Harley Quinn (TV series)

Harley Quinn is an adult-oriented animated series set in a variant of the DC Universe, which premiered in 2019. Staring Harley Quinn (obviously). The story is a loose adaptation of her solo comic book title, with inspiration taken from Knightfall, No Man’s Land, and a variety of other Batman storylines from the ‘oos comics.

In the main plot, Harley has broken up with The Joker for good, formed her own gang (consisting of herself, Poison Ivy, Dr. Psycho, Killer Shark, Clayface, and Sy Borgman) and is now dead-set on making a name for herself as a unique individual and leader in Gotham’s underworld, not easy to due, as she quickly finds that there’s a “glass ceiling” among such villains.

The cartoon stars Kaley Cuoco (of Big Bang Theory fame) as the title character. It was among the first DC Universe animated shows (along with Young Justice, Titans, and Swamp Thing) available for streaming service, and has a creative team headed by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker and Dean Lorey (who previously worked on the short-lived Powerless.) Its first season premiered on November 29, 2019 and ended on February 21, 2020. Season 2 premiered in April 2020.

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 * Adaptational Villainy: Harley is a character who has gone all the way up and down the Sliding Scale of Anti-Villains, often into true villain territory, but most of the time, she’s regarded as a tragic figure corrupted by the Joker, who in New 52, went so far as to dunk her in the same vat of chemicals that drove him mad. In the 2019 series, however, this origin is changed. Harley’s backstory reveals that she was likely Evil All Along, having been a Yandere towards a boy as early as age 11 (having spent time in juvie for it) and possibly having killed her Alpha Bitch rival in high school. This is finally cinched by Repressed Memories that shows the Joker did not push her into that vat of chemicals - she willingly jumped in, and later rationalized that Joker pushed her in to absolve herself of any responsibility for it. This revelation causes Harley to embrace her dark side and plot to outshine the Joker in notoriety, which has been a major part of the ongoing plot.
 * Affably Evil: Harley, every member of her gang except Dr. Psycho, and quite a few other villains. The biggest surprise is Bane, who seems a very straight example of this Trope.
 * Axe Crazy: Joker, of course, but Queen of Fables can challenge him for title of "most insane killer" here.
 * Also, in a flashback showing when Harley and Poison Ivy first met, Ivy seemed on the edge of falling into bestial rage out of hatred for everyone, the episode strongly suggesting that Harley kept her from going over that edge.
 * Asshole Victim: Most everyone Harley and her gang kills. And seeing as they’re still villains, Harley and her gang count in a non-lethal sense, whenever they end up on the wrong side of a beatdown or humiliation, often doled out by Batman.
 * And I Must Scream: In the first episode of Season 2, Harley is frozen by Mr. Freeze, who gives her to the Penguin to display like a trophy in the Iceberg Lounge. She’s like this for two months before she is rescued, and is just conscious to remember being mocked by the villains when freed.
 * Anyone Can Die: One major theme of the show is that Harley does not have the moral qualms against killing that Batman does, but opposes the same enemies he does, so a lot of times, established DC characters have been murdered, often horribly.
 * Black Comedy Rape: For some odd reason, the fact that Dr. Psycho brainwashed Giganta into marrying him isn't considered as bad as him using the C-word.
 * Bloodier and Gorier: Almost all cases of named characters dying is brutal and bloody, civilians, mooks, and Red Shirts are frequently slaughtered, often with little reaction from the main cast.
 * Denser and Wackier: On the other hand, most of it is Bloody Hilarious violence that Crosses the Line Twice, possibly to the point where you could call the series as a whole a series of Comedic Sociopathy.
 * Bond Villain Stupidity: Rather than killing Harley, the Penguin and the other villains display her frozen form as a trophy.
 * Fridge Logic: This actually makes Mr. Freeze the most Genre Savvy of them all.
 * Character Development: Everyone gets this, even Kite-Man, of all people.
 * Corrupt Politician: A flashback paints Harvey Dent (not yet the villain Two-Face) as this. He promotes use of unethical and illegal methods of security at Arkham because he knows voters would admire a DA who is tough on the inmates, and later orders the police to open fire on the Joker even if they have to shoot Harley in the process, only truly concerned that he'd lose reelection if the Joker escaped on his watch (although at very least, he has enough decency to tell them to stand down once Ivy holds up her hands and surrenders). Harley calls him out with the moniker "Two-Face" for the first time, her way of calling him a hypocrite, which in hindsight, makes his later name an Appropriated Appellation
 * Country Matters: Dr. Psycho uses the word on nationwide TV in reference to Wonder Woman; no surprise there, as he's always been a chauvinist, but Poison Ivy remarks that he is now the least employable person on the planet, while Harley comments that if Psycho had henchmen, they might have advised him to instead use the "B-word". Later, Psycho's inability to keep himself from using the word becomes a Running Gag until Season 2, where he seems to have kicked the habit. Ironically, this is the only cuss word that is bleeped out in the show's dialogue.
 * Good Costume Switch: A variation, as Harley never truly stops being evil. She starts the series still the Joker's "hench-wench" and wears the jester outfit from Batman: The Animated Series. However, after forsaking him, she regards this costume as a slave-garment, and switches to a different outfit with a halter, short-shorts, and no mask, to prove she's her own villain.
 * Very Evil Costume Switch: Harley gets a change of wardrobe again in Season 2 when she pretty much becomes The Dragon to Darkseid herself, getting her own version of Granny Goodness' costume. However, it doesn't last long.
 * Good Is Not Nice: Batman and the Justice League push the limits of what can truly be called “good’. Batman seems to think Harley has crossed the Moral Event Horizon by taking the Batmobile for a joyride. Even worse, in one episode, the League is intent on banishing Harley and her gang to the Phantom Zone for releasing a mob of killer trees without any attempt at due process. (And for the record, the Scarecrow was responsible, Harley and her gang attempting to stop the trees.) At very least, they stand down once Poison Ivy pleads with Wonder Woman to use the Lasso of Truth on her to confirm her story.
 * Hero Antagonist: Batman and the Justice League in this case. Batgirl for much of Season 2.
 * Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Dr. Psycho - a Depraved Dwarf - seems to have a fetish of sorts involving women much larger than he is. He brainwashed Giganta into marrying him and even sired a son before the brainwashing wore off and she left him. (Poison Ivy asks him in one episode how it was even possible.) In a later episode, Poison Ivy drinks some formula that makes her grow to giant size, and Psycho quickly starts gawking at her.
 * If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten: A variation. In season 2, Haley and her crew steal Mr. Miracle's boom-tube device in order to travel to Apokalypse and petition Darkseid for their servitude in exchange for an army. Darkseid considers it, but wants to test Harley's competence as well as loyalty, and thus demands she fight Granny Goodness. (Dr. Psycho was given the same chance earlier, he claims, but this is where he chickened out.) While Harley wins only because Psycho cheats (Darkseid specifically says she has to do it herself and he buffs her using telekinesis) Darkseid doesn't notice, or if he does, doesn't care.
 * Iron Butt Monkey: Harley, definitely. She endures a lot of painful humiliation in her goal to prove herself.
 * Kite-Man is run through the ringer every time he appears, his loyalty to the cast out of love for Ivy one of the most admirable traits in any character.
 * Gordon spends the whole first season a Nervous Wreck, and it gets worse in season 2 as he watches Gotham fall apart, and after wife leaves him, starts to drink heavily. However, midway through, he gets a great deal of support from Barbara, goes on the wagon, and in a Crowning Moment of Awesome, charges into Two-Face's HQ and takes the villain down by himself.
 * Friendly Enemy: Harley seems to be this to Batgirl, in both her civilian and heroic identities. At very least, Batgirl tries to warn her about her father coming for her, but Harley is too Drunk with Power to consider laying low.
 * Friends With Benefits: Harley and Ivy are this, as always, but Harley may have deeper feelings for her; she seems happy for Ivy after Kite-Man proposes, but later shows signs of jealousy and acting out of character; for example placing a photo of Ivy and her fiance face-down on a table while eagerly ranting about how she'll be the greatest villain Gotham has ever seen.
 * Muggle Born of Mages: In this version, Kite-Man, a reason he has "issues" and tries so hard to be a super-villain. His father has ice manipulation powers, and his mother can fly, and both were rather disappointed to have a son with no real powers. They warm up to the idea of him marrying Ivy very quickly when they see she has actual super-powers.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Barbara's attempt to warn Harley that her dad is coming for her only encourages her to expand her goals, petitioning Apokalypse for an army of Para-Demons, which he provides. Then, her attempt to warn her father than Harley is forming an army causes him to form an army of his own. The carnage that follows is only stopped when Harley comes to her senses.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In this version, Harley and Ivy are directly responsible for Barbara Gordon being inspired to become Batgirl.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clayface is practically channeling William Shatner in every scene he appears.
 * Rogues Gallery Transplant: Many villains on the show have previously had little, if anything, to do with Batman. Dr. Psycho is a Wonder Woman villain, and Dr. Trap was from the short-lived Chase comic. Characters like Lex Luthor and Darkseid seem to be clearly in Villain of Another Story territory when they appear.
 * Self-Deprecation: The show has gotten a lot of guff due to Sy Borgman being a stereotypical old Jewish guy, but a quick look at the credits shows quite a few Jewish names among the writers, suggesting this Trope.
 * Slapstick Knows No Gender: In many cases, Harley suffers more indignity from violence than the rest of the main cast. Ivy isn't immune either.
 * This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman: Kite-Man gets this twice:
 * In one episode Queen of Fables uses a magical beanstalk to grab Harley and her crew and send them up to a cloud island where a hungry cyclops is waiting. Having access to a hang glider gives Kite-Man a serious advantage.
 * Kite-Man's mode of transport also becomes very useful when the earthquake destroys Gotham's infrastructure and there's no mass-transit.
 * Through the Eyes of Madness: Possibly the reason for the show's Denser and Wackier content. Similar to her solo series in the comics, the viewer sees it from Harley's side of the conflict, and Harley is clearly nuts.
 * Villain Protagonist: Harley is clearly on the dark side of the moral spectrum here, although most other villains in Gotham are worse.