This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.When Harley Quinn first premiered back in 2019 — at a time when the DC Universe still existed in its original form — it felt like a breath of fresh air for comics-based storytelling. It’d be foolish to allow the series’ animated nature to deceive you in any way about its content; the now-Max TV show proved from its very first season that it wasn’t afraid to go there in terms of its humor. From putting goody-two-shoes superheroes on blast to fully embracing a fan-favorite ship in Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), Harley Quinn serves as a perfect example of how to maintain the incredibly high stakes that come with being a supervillain in Gotham while letting its lead exist on her own two feet, prior ties to the Joker (Alan Tudyk) be damned. These days, the former Clown Princess of Crime has actually turned over a new leaf, with several seasons plus a perfect Valentine’s Day special under her belt; at the end of Season 3, Harley decided to give up her chaotic evil ways and commit to a chaotic good lifestyle by becoming an honorary member of the Bat-Family.

Harley’s ongoing struggle between her innate penchant for violence and her desire to do better is what makes up her biggest storyline in Season 4, which sees her teaming up with Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl (Briana Cuoco), Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing (Harvey Guillén) and Damian Wayne, aka Robin (Jacob Tremblay) while Batman (Diedrich Bader) is currently behind bars as a consequence of Bruce Wayne’s less-than-legal activities. Of course, Harley’s instinct to beat up first and ask questions later directly conflicts with the Bat-Fam’s more… honorable approach to vigilantism. It’s an arc that takes her into a new set of surroundings and leads her to face off against many foes she once considered allies, but it also has the consequence of splitting her up from Ivy for a large duration, much to the season’s detriment. Ivy, meanwhile, has her hands full now that she’s been appointed the new leader of the Legion of Doom by none other than Lex Luthor (Giancarlo Esposito), but even so, these girlfriends are forced to make time for each other through their conflicting schedules — and not just because they’re fighting on different sides of the law. When the two are finally brought back into each other’s orbit for some genuinely wacky adventures the likes of which only Harley Quinn can pull off, it’s a pleasing return to the main dynamic that makes this show so great. If only it had happened much sooner…

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‘Harley Quinn’ Season 4 Suffers From Splitting Up Its Main Cast
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By the time Season 4 begins, the accumulation of misfits that once made up Harley and Ivy’s crew are spreading their wings and embarking on different milestones in their lives (as well as careers). For the main twosome, theirs are professional moves that see them taking on potentially conflicting roles as hero and villain — but fortunately, one thing we can rest certain in is the knowledge that Harlivy will always find a way to turn that into an opportunity for naughty roleplay. Beyond that, Clayface’s (Tudyk) career has skyrocketed to superstar heights, and he’s playing sold-out shows that are next to impossible to secure tickets for — even if you just so happen to be an old friend. Big life moves have also happened for King Shark (Ron Funches), too, whose arranged marriage to Tabitha (Mary Holland) has resulted in some happy news: the two are now expectant parents, though King Shark’s impending fatherhood is tempered somewhat by the fact that Tabitha doesn’t seem all that interested in actively co-parenting.

On their own, these individual storylines are packed full of potential — Harley gets a cute new costume as part of her role with the Bat-Fam, Ivy has to grit her teeth and girlboss her way into earning respect at the Legion of Doom, and who doesn’t love the promise of shark babies? — but they have the unfortunate side effect of robbing Season 4 of one of its best group dynamics. It makes sense that, eventually, this gang would pursue divergent paths, many of which lend themselves to some unexpected plot twists, but it does feel like the season is missing some of the inherent charms that made these characters so lovable in the first place. Those moments when Harley and Ivy, or Harlivy and King Shark, or even Harlivy and Dr. Psycho (Tony Hale) share the screen again are welcome, but with only 10 half-hour episodes, nine of which were provided for review, there’s only so much time that can be spared for these types of interactions. Even Harley and Ivy’s relationship, which is a reason to tune in all on its own, is something that has to be juggled amidst so many other narratives, and the scenes in which we do get to see their romance are regrettably few and far in between (until a bigger twist later on in the season demands they work together).

‘Harley Quinn’ Season 4 Is as Irreverent and Surprising as Ever
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One of the aspects where Harley Quinn continues to thrive, however, is in its unapologetic approach to taking superheroes — and, in many instances, DC at large — down a peg or two. It’s one of the few existing properties within the larger universe that never strives to take itself too seriously, and that philosophy extends beyond its main cast of characters. Yes, to a delightful degree, Season 4 absolutely doubles down on the number of Nightwing butt jokes, finding new and frankly impressive ways to remind us that Dick Grayson has always been blessed in the derrière department — and it’s a backside that’s ultimately used to lure out one of Gotham’s most notorious serial killers in an early storyline. With Bruce behind bars, Dick is essentially the new leader of the Bat-Family, and his crimefighting approach clashes with Harley’s impulsive need to smash and batter faces, leading to the two most often butting heads about how best to take down a bad guy. (Surprising absolutely no one, Damian is a bit more willing to accept Harley’s more bloodthirsty methods.)

On the supervillain side of things, Ivy’s dilemmas are all about her finding a leadership style that works — but the male-dominated Legion of Doom is, to put it mildly, resistant to the idea of being ordered around by a woman. The only one who seems perfectly fine with doing exactly as he’s told is Bane (James Adomian), who might partially be on his best behavior because he’s trying to impress Ivy’s new secretary, Nora Fries (Rachel Dratch). But in spite of the misogyny she receives, both less-than-subtle and underhanded, Ivy is determined to not let herself become a mere figurehead, someone Lex Luthor can point to and use as an example of diverse hiring. She has her own plan for Gotham, one that involves plant life and the environment and might seem like an isolated scheme but actually has a direct impact on Wayne Enterprises — and the Bat-Family, whose feats are being secretly funded by the company.

‘Harley Quinn’ Season 4 Introduces Exciting New Characters
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Although Season 4 sends the main cast in wildly different directions at first, it also allows the story an opportunity to bring in some new faces, some intended to shake up certain characters and others whose introduction is simply just exciting to witness. In the wake of Bruce’s arrest, Wayne Enterprises finds itself at the mercy of its interim owner who’s just come breezing into town — or, more accurately, sliding down a rope tethered to her helicopter. Fans of the comics will recall that Talia al Ghul (Aline Elasmar) has her own history with the Caped Crusader, which resulted in one addition to the Bat-Family a long time ago, but apparently, after saddling Damian with his father, Talia has not really kept track of how her son has been doing all these years. When she finally comes face-to-face with the newest Robin, she’s surprised to see him out of diapers, and frequently has difficulty remembering exactly how old he’s supposed to be. But what she lacks in mothering capabilities, she possesses in ruthless business acumen — so naturally, she and Ivy hit it off right away when they cross paths at a brunch for evil ladies. That’s not the only place where Ivy gets to network, as a conference on the moon draws in big names from the bad side of comics, including Starro and Steppenwolf. Meanwhile, as close as Harley gets to the Bat-Family, especially through their financial struggles, maybe it was only a matter of time before she finally met one of Barbara Gordon’s best pals too.

For all that Harley Quinn’s latest season might be lacking, it still knows how to lean into its greatest strengths: guffaw-worthy jokes, cheeky references to Nightwing’s best attributes, and glorious, unadulterated violence. Four seasons in, and there’s no doubt about who these characters are and what they contribute to the greater DC universe, even if their current place in their own world is a little more uncertain. It could be that this greater separation is intended to make the inevitable reunion even sweeter, but fingers crossed that any seasons that follow this one (can we make the case for an infinite number?) don’t lose sight of what keeps us all tuning in. Right now, it’s never been a better time to be a fan of Harley Quinn — especially with a spinoff in the works too — and even though this installment has some narrative fumbles, there’s still plenty of unpredictability that sets up a potentially dynamite Season 5.

Rating: B+

The Big Picture Harley Quinn Season 4 maintains the irreverent humor and high stakes of being a supervillain while exploring Harley’s struggle to do better. The season suffers from splitting up the main cast, robbing the show of its charming group dynamics and limiting interactions between characters. The show continues to take superheroes down a peg, with funny and surprising storylines that poke fun at DC and introduce exciting new characters. Harley Quinn Season 4 premieres with its first three episodes on July 27, exclusively on Max, with the remaining seven episodes airing weekly every Thursday.