Harley Quinn (TV series)

Harley Quinn (TV series)
Harley Quinn is an American adult animated black comedy superhero television series based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. The series is written and executive-produced by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey, and follows the adventures of Harley Quinn and her best friend Poison Ivy after leaving her boyfriend, the Joker. The show premiered on November 29, 2019.
The show has received critical acclaim, with critics praising its animation, humor, dark tone, voice acting, and portrayal of the titular protagonist.
The first and second seasons premiered on DC Universe, before moving to HBO Max for its third season and then Max for its fourth. A standalone holiday-themed special episode premiered on February 9, 2023.
Premise
The series follows the adventures of Harley Quinn and her journey of self-discovery after breaking up with the Joker upon realizing that he never loved her. Harley intends to make a name for herself in Gotham City's criminal underworld, starting with the formation of her own crew, which consists of her best friend Poison Ivy, Clayface, Doctor Psycho, King Shark, and Sy Borgman. During her attempts to prove herself as a competent villain, Harley faces her troubled past, gains self-confidence that helps her abolish the Joker's influence on her, and finds an autonomous identity.
In addition to the adventures of Harley's crew, the main storyline revolves around the relationship between Harley and Ivy. Having met in Arkham Asylum when Harley was Dr. Harleen Quinzel and Ivy's therapist, the two developed a strong friendship that gradually deepened over the course of the series. They eventually realize they have feelings for each other despite Ivy's initial insecurity and her engagement with Kite Man. After a series of misadventures, during which Harley proves her selfless love to Ivy and Kite Man breaks up with her in favor of Ivy's happiness, Harley and Ivy become a couple by the end of season two. Over later seasons, the pair experience what it is to be in a healthy romantic relationship with mutual support, honesty, and self-determination.
As the series progresses, more DC characters gain a bigger role in the story, primarily the members of the Bat Family and members of the Legion of Doom as Harley and Ivy figure out their respective goals regarding those affiliations. Harley realizes she wants to be a hero rather than a villain while Ivy discovers her inner villainess and the true potential of her superpowers. Apart from them, other members of Harley's crew begin to follow their own path, such as King Shark becoming a father and the ruler of the Shark Kingdom, and Clayface, who breaks out as an actor. Most of the seasons also contain a standalone episode that does not feature Harley or Ivy but focuses on one of the supporting characters, such as Joker, Batman, or Bane.
Cast and characters
Main
Kaley Cuoco as Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn, Kylie Kryptonite, Harley Clone
Lake Bell as Poison Ivy, Cheryl, Barbara Kean, Britney Bionic, Fans 1 & 2
Alan Tudyk as the Joker, Clayface, Calendar Man, Doctor Trap, Condiment King, Firefly, Ocean Master, Kevin
Ron Funches as Prince Nanaue / King Shark
Tony Hale as Doctor Psycho, Felix Faust
Jason Alexander as Sy Borgman
J. B. Smoove as Frank the Plant
Briana Cuoco as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl
Giancarlo Esposito as Lex Luthor
Harvey Guillén as Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Alvin
Christopher Meloni as Commissioner James Gordon, Mr. Veronica Cale, Jeffrey the Parrot
Jacob Tremblay as Damian Wayne / Robin
Supporting
James Adomian as Bane, Chaz, Ian, Ratcatcher, Clock King, Nelvin Eckles, Snowflame
Diedrich Bader as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Thomas Wayne, Gorilla Grodd, Steve, No Pinkie Pete
Krizia Bajos as Bethany (seasons 3-4)
Tisha Campbell as Amanda Waller, Tawny Young, Janice, M.O.N.I.C.A.
James Corleto as Benicio
Andy Daly as Harvey Dent / Two-Face, the President, Mister Miracle, Darryl Brown, Mr. Covington, High Owl
Chris Diamantopoulos as Aquaman
Paul W. Downs as The Jons
Rachel Dratch as Nora Fries, Queen Hippolyta
Aline Elasmar as Talia al Ghul, Livewire, Devora Macklewaithe
Keith Ferguson as Steppenwolf, Jonas
Larissa Gallagher as Prawn, Amelie
Sean Giambrone as Joshua Cobblepot
James Gunn as himself
Mary Holland as Jennifer, Tabitha
Tom Hollander as Alfred Pennyworth / The Macaroni, Professor Pyg, Toyman
Michael Ironside as Darkseid
Wayne Knight as the Penguin
Kerry Knuppe as Atlee / Terra
Rahul Kohli as the Scarecrow
Phil LaMarr as Jason Praxis, Black Manta, Lucius Fox, Brian, Samson, Shark God
Sanaa Lathan as Selina Kyle / Catwoman
Ben Levin as Captain Cold
Justina Machado as Bethany (season 2)
Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Giganta, Joey Day
Alfred Molina as Mr. Freeze, Stew
Natalie Morales as Lois Lane
Brad Morris as Victor Zsasz
Matt Oberg as Kite Man, Killer Croc, KGBeast, Fred
Vico Ortiz as Tefé Holland
Edi Patterson as Veronica Cale
Scott Porter as The Flash (Season 2)
Zeno Robinson as The Flash (Season 4)
Jim Rash as the Riddler, Stan, Mr. Isley, Jor-El, Metallo, Tad, Luigi, Gotham City Mayor, Imperceptible Man
Sam Richardson as Alec Holland / Swamp Thing
Will Sasso as Maxie Zeus
Rory Scovel as Gus
Wanda Sykes as Queen of Fables
Jeannie Tirado as Volcana
James Wolk as Clark Kent / Superman
Guest voices
Charlie Adler as Nick Quinzel, Grandpa Quinzel
Cathy Ang as Golden Glider
Eric Bauza as Starro, Bouncing Boy
Leila Birch as Enchantress
Quinta Brunson as Hawkgirl
Lacey Chabert as Dr. Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
Susie Essman as Sharon Quinzel, Grandma Quinzel
Janeane Garofalo as Signora
Brett Goldstein as himself
Meryl Hathaway as Marcus
Josh Helman as George Harkness / Captain Boomerang
Jameela Jamil as Eris
Tom Kenny as Clayface's Hand
George Lopez as himself
Zosia Mamet as Princess Ladyfingers / General Neytiri
Howie Mandel as himself
Frankie Muniz as himself
Suzy Nakamura as Realtor
Griffin Newman as Jervis Tetch / the Mad Hatter
Larry Owens as Music Meister
Rhea Perlman as Golda
Jonah Platt as Clayface (singing voice)
Matt Ryan as John Constantine
Amy Sedaris as Debbie
John Stamos as Etrigan the Demon
Jack Stanton as Young Bruce Wayne
Nicole Sullivan as Mrs. Cobblepot, Benjamin
Billy Bob Thornton as himself
Gregg Turkington as Clegg
Janet Varney as Mera
Rain Valdez as Alysia Yeoh
Kari Wahlgren as Plastique, Elizabeth II
Jessica Walter as Granny Goodness, Wendy Brown
Mark Whitten as Herman Cizko / The Cowled Critic
Gary Anthony Williams as the Shark Priest, Prince Shark, King Baby
Tyler James Williams as Hawkman
Casey Wilson as Betty
Episodes
Season 1 (2019–20)
Season 2 (2020)
Season 3 (2022)
Special (2023)
Season 4 (2023)
Production
Development
On November 20, 2017, it was announced that the then-unnamed DC Universe had ordered 26 episodes of Harley Quinn, a half-hour adult animated action-comedy series created and written by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker and Dean Lorey. Executive producers were set to include Halpern, Schumacker, Lorey, and Sam Register with Jennifer Coyle serving as a producer. Production companies involved in the series were slated to consist of Ehsugadee Productions and Warner Bros. Animation. The first season consists of 13 episodes of the initial 26-episode order. Animation work is provided by NE4U, Digital eMation and Maven Image Platform in South Korea.
In June 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere in 2019. In October, it was further mapped as an October 2019 premiere. It was also reported that Kaley Cuoco would also serve as an executive producer for the series through her production company Yes, Norman Productions.
It was revealed that a second season was produced and consisted of another 13 episodes.
On September 18, 2020, three months after the second-season finale, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season, and would move to HBO Max. In February 2021, series creator Patrick Schumacker announced that they had begun recording season 3.
In June 2021, it was revealed that a planned oral sex scene between Catwoman and Batman in season 3 was cut by DC. It was replaced by a scene of Batman not being good at giving Catwoman a foot massage.
Schumacker stated the third season was more difficult to produce, but it will be much simpler not having to create two seasons back to back. Halpern has stated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that season 3 will explore Harley's reaction to a half healthy relationship with Ivy as well as focusing more on Ivy's backstory as the previous two seasons were mainly focused on Harley. Schumacker said that new writers from the LGBTQ+ community have been hired because of the direction of season 2 and that it is a priority to diversify the staff for season 3. Schumacker also revealed that Dean Lorey would no longer be available to return as showrunner for season 3 and would be replaced by new co-showrunners Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein alongside him and Justin Halpern. Composer Jefferson Friedman revealed there would be a musical episode coming, and also stated that he wanted to refresh the music to give identity for each character. During an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Schumacker stated that his desire was to open season 3 on "an actual Zoom, where the GCPD is just being berated by the city of Gotham for their ineptitude". In February 2021, series creator Patrick Schumacker announced that they had begun recording season 3.
At DC FanDome 2021, Harley, King Shark, and Kite Man previewed some animatic footage from the third season, and announced it would be coming to HBO Max "sometime in 2022".
A comic prequel to season 3 was first released on August 3, 2021, under the title Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour by Tee Franklin (author), Max Sarin (cover art, penciller, inker), and Marissa Louise (colorist), in which Harley takes Ivy on a honeymoon where they face friends they've betrayed, their own feelings about how season 2 ended, and a few villains and heroes along the way. Commissioner Gordon tries to catch them repeatedly, causing Batman and Batgirl to worry about his sanity.
On August 9, 2022, it was announced that a fourth season is in development. On August 31, 2022, HBO Max renewed the series for a fourth season with Sarah Peters promoted to executive producer and showrunner, since Halpern and Schumacker will be busy with Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. On October 7, 2022, it was reported that the series is getting a holiday special called "Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special" which was released in February 2023. The fourth season premiered on July 27, 2023.
Casting
Alongside the series order announcement, it was reported that the producers of the series were expected to approach Margot Robbie, who portrays the character in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), to reprise the role; but this was false. In an interview after the season 1 release, Halpern went on record saying Robbie was kept in the loop, but she was never interested in playing the role since she was filming and producing Birds of Prey at the time. Other characters expected to be featured in the series included Joker, Poison Ivy, Sy Borgman, Doctor Psycho, Malice Vundabar, King Shark, and Clayface.
On October 3, 2018, it was announced that Cuoco would voice Harley Quinn and Lake Bell would voice Poison Ivy. Additional voice actors in the series include Alan Tudyk as Joker and Clayface, Ron Funches as King Shark, J. B. Smoove as Frank the Plant, Jason Alexander as Sy Borgman, Wanda Sykes as the Queen of Fables, Giancarlo Esposito as Lex Luthor, Natalie Morales as Lois Lane, Jim Rash as Riddler, Diedrich Bader reprising his role from Batman: The Brave and the Bold as Batman himself, Tony Hale as Dr. Psycho and Christopher Meloni as James Gordon. Shortly after, Rahul Kohli revealed he would voice Scarecrow in the series. In June 2019, Sanaa Lathan was revealed to be voicing Catwoman, who was depicted as African-American. On July 24, 2019, Vanessa Marshall revealed to be reprising Wonder Woman from Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. While on the following day, TV Guide revealed that veteran voice actor Charlie Adler has been confirmed to serve as the series' additional voice director with Schumacker and Lorey serving as the voice directors. In February 2020, Alfred Molina was announced to be voicing Mr. Freeze. In April 2020, Schumacker confirmed that Michael Ironside would be reprising his role as Darkseid from both the DC Animated Universe and the Lego DC Super-Villains video game.
In June 2021, Sam Richardson was announced as having joined the cast as Swamp Thing. In March 2022, filmmaker–later co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn announced he will voice himself in the show's third season; the showrunners contacted him on Twitter about making an appearance, knowing he was a fan of the show. Gunn recorded his lines remotely, as he was directing his DCEU series Peacemaker in Vancouver, Canada, while season 3 was being developed. That same month, Harvey Guillén was cast to play Nightwing.
Music
Jefferson Friedman composed the music for the series. WaterTower Music released the soundtrack album for season 1 on August 21, 2020. The season 2 album was released on the same day.
LGBTQ representation
In the DC Universe, Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Quinzel) and Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Isley) started as friends. In the comics, Harley and Ivy even referred to each other as "Peanut" and "Pam-A-Lamb". The writers took notice giving them moments of birthday kisses and taking showers together making their friendship more intimate. Harley Quinn's and Poison Ivy's relationship took a turn in Gotham City Sirens when Harley whispers into Ivy's ear that the reason she "saves her" from the Joker is due to her romantic feelings for her, although the scene ends with Harley going back to Joker. It was not until the 2013 Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti's Harley Quinn comic series where they are shown in a romantic coupling instead of friendship. Harley refers to Ivy as her "hot girlfriend" and the two are in an open relationship where they can pursue other partners while remaining dedicated to each other. Outside the main universe, Harley and Ivy even got married in Injustice 2.
In the May 15, 2020, episode "There's No Place to Go But Down" Harley Quinn saved her partner-in-crime, Poison Ivy; both kissed each other after they escaped from prison. One critic who reviewed the episode stated that Harley and Ivy's romance was a "slow burn", adding that this love affair could turn into a "more realistic exploration of how it feels to fall in love with a friend or to have an awkward hookup with a workmate". Another reviewer, Sophie Perry, writing for a lesbian lifestyle magazine, Curve, noted how queerbaiting has long endured in LGBTQ+ representation, noting how She-Ra and Harley Quinn both had same-sex kisses, happening within stories which could have turned out to be "typical queerbaiting" but did not. In another episode, Clayface, a member of Harley's villain crew, was revealed as a gay character who had a crush on a male student.
In June 2020, in an AMA on Reddit, Justin Halpern, co-showrunner of the series, admitted that the show missed subverting the trope of bisexuals being cheaters or prone to infidelity and promised to do better in the third season. Halpern also said, in later comments, that the show takes representation seriously, that both Harley and Ivy had relationships with women before, that Ivy had a crush on Catwoman, and explained how the relationship between Harley and Ivy developed.
In 2021, the series was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The series was also nominated for several awards at Autostraddle's 4th Annual Gay Emmys, in the categories of "Best Episode with LGBTQ+ Themes" for the episode "Something Borrowed," and "Outstanding Animated Series". The trailer for the show's third season, which came out in October 2021, was described as showing that the series is "for the gays".
Release
Harley Quinn premiered on DC Universe on November 29, 2019. On October 3, 2018, ahead of the annual New York Comic Con, a teaser trailer featuring Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Batman in Arkham was released. A full, uncensored trailer set to Joan Jett's cover of the theme song from The Mary Tyler Moore Show was released on July 20, 2019, to coincide with the panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
On December 8, 2019, the first episode was shown as a special presentation on TBS. Season 1 started airing on Syfy on May 3, 2020. The series has aired on Adult Swim in Canada, with new episodes airing a week after their American premiere. The series started airing on E4 in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 7, 2020. The series debuted on HBO Max on August 1, 2020. In the United States, Adult Swim's Toonami programming block aired a marathon of the first season on the night of August 7–8, 2021. On June 23, 2022, the series began airing on TNT. In Eastern Europe, the series became available on March 8, 2022, via HBO Max.
The second season was available to stream on April 3, 2020, on DC Universe.
An original short featuring Harley answering questions from fans was released online during DC FanDome in 2020.
The first three episodes of season 3 were released on July 28, 2022, on HBO Max, with the remaining seven episodes released weekly until September 15, 2022.
The fourth season premiered on July 27, 2023.
Home media
The first season was released on DVD on June 2, 2020, and the second season was released on February 16, 2021, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The first two seasons were also released on Blu-ray by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment under the Warner Archive Collection on February 16, 2021. The third season was released on Blu-ray on September 5, 2023.
Digitally, the first two seasons are also available for digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
Reception
Audience viewership
According to Reelgood, Harley Quinn has ranked among the top 30 comic book TV shows across all streaming services. According to Parrot Analytics, since the pandemic began, the series has ranked among the top 10 most in-demand digital series in five months and ranked as HBO Max's 8th most in-demand series overall domestically.
Critical response
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 website's critical consensus reads, "A strong voice cast and an even stronger grasp of what makes its titular antiheroine so beloved make Harley Quinn a violently delightful—and surprisingly insightful—addition to the DC animated universe." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The second season has an approval rating of 100% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Harley Quinn maintains its frenetic energy and humor while doubling down on the shenanigans and giving its titular anti-heroine even more room to play."
The third season has an approval rating of 100% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Who woulda thought? — Harley Quinn graduates from a ribald spoof into one of the most heartening additions to the DC canon in a diabolically clever and emotionally textured third season." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 94 out of 100, based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The fourth season has an approval rating of 94% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Having settled into one of DC's most dependably entertaining series, Harley Quinn continues to be funny, quirky, and romantic." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Caroline Framke of Variety wrote: "The animation feels like that of a typical Saturday morning cartoon, but its acidic scripts and shocking bursts of gore reminds you that Harley Quinn is taking full advantage of airing on a streaming service without censors. ... Sharp voice performances across the board from actors clearly relishing the chance to play in this world also prove too fun to resist. ... Most importantly, Harley gets to be an entire person all her own, as heartbreakingly naive as she is wickedly strange and funny." Robyn Bahr of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "It's one of the best surprises of the year. ... 13 zippy, violent and irreverent half-hour episodes. ... The writing is frequently uproarious, chock full of Millennial nostalgia and cerebral gallows humor (the former may be low-hanging, rapidly-perishable fruit, but at least the show knows how to embrace its audience)."
Accolades
Comics
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour: A 6-part series set between seasons 2 and 3 of the television series.
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special: A 6 stories one-shot special set after season 3 of the television series.
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats!: A series set after season 3 of the television series, where Harley Quinn joins the Bat-Family, while Poison Ivy becomes Legion of Doom's leader.
Publications
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series Vol. 1: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour (ISBN 978-1-77951-664-0/EAN-5 52499, 2022-08-30): Includes Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour #1–6.
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special (2022-08-30): Includes Tawny Tawks, Double Date, Identity Crisis, Showtime!, Wild Rlde, Two Jokers.
Spin-off
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (formerly Noonan's), a spin-off featuring Kite Man and his current girlfriend Golden Glider, is currently in development for Max. The first season is set to comprise of ten episodes, with Oberg returning to voice Kite-Man. It will be released in 2024.
Notes
References
External links
DC page: HQ2019, HQTASTEBKT2021 , HQTASTRSONGS2022 , HQTASLOB2022
Harley Quinn at HBO Max
2010s American adult animated television series
2010s American black comedy television series
2010s American LGBT-related animated television series
2010s American LGBT-related comedy television series
2010s American superhero comedy television series
2019 American television series debuts
2020s American adult animated television series
2020s American black comedy television series
2020s American LGBT-related animated television series
2020s American LGBT-related comedy television series
2020s American superhero comedy television series
Adult animated television shows based on DC Comics
American action adventure television series
American adult animated action television series
American adult animated adventure television series
American adult animated comedy television series
American adult animated science fiction television series
American adult animated superhero television series
American crime comedy television series
Animated Batman television series
Animated superheroine television shows
Bisexuality-related television series
DC Universe (streaming service) original programming
English-language television shows
Harley Quinn in other media
HBO Max original programming
LGBT-related superhero television shows
American LGBT-related animated television series
Supervillain television shows
Television series about abuse
Television series about organized crime
Television series by Warner Bros. Animation
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television series by Yes, Norman Productions
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