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.
 * 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.
 * 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 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 gand 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.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In this version, Harley and Ivy are directly responsible for Barbera Gordon being inspired to become Batgirl.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clayface is practically channeling William Shatner in every scene he appears.
 * 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.
 * Villain Protagonist: Harley is clearly on the dark side of the moral spectrum here, although most other villains in Gotham are worse.