History WesternAnimation / HarleyQuinn2019

''Harley Quinn'' is an adult-oriented animated series based on the Creator/DCComics character [[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn of the same name]], developed by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey (''Series/{{Powerless}}''). Loosely adapting the ComicBook/New52 run by Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner, it stars Harley Quinn (Creator/KaleyCuoco) after she has split from ComicBook/TheJoker (Creator/AlanTudyk) for good and sets out to become the new queenpin of Gotham. Joining her are her best friend ComicBook/PoisonIvy (Creator/LakeBell), their fellow supervillains Clayface (Tudyk), King Shark (Creator/RonFunches), and Doctor Psycho (Creator/TonyHale), and her landlord Sy Borgman (Creator/JasonAlexander).

* DisabledLoveInterest: Vixen's girlfriend Elle walks with crutches and a lower-extremity prosthesis on her right leg.

* DensierAndWackier: While it does have its occasional serious moments, the show is far more zany than other Batman properties, leaning heavily into BlackComedy.

* AnAesop:
** "Nobody ever gets the relationship right the first time, what's important is that you're honest with each other about what you want in it".
** "There is such a thing as being too nice to each other, being too nice can often result in dishonesty and projections of idealism". [[spoiler: Ivy did care for Kite Man and genuinely had feelings for him, hence why she initially chose to stay with him because he was trying to do the right thing for the both of them. However, she was taken aback when Kite Man spoke of desiring to start a family with her and this was a massive hint to Kite Man that Ivy wasn't as committed as he was to the relationship and chose to break up with her.]]

** Batman's memories shown in "Batman Begins Forever" include a scene of him [[Film/BatmanTheMovie carrying a cartoon bomb past a group of nuns]] and [[Film/BatmanReturns fighting an army of mind-controlled penguins with rockets strapped to their backs]].

** The second episode has Bane guess that the Dallas Cowboys have won the most games at Gotham Stadium, only to be corrected that it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it’s primarily a MythologyGag to the third Nolan film where the Steelers played Gotham’s team, it’s also a potshot at the Cowboys who have infamously gone nearly thirty years without having advanced to the Super Bowl as of the 2020s, let alone having won a ring.

** Commissioner Gordan gets this in season 3 after running for mayor of Gotham and picking Two Face as his campaign manager leads to [[spoiler: Joker running for mayor against him but being willing to give up his political ambitions when Two Face threatens Joker's stepson. Seeing that ''Joker'', of all people, was being a better person than he was led to Gordan dropping out of the election]].

* GirlyBruiser: The star protagonist evokes this with her baseball bat and tights. Blugeoning people and being adorable. One example being when she finished off Penguin in "New Gotham" and innocently asked her crew if they could go get coffee.
-->'''Harley:''' Can we go get coffee?

** In episode 9 of season 1, Lex Luthor turned down the Joker's request for funds to build a tower in his own image, telling the Joker to "bake the cake" first. The Joker darkly promised to do so, and made good on his promise to do so in the penultimate episode of season 1.

->'''Harley:''' No way! It's got comedy, action, incredibly gratuitous violence, and unlike that [[Characters/DeadpoolWadeWilson Deadpool]] cartoon, it's actually coming out!

It was one of the first original series to be announced for DC's streaming service Creator/DCUniverse, alongside ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010 Young Justice: Outsiders]]'', ''Series/{{Titans|2018}}'', and ''Series/{{Swamp Thing|2019}}''. After two seasons on DC Universe, it was announced in September 2020 that the show would be moving to HBO Max (now referred to as Creator/{{Max}}) for its third season, as a result of the former's planned rebranding as a digital comics reader without the streaming video component. Season 3 released on July 28, 2022. Season 4 released on July 27, 2023.

* TakeThat: "Two Jokers" shows a photo of the deceased third Joker who was once friends with the other two featured in the story, whose design is a clear parody of Creator/JaredLeto's version of the character from ''Film/SuicideSquad''. After looking at the picture, Joker #1 quips "Thank God that asshole's dead."

** Harley's niece Jenny and nephew Nicky are omitted due to her brother Barry dying before he could have children in this continuity.

** Harley's niece Jenny and nephew Nick are omitted due to her brother Barry dying before he could have children in this continuity.

** In the comics, Harley has a daughter by the Joker who's being raised by her sister, and her brother is an adult with kids of his own. In the show, Harley has neither a sister nor a child, and her brother died in childhood, and the Quinzel family is portrayed much differently overall.

* JokerImmunity: The Joker himself may have this, by the skin of his teeth, but no such assurances are made to other characters in the DC canon, [[spoiler:as Scarecrow finds out after getting his face melted off and his head exploded.]]