Full disclosure: I thought that Birds Of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn) was just fine. It was enjoyable, even if I still believe that it wasn’t the right Harley Quinn movie to make. The movie didn’t give Harley much of a soul. She largely screwed up while the other ladies got things done. There’s some value there, but this clearly did not resonate with the larger DC audience. Further, Harley didn’t reckon with being a terrible person; she simply lucked into a girl gang with no personal journey to be witnessed. In the end, she ditched them, and there was never any acceptance from her about why Joker was a bad (and abusive) boyfriend. It all rang hollow. In contrast, the DC Universe Harley Quinn series does propel the supervillainess into authentic personal transformation. It’s also getting away with being gleefully profane and absurdly violent, and it does all of these things in breezy, 23-minute episodes.
Well, Harley Quinn has done well enough for DC Universe that they fast-tracked a second season, which arrives on April 3 — a little more than four months after the first season — that will help comic book fans through this time of social distancing. And as the trailer shows, this show’s got the combination of momentum, along with heart and sass, to feel real underneath the animation. We’ve got a hefty amount of Harley (Kaley Cuoco) teaming up once again with the real-talking Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). Their genuine connection is palpable (and it’s the team-up that fans have wanted to see), even if one ignores the hand holding. Further Harley’s fully in charge of her current gang, including Bane, Mr. Freeze, King Shark, and the Riddler. Catwoman shows up, we’ve got the promise of more profanity and raunchiness.
Oh, and there’s an ice vagina.
An ice vagina, folks. We are pushing into bold new frontiers, alright.
It’s important to remember that, like most streaming services, DC Universe keeps numbers close to its sleeve, so we don’t know how many people watched this show’s first season. However, the service has shown that they’re willing to cut bait with shows that don’t work, like James Wan’s Swamp Thing, which received an immediate axe without ceremony. So it says a lot that DC Universe is running hard and fast with Harley Quinn, and Stargirl (starring Joel McHale as Starman) is set for a May 11 arrival.
Further, DC Universe is understood to be very pleased with the outwardly popular Titans, and they’re still pushing ahead with Doom Patrol and Young Justice: Outsiders. Beyond those shows, the service is also prepping an ensemble series (DC Universe All-Stars) to come, along with an anthology series called Bizarro TV. It’s safe to say that while the streaming wars shall continue, the time is right to capture at-home eyeballs, and DC Universe is seizing that opportunity.
