Even the most casual “Batman” fan won’t recognize Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler, Alfred, in “Pennyworth” — other than his last name gracing the title of this new drama series from Bruno Heller, creator of Fox’s “Batman” prequel series “Gotham.”

That’s because, in the world of “Pennyworth,” Alfred “Alfie” Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) isn’t yet a butler. He’s a twentysomething ex-British SAS officer in 1960s London experiencing recurring nightmares about his wartime service while working as a tuxedo-clad doorman/bouncer in a funky nightclub. Alfie dreams of starting his own private security firm with army pals Bazza (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) and hard-drinking Dave Boy (Ryan Fletcher), a pursuit encouraged by his supportive mother (Dorothy Atkinson) and scoffed at by his cynical father (Ian Puleston-Davies).

That’s the setup for “Pennyworth” — but it’s really only the very tip of the show’s intermittently murky iceberg.

Events are set into motion in the series opener when — and here comes the “Batman” connection — Alfie saves American “financial forensics analyst” Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) and his sister from a bunch of thugs while falling hard for co-worker Esme Winikus (Emma Corrin), a struggling actress with whom he embarks on a romance. Wayne and Alfie exchange business cards and think they’ve seen the last of each other. But after a series of labyrinthian plot points they’re reunited when Esme is kidnapped by the underground Raven Society, which is bent on overthrowing the British government and establishing a fascist utopia. That’s the underlying narrative pulse that will drive this series forward. There’s even an appearance from the “Pennyworth” version of Queen Elizabeth.

There’s more, of course, including a blond-haired baddie named Bet Sykes (Paloma Faith) — who works with Raven Society leader Lord Harwood (Jason Flemyng) — and an East End crime lord, John Ripper (yes, that’s his name), with whom Alfie throws in his lot.

The London portrayed in “Pennyworth” has a slate-gray, dystopian-ish feel to it a la Heller’s “Batman” prequel, “Gotham,” or even Gilead in “The Handmaid’s Tale” — with people, likely criminals, suspended in iron gibbet cages high above street level. I’m guessing this will be explained, or it should be, as the series progresses, as should some of the more arcane plot points. There are also several scenes of graphic violence that would have been better left to the imagination, but that’s a minor quibble.

All in all, though, “Pennyworth” does the job. As the titular character, Bannon (“Medici,” “Endeavour”) is roguish and charming; his British accent reminds me of the GEICO gekko from those classic TV ads, while Corrin et al. provide solid support (the British-born Aldridge does a nice job camouflaging his native accent as the “Yank” Thomas Wayne).

I like the fact that while “Pennyworth” is a distant cousin to “Batman,” there’s nary a superhero in sight. Heller knows this world well, and though it’s far away from “Gotham,” at least geographically, it retains that show’s sense of time and place vis a vis its lore and mythology.

If that floats your TV boat, I’d check it out. Along with “Perpetual Grace Ltd.,” “Pennyworth” gives EPIX a nice one-two punch.