Supervillains Unite! HBO Max's "Harley Quinn" Is Back!

"Harley Quinn" is back and more compelling than ever with a brand new third season! There has been an explosion of DC shows and movies over the last 4-5 years, but this show may be the funniest and most oddly heartwarming out of all of them. If you haven't started watching it yet, now is the time!

The show is creatively scripted and has plenty of sharp punchlines. There aren’t many superhero shows that parody the genre this well. Whereas most bad guys in superhero movies try to destroy the world, supervillains in "Harley Quinn" go on public apology tours, set up online accounts to find their perfect superhero match (find-a-nemesis.com was Harley’s website of choice), and attend motivational speakers’ seminars who coach them on how to up their “evil” game. Treating the characters' problems like this creates a refreshing self-awareness that anyone can laugh at.

The voice-acting work is also some of the best in a modern animated show. Through her performance, Kaley Cuoco portrays Harley as impossibly frenetic, hilariously unfiltered, and perpetually annoyed. Her freewheeling, expletive-filled sentiments are given credibility by Cuoco’s fast and blunt tone. The rest of the characters are also voiced well (including the voice talents of Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, Ron Funches, Christopher Meloni, and more), with conversations that feel equally as candid. These things make the dialogue one of the strongest points of the show.

As hysterical as it is, "Harley Quinn" makes room for drama as well. The biggest example of this is the wonderfully complex relationship between Harley and Poison Ivy. Their love for each other slowly evolves from platonic to romantic, yet it’s rock solid from the beginning. The two supervillains make a point to openly express their feelings at all stages of their relationship. When Harley and Ivy joke around, it’s done in the context of a sincere foundation that shows its more serious side when need be. It adds depth to them as individuals and also as a couple.

Few other offerings in the world of DC are so many things all at once. It somehow balances wittiness with being touching. It moves between poking fun at itself and being genuine. It should be watched by anyone who likes supervillains.

New episodes of "Harley Quinn" release every Thursday on HBO Max.