Harley Quinn (TV series)

Did You Know?

• A spin-off series, Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, premiered in July 2024.
• A standalone holiday-themed special episode premiered on February 9, 2023.
• A comic series titled Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour is set between seasons 2 and 3.

Premise

The series follows Harley Quinn after she breaks up with the Joker, realizing he never loved her, and her journey of self-discovery. She aims to establish herself in Gotham City's criminal underworld by forming a crew that includes Poison Ivy, Clayface, Doctor Psycho, King Shark, and Sy Borgman. As she tries to prove herself as a competent villain, Harley confronts her troubled past, gains self-confidence, and sheds the Joker's influence. The main storyline also revolves around the relationship between Harley and Ivy, who met in Arkham Asylum when Harley was Dr. Harleen Quinzel and Ivy's therapist. Their friendship deepens, and they eventually realize they have feelings for each other, despite Ivy's initial insecurity and engagement to Kite Man. By the end of season two, Harley and Ivy become a couple after Harley proves her selfless love and Kite Man breaks up with Ivy. Later seasons explore their healthy romantic relationship and the growing roles of other DC characters, including the Bat Family and the Legion of Doom. Harley begins to want to help people, while Ivy discovers her superpowers' potential and develops a social conscience. Other crew members pursue their own paths: Clayface becomes an actor, King Shark becomes a father and ruler of the Shark Kingdom, and Psycho starts a self-help podcast. Most seasons include a standalone episode focusing on a supporting character like Joker, Batman, or Bane.

Production

On November 20, 2017, DC Universe ordered 26 episodes of the series, created and written by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey. Executive producers included Halpern, Schumacker, Lorey, Sam Register, and later Kaley Cuoco through her production company Yes, Norman Productions. Jennifer Coyle served as a producer. Production companies were Ehsugadee Productions and Warner Bros. Animation. The first season consists of 13 episodes of the initial order. Animation work was provided by NE4U, Digital eMation, and Maven Image Platform in South Korea. A second season of 13 episodes was produced. On September 18, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season and moved to HBO Max. Recording for season 3 began in February 2021. A planned oral sex scene between Catwoman and Batman in season 3 was cut by DC and replaced with a scene of Batman not being good at giving Catwoman a foot massage.

Release

Harley Quinn first hit screens on DC Universe on November 29, 2019. A teaser trailer dropped on October 3, 2018, just before New York Comic Con, and a full uncensored trailer featuring Joan Jett's cover of The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme debuted on July 20, 2019, during San Diego Comic-Con. The premiere episode aired as a special presentation on TBS on December 8, 2019. Season 1 began airing on Syfy on May 3, 2020. In Canada, the series aired on Adult Swim, with new episodes a week after their U.S. debut. It started on E4 in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 7, 2020. The show arrived on HBO Max on August 1, 2020. Adult Swim's Toonami ran a marathon of the first season on the night of August 7-8, 2021. TNT began airing the series on June 23, 2022. In Eastern Europe, it became available on HBO Max on March 8, 2022. The second season streamed on DC Universe on April 3, 2020. Season 3's first three episodes were released on HBO Max on July 28, 2022, with the remaining seven rolling out weekly through September 15, 2022. Season 4 premiered on July 27, 2023, and season 5 on January 16, 2025. The first season came out on DVD on June 2, 2020, and the second on February 16, 2021. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the first two seasons on Blu-ray under the Warner Archive Collection on February 16, 2021. Season 3 hit Blu-ray on September 5, 2023. Digitally, the first two seasons are available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.

Reception

Harley Quinn has received critical acclaim since its release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 89% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The critical consensus states that a strong voice cast and grasp of the titular antiheroine make the series a violently delightful and surprisingly insightful addition to the DC animated universe. On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim. The second season has a 100% approval rating based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10, and critics noted its frenetic energy and humor. The third season has a 100% approval rating based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10, and critics described it as a diabolically clever and emotionally textured addition to the DC canon. On Metacritic, the third season scored 94 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim. The fourth season has a 96% approval rating based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10, and critics called it funny, quirky, and romantic. The fifth season holds a 94% approval rating based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10, and critics stated the series continues to grow, love, and kill its way to audiences' hearts. According to Reelgood, the series has ranked among the top 30 comic book TV shows across all streaming services. Parrot Analytics reported that since the pandemic began, it ranked among the top 10 most in-demand digital series in five months and was HBO Max's 8th most in-demand series domestically.