Get ready to return to a Metropolis like no other—Harley Quinn is back! The fifth season of Max’s queer animated series premieres today, January 16, and it’s gayer than ever.
Harley Quinn has always put queer storytelling front and center, chronicling the evolving romance between Joker’s ex-girlfriend and the green-thumbed ecoterrorist. Season five, however, takes things to new heights. Fleeing Gotham for Metropolis, Harley and Ivy seek to rekindle their relationship and rediscover themselves. Along the way, the series tackles themes like same-sex couples navigating work-life balance and breadwinning dynamics.
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The show’s fearless queerness is matched only by its gleeful disregard for the DC Universe’s usual rules. Bruce Wayne has retired the Batman persona to focus on self-care. The Riddler and Clock King are happily jogging together as a gay couple. King Shark is raising a brood of shark babies. In this take on the DC world, anything is possible.
Despite its irreverence, Harley Quinn handles its central romance with surprising depth. Harley and Ivy’s move to Metropolis marks a natural progression for a couple trying to keep their spark alive amid the chaos. While Brainiac is the season’s main antagonist, the real stakes lie in how these two antiheroes navigate love and identity. It’s heartfelt, hilarious, and unmistakably sapphic.
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Harley Quinn season 5 episodes will be released on Thursdays at 12am PT/3am ET on Max, starting Thursday, January 16.