Television series

Harley Quinn

Name: Harley Quinn
Genre: Comedy, Action, Crime
Released: 2019
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Ron Funches, Alan Tudyk, Alan Tudyk

Harley Quinn is a brilliantly nasty adult animated comedy about a chaotic antihero clawing toward independence and crime-lord status in Gotham. It's violent, filthy, hugely funny, and anchored by a genuine love story between Harley and Poison Ivy. For anyone who wants DC villains to be messy, complicated people instead of poses.

TVMaze rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy irreverent, fast-talking animated comedy that treats superhero lore as a playground and rewards sharp, profane writing and gleeful genre-mashing.

Skip it if you want the classic DC tone, or you tire of crude jokes and gross-out humour, since the show leans into both constantly and rarely pauses to be gentle.

What it asks of you: Each episode runs about twenty-five minutes and moves at a brisk clip, so you can binge a lot quickly, though the density of gags means you need to keep your attention on the screen.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Deadpool2016

Self-aware, fourth-wall-breaking violence wrapped in razor-sharp comedy about a desperate antihero building their own life. Same irreverent energy, same willingness to make you laugh at things you shouldn't.

But The hyperactive tone can exhaust rather than entertain. It mistakes shock value for humor more often than Harley Quinn does.

Doom Patrol2019

DC's misfits and grotesques allowed to be genuinely strange, funny and tragic at once. Deeply weird characters doing weird things with real emotional stakes underneath the chaos.

But Uglier and slower than Harley Quinn, with stretches that lose the thread. Takes itself seriously in ways that don't always land.

Undone2019

Rotoscope animation, surreal comedy, a woman unraveling her own story, phenomenal voice work. That same willingness to let female characters be strange, difficult, and totally alive on screen.

But Meditative and deliberately paced where Harley Quinn is a screaming sprint. The comedy is wry rather than explosively crude.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Harley Quinn

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

BoJack Horseman2014

Both center on a flawed woman finding genuine love while refusing to become redeemable. Both use animation to show interior life that live-action would flatten.

Animated comedy about a terrible person in a terrible industry learning to live with themselves. Relentlessly funny but also genuinely tragic. Harley Quinn shares its belief that broken people deserve full interiority.

But Crushingly sad in episodes that seem designed to hurt. The comedy thins as the show deepens, and the final seasons are more grief than laugh.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)2020

Live-action Harley in full chaos mode, violent and comedic in the same breath. Cathy Yan's film gets what the show gets: Harley as a real person underneath the absurdity.

But The plot is thinner than tissue. Relies heavily on style and Margot Robbie's energy to carry it, which works until it doesn't.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) poster

Homeland2011

The Boys explores what happens when you give villains agency and complexity. Sharp satire with a body count and genuine menace lurking under the comedy.

But Far darker and more brutal than Harley Quinn. Less fun, more genuinely unsettling. Violence has actual weight.

Arcane: League of Legends2021

Gorgeous animation, characters on opposite sides of a conflict who are both right and wrong, tremendous voice acting. The energy of good people in a bad system, redrawn for epic stakes.

But A different animal entirely—prestige television wearing a game license. Slow build, gorgeous but solemn. Not funny the way Harley Quinn is funny.

Invincible2021

Adult animation that swings between comedy and genuine horror. Deconstructs the superhero genre with real consequences and characters you come to love fiercely.

But Frequently extremely violent in ways that aren't cartoonish or cathartic. The humor is thin on the ground and the darkness can feel relentless.

Scavengers Reign2023

Gorgeous, strange, utterly original sci-fi animation. Dangerous world, misfits adapting, visual storytelling that rewards attention. Proof that adult animation can be art.

But Slow, contemplative, and demanding. Not a comedy—far more interested in dread and wonder than laughs. The pacing will test your patience.

Primal2019

Caveman and dinosaur, no dialogue, pure visual storytelling. Violent and beautifully made. Shows what animation can do when you strip everything away but image and movement.

But Silent and brutal. No jokes, no relief, sometimes hard to follow. The minimalism is the point, but it's not for everyone's evening.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners2022

Both romanticize the outlaw lifestyle with complete sincerity. Both show female characters finding love and identity outside legitimate systems. Both make you feel the cost of the choice.

Anime about young grifters in a dystopian megacity. Gorgeous and brutal. Harley Quinn's romanticism about beautiful violence and partnership plays out here with anime's particular gift for style and heartbreak.

But Relentlessly dark and doesn't end well. Anime-specific visual language takes adjustment. Only ten episodes, which feels like a promise the show can't keep.