>>150955209
He punched people often, it was just restrained, and obscured if it happened. Off the top of my head: when he punches Thorne's henchman in Twoface 1, the view shifts to behind a catwalk glass. When he punches Mugsy in the Scarface episode, he punches the screen, then there's a flash of light begore he sends him flying. It was very literally "well we're not SHOWING HIM punching anyone so it's okay right? :')"

By STAS and TNBA, they switched to another network and they had already become a critical darling, so they were given more leeway. Joker made his debut on the STAS crossover killing that antique shop guy on screen, corpse and chalk outline and all! And visibly shooting Batman in the arm in the Christmas episode.