One of the most popular characters of DC Comics is none other than Harley Quinn. She's become one of the biggest names in the DC game on the big screen, having been brought to life by Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad. The character didn't make her original debut on the pages of comics or on the big screen, however. Harley was created for Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992. Now, she's poised to return to the small screen in a big way. Harley is getting a TV show of her own on the perfect platform.
The show will be called Harley Quinn, and it will be a half-hour adult animated action-comedy series. The show has already scored a first season order of 26 episodes to air on DC's upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service. Harley Quinn is the third project to be ordered for the DC streaming service, following the orders for a third season of the beloved animated series Young Justice and Titans, which will focus on Dick Grayson as he assembles a team of other superheroes to join him in fighting evil. Harley Quinn is obviously going in a different direction by focusing on a character who is traditionally identified as a villain, despite occasionally dabbling in heroics.
The fact that Harley Quinn will be animated does mean that we won't get Margot Robbie as live-action Harley outside of movies, but she may still be connected to the project. Deadline reports that Robbie is expected to be approached to voice Harley for Harley Quinn. If Robbie does sign on for the series, it should be interesting to see if there are any connections between Harley Quinn and the DCEU. The DC streaming service is obviously presenting different versions of the DC universe, as Titans and Young Justice alone feature different incarnations of some of the same characters. Harley Quinn could easily present a different Harley than the one of the DCEU, even if Margot Robbie is still the one bringing her to life.
Harley Quinn will focus on Harley after she has finally broken up with the Joker for good. Determined to make herself into the "criminal Queenpin of Gotham City," she'll run into (and probably afoul of) notable heroes and villains of the DC Universe. Poison Ivy will be featured. It sounds like the Joker will not be in the mix almost immediately, so it should be interesting to see how Harley Quinn sets Harley up on her own. Since the show will evidently take place in Gotham, it's possible that the Joker will be in Arkham Asylum.
The new show is being written and executive producer by a trio already experienced in DC TV. Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey were executive producers of the short-lived NBC comedy Powerless. Hopefully they'll find more success with Harley Quinn than with Powerless. Its status on a streaming service at least means that Harley Quinn won't be vulnerable to cancellation due to low ratings during live network airings.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in superhero news. For the shows that aren't so lucky as Harley Quinn, check out our rundown of TV series that have been cancelled in 2017.
