After nearly a year and a half, DC’s animated Harley Quinn returns this week for Season 5 on Max. And thanks at least in part to a new setting — that would be Metropolis, instead of Gotham City — the show has a new life to it, feeling as fresh, funny, and emotionally charged as ever. Simply put, the smartest comic book show on TV is back, baby!
There’s a bit of a meta-narrative at play as the show picks up, with Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) in a rut. Gotham City is even more in ruins than usual, but they’re just trying to live their lives, aimlessly wandering the hellscape that is full of ultra-violence. They love each other, and they want to be with each other, but what do two villains turned sort-of anti-heroes in love do when there’s no need for crime, or heroism? Move to another city and start fresh.
Similarly, Harley Quinn the series seemed in a rut in Season 4, hitting the same notes it had been for the previous three seasons (and one fantastic Valentine’s Day special) without necessarily adding anything new to the mix. Perhaps it was the Gotham City setting that was holding it back, but mostly the show seemed to be missing some of the sneaky heart, both in terms of love for the characters and love for the DC Comics lore that characterized the earlier episodes. With former (and now current) showrunner Dean Lorey back in the driver’s seat, the series is as good as ever in Season 5, full of the raunchy humor fans love with a bit of the sharp bite back, a fair amount of surprisingly relatable situations given the comic book settings, and most importantly it’ll suddenly get you choked up again when you least expect it.
It does take a little while to get going, though, as the main cast of the series makes increasingly bizarre excuses to move to the new Metropolis setting. Luckily they are all back. That includes Alan Tudyk’s ridiculous Clayface, who is initially trying to make it with a one-man show and ends up “working” at the Daily Planet. Ron Funches’s down-to-earth (sea?) King Shark now has a litter of baby shark’s, including an unhinged kindergartner whose version of getting the zoomies it to bite off limbs. And most importantly James Adomian’s sublime Bane returns, failing his way upward into a job writing theater reviews for the Daily Planet.
Joining them are Aisha Tyler, the seemingly magnanimous Lena Luthor, who thinks Harley and Ivy will bring exactly the touch of fun Metropolis needs, and Stephen Fry as Brainiac, the season’s ostensible villain who has his own poignant and timely back-story to reveal. Diedrich Bader’s Batman returns, out of costume as a nervous wreck Bruce Wayne dating Lena. Though it doesn’t ignore the whole Batman of it all, Bader makes a whole meal of playing a Bruce very much out of his element for the first time ever.
However, the supporting cast is more supporting than ever before, as the focus of the season stays squarely on Harley and Ivy — with the aforementioned deviation to focus on Brainiac. And the show excels at letting these characters grow, change, and love each other in equal measure. They face adversity and their relationship is tested, for sure. But where a lesser show would have them break up in episode 2, here Harley Quinn takes this as an opportunity to show how a relationship can thrive as the two individuals figure themselves out, individually — and together. Ivy and Harley are the best couple on TV, and that’s present in this season in spades (all 10 episodes were provided to critics for review).
While the future of the series is likely in doubt given the advent of James Gunn’s new DCU, Season 5 shows there’s way more life in Harley Quinn yet. Whether they move to Star City, Coast City, or even New York City next… I’ll be there. The only thing Harley Quinn Season 5 is missing? A little Kite Man. Hell yeah.
Harley Quinn Season 5 premieres January 16, 2025 on Max.
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Harley Quinn Season 5 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first episode of Harley Quinn Season 5 premieres Thursday, January 16 at 3 am ET / Midnight PT on Max. One episode a week premieres after that, leading to the season finale on March 20, 2025.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Harley Quinn Season 5, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, January 16, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 1
- Thursday, January 23, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 2
- Thursday, January 30, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 3
- Thursday, February 6, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 4
- Thursday, February 13, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 5
- Thursday, February 20, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 6
- Thursday, February 27, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 7
- Thursday, March 6, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 8
- Thursday, March 13, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 9
- Thursday, March 20, 2025: Harley Quinn, Season 5, Episode 10 *Season Finale*
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