Case in point is Beware the Batman‘s take on the DC assassin Deathstroke, which manages to capture the essence of the character while streamlining his overall look. But that doesn’t mean a few cool looks didn’t come out of it.
I don’t know anyone personally who has strong feelings about Beware the Batman, for example. For as much as fans–us included–revere Batman: The Animated Series, Batman-centric cartoons have not fared nearly as well.