Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray set is essential viewing for DC fans

The current DC cinematic universe has become quite contentious in the past few years, and might just be at a fever-pitch right now as fandom awaits the endlessly-discussed Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut next week. While fans and critics have debated the merits of recent films based on DC characters including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, one of the best comic adaptations ever has been hiding in plain sight — the animated Harley Quinn series, which was initially only available on the DC Universe streaming site (the show is now available via HBO Max).

The complete first two seasons of the incredibly adult and hilarious show are now available as a three-disc Blu-ray set from Warner Archive, making it easier than ever to catch up with this woefully under-seen show.

As the show begins, Harley Quinn (Kayley Cuoco) and her psychotic lover the Joker (Alan Tudyk) are on the rocks after he left her to rot in Arkham Asylum prison for a year. With the help of her plant-controlling BFF Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), Harley manages to escape from prison and begins to plot a way to show up the Joker (or “Mr. J” as Harley refers to him). While Mr. J never took Harley seriously as a formidable villain, she becomes determined to prove her worth as one of Gotham’s prime evildoers in the hopes of gaining a spot in the Legion of Doom and showing Mr. J once and for all how seriously he’d underrated her.

Aimed squarely at adults who grew up on the rich characters of DC Comics and the glory days of 80s cartoons, Harley Quinn has the classic animation style of a Saturday morning cartoon, but with more F-bombs than a Samuel L. Jackson movie. That may sound like an obnoxious combination, but it really works — you can practically hear Kayley Cuoco grinning from ear to ear when recording lines about how Batman fucks bats or going on one of Harley’s numerous profanity-laden rants.

The show features what might be the best lineup of comic actors on any TV show in recent memory, including J. B. Smoove as Poison Ivy’s foul-mouthed talking plant, Ron Funches as King Shark, Jason Alexander as the elderly Sy Borgman, James Adomian as the simpering Bane, and Christopher Meloni, who steals every scene as a frayed to the edges Commissioner Gordon.

The writing on Harley Quinn is also incredibly sharp. Longtime DC fans will get a kick out of the numerous obscure references and the deep array of comic characters the show brings to life, but the true heart of the show is the relationship between Harley and Poison Ivy. Without getting too far into spoiler territory, their true-to-life banter and the queer subtext of their evolving relationship adds a layer of emotional depth to what is otherwise a fairly ridiculous show.

With more straight-up laughs per episode than any sitcom on TV these days, Harley Quinn is essential viewing for DC fans and is one of the funniest superhero adaptations to ever hit the screen. This new three-disc Blu-ray set from Warner Archives brings all 26 episodes of the first two seasons of the show together in a handy package, with a great 1080p video presentation and a room-shaking DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. It’s a shame that there are no extras on this set, but given the high replay value of the show, this one still comes highly recommended.

Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons Blu-ray set is available now.