily with the channel's overall vibe of nostalgic action.

Few TV shows have remained so vivid in our shared cultural memory, so it's debatable whether Batman will actually benefit from being available to watch instantly. Perhaps we'll end up pining for the days when the only way to see how the show's cliffhangers resolved was to follow the advice of stentorian narrator, producer and de facto showrunner William Dozier: "Tune in tomorrow! Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!"

Will you seek out Batman on DVD? Let us know below.