Harley Quinn: The Complete First Season DVD Review (Warner Bros)
Harley Quinn is an adult animated television series based off the popular DC Comics villain. The show was co-written/created by Bruce Timm (The Phantom Stranger, Sgt. Rock, Batman: The Animated Series, & Superman/Doomsday) & Paul Dini (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Justice League Action, The New Batman Adventures, & Superman: The Animated Series). It was co-written/produced by Justin Halpern (iZombie, Surviving Jack, $#*! My Dad Says, & Powerless), Dean Lorey (Arrested Development, The Crazy Ones, Major Payne, & Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday), & Patrick Schumacker (Cougar Town, iZombie, The End of the World As We Know It, & $#*! My Dad Says).
It follows the adventures of Harley Quinn’s (played by: Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory, The Wedding Ringer, Charmed, & 8 Simple Rules) after she breaks up with the Joker (played by: Alan Tudyk from Doom Patrol, The Tick, Firefly, & Batman: The Brave and the Bold) & her attempt to join the Legion of Doom. The Legion of Doom includes Bane (played by: James Adomian from Talking Tom and Friends, The Venture Bros., & Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), The Riddler (played by: Jim Rash from Community, Mike Tyson Mysteries, & Reno 911!), Lex Luthor (played by: Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Usual Suspects, & Mo Better Blues), Two-Face (played by: Andrew Daly from Eastbound & Down, MADtv, & Semi-Pro), Scarecrow (played by: Rahul Kohli from IZombie, Supergirl, & Midnight Mass), & The Penguin (played by: Wayne Knight from Seinfeld, Jurassic Park, Basic Instinct, & Space Jam).
She forms her own crew which includes her new best friend Poison Ivy (played by: Lake Bell from Bless This Mess, Childrens Hospital, Boston Legal, & No Escape), Clayface (played by: Alan Tudyk from Tucker and Dale vs Evil, A Knight’s Tale, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, & I, Robot), Doctor Psycho (played by: Tony Hale from Arrested Development, Veep, Batman Ninja, & American Ultra), King Shark (played by: Ron Funches from Jexi, Once Upon a Time in Venice, & Killing Hasselhoff), & Sy Borgman (played by: Jason Alexander from Seinfeld, Jacob’s Ladder, Pretty Woman, & Shallow Hal). Batman (played by: Diedrich Bader from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time, Scooby-Doo & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, & Justice League Action) & Robin (played by: Jacob Tremblay from Doctor Sleep, The Predator, Good Boys, & Wonder) take notice of this new force in Gotham. It takes awhile but the ambitious Harley Quinn ends up achieving her dream of being considered one of the elite supervillains around. She ends up distancing herself from everyone & dealing with more problems with her ex, The Joker. He is looking for vengeance & he wants to prove that his former sidekick doesn’t belong with the best of the best when it comes to being evil. Can she prove herself once again? or Will The Joker ruin her dreams right after she finally achieved them????
Harley Quinn is definitely not for kids. It’s vulgar, dark, & very brutal at times. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this show but I am excited to check out Season Two after reviewing this one because it’s refreshing to see a cartoon for adults especially set in the DC Comics universe. Kaley Cuoco surprised me here, I didn’t have much confidence of her pulling off this iconic role but she definitely did. She has the voice down perfect & she adds a little more comedy to the character. Poison Ivy fans will be happy with this series because it’s damn near her show also. Clayface, King Shark, Sy Borgman, & Doctor Psycho were beyond hilarious in this. I’ve never seen these villains like this before & it was cool to see a different take on them. Alan Tudyk has always been a great actor & his Joker is top notch here. I loved his little rivalry with The Riddler. It was awesome to see Diedrich Bader return as The Dark Knight from his Batman: The Brave and the Bold days. I will say a few of the cast choices for the major characters were really odd but most of them were amazing. The talented supporting crew includes Giancarlo Esposito, Lake Bell, Jason Alexander, Jacob Tremblay, Tony Hale, Ron Funches, Christopher Meloni, J.B. Smooth, & Wanda Sykes. I really enjoyed how they had some smaller or rarely seen characters on this show. It’s loaded with violence, comedy, & lots of action. It’s one of the better animated shows out there right now. It can be seen on DC Universe or a censored version is on SYFY if you want to check it out if you have cable. RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the DVD release from Warner Bros! These 480i (1.78:1) transfers still looks really good for only being released on DVD. I am honestly shocked that this didn’t get a blu ray release. I loved the animation style for Harley Quinn & it features so many DC Comics characters in it. Disc 1 has the first 7 episodes & Disic 2 has the remaining 6 episodes for Season One. It has an English: Dolby Digital 5.1 track which is solid. The dialogue is very clean, all the madness is elevated here, & the music has a nice boost to it. This release has no extras on it. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
