What do you get when you cross a deranged ex-criminal, humanoid plant and patchwork of eccentric characters enough to make your head explode? ‘Harley Quinn‘ has been lauded within the genre of adult animation since debuting in 2019. Balancing comedic foundations, plentiful DC comic book references and delivering a hilariously bizarre narrative that encourages audiences to indulge in an unseen side to the crazed psychiatrist.
Kaley Cuoco (‘The Big Bang Theory’) continues to voice Harley Quinn with an unapologetically relentless energy, juggling insanity-fuelled adventures with romance in the villain-turned-anti-hero’s titular outing, who was previously most recognizable for her emotionally traumatic relationship to the Joker (Alan Tudyk). Breaking away from the outdated gimmick as Joker’s love-sick sidekick has allowed the giant-mallet wielding character to flourish, of which much praise can be attributed to the continuing success of this solo series.
Debuting in 2019 on HBO Max, the series instantly received stellar recognition for a rich inclusion of exciting lesser-known villains, yet Harley’s loveable crew from past seasons, King Shark (Ron Funches), Clayface (Alan Tudyk) and Bane (James Adomian), all return in the fifth instalment. Reinventing DC favourites like Batman, Superman and Catwoman into outlandishly goofy and unrecognisable versions of themselves separates the HBO Max release from other more serious DC projects, infusing a breath of fresh air into the animated series. All whilst being voiced by an illustrious cast given creative freedom to deliver obscure performances, ensuring a continuation of the famously bizarre, but not unwelcome, theme heading into Season 5.
Since Margot Robbie’s (‘Barbie’) portrayal of the Clown Princess of Crime in David Ayer’s controversial ‘Suicide Squad‘ (2016), the character’s live action film debut, Harley Quinn has risen the ranks within the DC brand, largely thanks to the academy award nominee’s performances. Whilst the iteration featured within the animated series is different from the DCEU, there are plentiful call-backs and references to this universe that deliver generous laughs. Such moments occasionally poke fun at the now dead and buried Snyderverse, resulting in sensationally viral one-liners and goofs. If nothing else, at least the DCEU’s short comings can be recognized through comedy.
Season 5 finds Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) evolving their relationship by moving to Metropolis, the famed city of Superman (James Wolk). A yearning to reform and wave goodbye to Gotham’s crime-ridden slums ignites a fire within Harley. Yet despite her well-intentioned efforts to change, she consistently finds herself in the midst comically blood-soaked trouble, tarnishing such attempts. Whilst often stemming from her own actions, being left with King Shark’s chaotic children, stuck in Bane and Clayface’s theatre nightmares, or encompassed in a Wayne murder-mystery doesn’t help. Along this irreverent journey of self-discovery, Harley and Poison Ivy uncover sinister threats from Lena Luthor (Aisha Taylor) and Brainiac (Stephen Fry) that threaten Metropolis and must be stopped.
Fans of the series thus far will expectedly embrace the environment change, of which equally establishes an accessible onboarding point for newcomers. Prior seasons possessed a looming threat of stagnation, but thanks to creative brilliance, the work around to involve Metropolis injects a spritely energy in the series, just on the cusp of narrative fatigue. In a cinematic landscape where superhero products are churned out in pursuit of fast financial freedom, ‘Harley Quinn’ continues to shine, being a passionate project designed to deliver a refreshing and comedically mature series, without crossing the ‘cringe’ threshold. Harley’s series possesses a brilliantly vibrant momentum that will leave audiences itching for the next weekly release.
Given that episode runtimes are relatively short, averaging around 23 minutes, ‘Harley Quinn’ manages to pack in boisterous amounts of amusement and character surprises that never distract from the broader narrative. Holding a rapid pacing that remains present throughout, an episode of season 5 is the visualisation of drinking a triple espresso on an empty stomach. For some this may be overly extravagant, but feels incredibly consistent with the personality established previously by seasons 1-4. Admittedly, a reluctance to provide heftier episode lengths impedes the series from delving into profound storylines with emotional depth, applying a self-imposed narrative limitation that prevents the series being an adult-animation titan.
Some critics may perversely roll eyes at the absence of indulging viewers in tales with a deeper meaning, or a character arc poised as a metaphor for criminal reform. But frankly, that doesn’t fit here. Not every series requires a Shakesperian level of depth to be deemed successful in achieving visual escapism. Just as not all art requires an existential meaning forcing audiences to rethink their ways. Sometimes simple fun, moulded into the form of Saturday morning cartoons for adults, is enough.
For the sake of a well-balanced review, one might critique the ambitionless animation style that has grown somewhat stale in the show’s fifth year. Whilst not inherently terrible, it feels unsatisfactory as the episodes roll on, rarely providing a visual outlet that matches the blazingly wild imagination of the writers. Admittedly, ‘Harley Quinn’ isn’t the lone sufferer of such criticism from online audiences, with the DCU’s ‘Creature Commandos’ (2024) and Prime Video’s ‘Invincible’ (2021) also falling within this category recently. The future of many DC projects is still unknown following James Gunn’s introduction of the DCU, but perhaps reinventing the wheel could provide the series with a further longevity that may be otherwise limited.
Overall, ‘Harley Quinn’ is a splendidly insane example of what occurs when writers, actors and showrunners are given creative freedom and trust from studio heads. Showcasing an almost-perfect ability to encapsulate viewers in its Saturday morning cartoon vibes, the series will be long remembered for infusing a nostalgic-like magic within each episode, whilst still exploring the deep-pocketed lore of beloved (and lesser-known) DC characters. Viewers will find themselves adoring Harley’s incessantly quick-witted remarks, yet finding the increased limelight on side characters equally as interesting. Life span of the series may raise future cause for concern, but there’s no doubt it’s had a blisteringly successful run.
‘Harley Quinn’ Season 5 releases weekly on Max from January 16
