Why So Serious?

The delights of "Harley Quinn," on Max.

- By Inkoo Kang

Batman doesn't get much crimefighting done in the Max animated series "Harley Quinn," a bright-hued, pointedly buoyant riff on a comics franchise that's come to be defined by its shadows. For most of the show's run, Gotham's best-known millionaire orphan has been in a coma, in convalescence, in a swoon over an ambivalent Catwoman, or in prison (for tax evasion, because Batman is nothing if not a problematic fave). The city is up for grabs, and every baddie is eager to make his name. Supervillainy is a kind of stardom, after all; you have to be camera-ready, create a memorable spectacle, and know your competition. Reputation is everything. That's why, when the Joker (voiced by Alan Tudyk) is dumped by his girlfriend, Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco), he's quick to spread the narrative that she's a "crazy bitch," and that he broke up with her. Tired of being seen as a mere sidekick-a cutesy accessory to some guy-Harley sets out to earn her own fame as one of Gotham's premier scoundrels.