Quinn-tessence

There was no reality in which I was ever going to subscribe to the DC Universe streaming service. (And apparently, I was not alone in this, as it has now contracted into a comics subscription service and handed off all its programming to HBO Max.) But at least a couple of my comic-loving friends did try it, and made a point of telling me that if I was going to try just one of the DC shows, Harley Quinn was the one.

I was, needless to say, profoundly skeptical. The DC movies had been more misses than hits with me, with Suicide Squad (the first movie to include the character of Harley Quinn) an especially big miss. I had even soured on the few DC shows I'd been watching on the CW; after years of watching The Flash and Supergirl, I gave up both last season and haven't missed either even a little. But I'm somehow going to like a half-hour cartoon starring a character I care nothing about, voiced by Penny from The Big Bang Theory?

No. I'm going to love it.

Harley Quinn is irreverent, hilarious, gleeful entertainment. As far from the relentless "grimdark" of the DC films as you could possibly get, the show is colorful, playful, and exciting. It's as enjoyable as a melt-in-your-mouth dessert while actually including meaningful character growth, story arcs, and slick action at the same time. It's frankly miraculous, and if the execs at DC had half a brain, they'd hand the keys over to the creative team behind this show immediately. (Instead, they made them sweat a bit over whether they'd get renewed -- like all their other shows had been -- before finally announcing a third season.)

The show is emphatically for adults, with extreme violence that's somehow over-the-top, necessary, and artistic all at the same time. The language is R-rated and foul in a way no superhero blockbuster outside of Deadpool is ever allowed to be. And it effortlessly juggles being crass, feminist, escapist, and fun in equal measure.

The cast could not be more perfect. Kaley Cuoco is brash and engaging as Harley Quinn. Lake Bell is fantastically dry as Poison Ivy. Alan Tudyk brings his VO chops to bear on the Joker and a DC Universe character I'd never heard of who is now my absolute favorite: Clayface. Tony Hale as Doctor Psycho, Jason Alexander as Sy Borgman, J.B. Smoove as Frank the Plant, Ron Funches as King Shark, Matt Oberg as Kite Man.... each is more delightful and funny than the last.

And the recurring cast is equally exceptional. Diedrich Bader, Rachel Dratch, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Ironside, Wayne Knight, Christopher Meloni, Alfred Molina, Jim Rash, Wanda Sykes... the list goes on and on and on. And the way the show uses their characters is always inspired. A sad sack Commissioner Gordon, an impossible-to-take-seriously Bane, a childish Batman (and a literally childish Robin). It feels to me like this show does for DC what Lower Decks was doing for Star Trek -- poking fun in a loving way.

I would happily watch the two 13-episode seasons of Harley Quinn again, right now. I'm eagerly looking forward to the third that's now been green-lighted. Harley Quinn makes me grin ear-to-ear the whole time I'm watching it... except when it's making me laugh out loud. I give it an enthusiastic A. It. Is. Great.