12 Other Adult Animated Series Harley Quinn Fans Should Watch Next
Animated superhero shows are pretty much a genre of their own at this point, particularly in the world of DC Comics. While Marvel dominates the live-action sphere, DC is responsible for some of the best animated series of all time. This is true of children's shows like "Teen Titans," as well as adult-oriented shows like "Harley Quinn." The latter show follows the Joker's former psychiatrist and infamous lover/sidekick after she breaks up with the villain. Quinn (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) forms her own superhero team consisting of Poison Ivy, Clayface, and King Shark, among others.
"Harley Quinn" ran for two seasons on the streaming service DC Universe before being moved to HBO Max for its third season. The show has been praised for its fresh take on the character and its LGBTQ+ representation, with Quinn and Poison Ivy's romance taking center stage. It's also beautifully rendered and exceedingly violent in places. Fans and critics have raved about this near-perfect show, which serves as a perfect gateway to the wider world of adult animation.
This animated DC hit shares numerous similarities with several contemporary shows, as well as some that ended long ago but have remained classics of TV animation. We recommend the following shows for "Harley Quinn" fans looking to branch out.
Invincible
Amazon Prime has its fair share of superhero shows, from the edgy world of "The Boys" to more lighthearted fare like "The Tick." However, few shows have been able to capture the superhero genre in both its fun and its darkness like Amazon's "Invincible." This animated show is based on the Image Comics character created by "The Walking Dead" scribe Robert Kirkman. Upon the release of its first season in 2021, "Invincible" was showered with acclaim for its cathartic, bloody action and its commentary on what it means to be a superhero in the modern age.
The show follows teenager Mark Grayson, the son of the most powerful superhero in the world, Omni-Man. When Mark begins to grow into his own powers, he accepts his father as his mentor and becomes involved with an amateur team of young superheroes. However, Mark fails to realize the true purpose Omni-Man has in mind for Earth, propelling the two forces against each other in one of the most intense superhero action scenes you'll ever see.
"Invincible" also boasts an incredible voice cast, including "The Walking Dead" alumni Steven Yeun as Mark, J.K. Simmons as Omni-Man, and Sandra Oh as Mark's mother Debbie. Additional superhero characters are voiced by Gillian Jacobs, Jason Mantzoukas, and Zachary Quinto. Although this show is not for the faint of heart, fans of "Harley Quinn" will no doubt love the brutal comic-book action.
Birdgirl
"Birdgirl" may be familiar to hardcore fans of obscure adult animation, but not everybody has heard of this brilliant show. The character originates from the Adult Swim program "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law," which is itself a spin-off of the animated talk show "Space Ghost Coast to Coast." The show stars Paget Brewster as Birgirl, who in reality is Judy Ken Sebben, heir to her father's law firm, Sebben & Sebben.
Like "Harley Quinn," "Birdgirl" is a modern, feminist story that takes an existing franchise in a new direction. It has certainly earned its place in the Adult Swim canon, with reviewers praising the show for carrying on the legacy of its iconic predecessors with beautifully absurd characters and humor. The show premiered in 2021, and was quickly renewed for a second season, which began airing in June 2022.
"Birdgirl" boasts an impressive cast of comedy actors to complement the marvelous Paget Brewster, best known for "Criminal Minds." Rob Delaney plays Brian O'Brien, the head of human waste at Sebben & Sebben, while "Harley Quinn" cast member Tony Hale lends his voice to the corporation's professional masseur.
M.O.D.O.K.
At Comic-Con 2022, Marvel fans learned that the iconic villain M.O.D.O.K. would be appearing in the upcoming film "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." This news came shortly after the announcement that Hulu's animated series starring the character was canceled after only one season. It came to an early end, but "M.O.D.O.K." remains an interesting anecdote in the history of Marvel television animation.
The show was created by Jordan Blum and comedian Patton Oswalt, with the latter also voicing M.O.D.O.K. himself. It is animated using stop-motion like "Robot Chicken," which fits the premise well. The show follows the mutated self-experiment as he balances losing his job at A.I.M. with his semi-normal nuclear family. M.O.D.O.K.'s daughter (voiced by Melissa Fumero of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine") shares his appearance and wants the approval of her villainous father. It's essentially an animated sitcom, though it still has some notable Easter eggs for eagle-eyed Marvel fans.
Oswalt and Fumero are joined by the likes of Ben Schwartz, Beck Bennett, and Jon Hamm as Tony Stark. In a review, The Hollywood Reporter favorably compared "M.O.D.O.K." to "Harley Quinn" for "its embrace of quirky, cartoonish, oddly relatable villainy." When showrunner Jordan Blum spoke to ComicBook.com about the show not being part of the MCU, he referenced "Harley Quinn" as a "good example" of how animated shows can thrive when unshackled from established movie continuity.
Todd McFarlane's Spawn
Based on his Image Comics character of the same name, "Todd McFarlane's Spawn" (also known as "Spawn: The Animated Series") premiered on HBO in 1997, just months before a feature film about the character hit cineplexes. The movie was panned by critics, but the animated series was well-received and ended up running for three seasons. McFarlane always had reservations about adapting "Spawn," which focuses on a government assassin resurrected as a soldier of Hell. HBO's willingness to let him keep the darkness of the original comics persuaded him to develop the animated show, which is far grittier than the film.
McFarlane pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in superhero-centric TV animation in the late '90s. Despite being animated, his "Spawn" show was just as — if not more — grown up than the rest of HBO's television library at the time. "The very adult animation is surrealistic, the violence disturbing, the erotic overtones abundant, the language oft-profane," Variety said in a review. "It's as dark and complex as anything HBO has attempted in the live-action arena. And visually, it's quite the stunner."
We never got a Season 4, but "Todd McFarlane's Spawn" remains a pinnacle of adult animation. There's been a movie reboot in the works for some time, with Jeremy Renner and Jamie Foxx both attached, but the animated "Spawn" will always be hard to beat, and "Harley Quinn" fans are bound to love it.
Disenchantment
As the creator of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama," Matt Groening is pretty much animation royalty. "Disenchantment," his third animated series, premiered on Netflix in 2018 and offers a satirical take on medieval fantasy. It stars Abbi Jacobson as Tiabeanie Mariabeanie de la Rochambeaux Grunkwitz (commonly known as Bean), a booze-swilling princess who becomes the hero of her home, Dreamland, despite having little interest in being royal. Other voices include Eric André as her personal demon Luci and Nat Faxon as her elf sidekick Elfo.
The show premiered to lukewarm reviews, with many praising the cast and animation style but criticizing the writing. Numerous critics saw it as a mixture between "The Simpsons" and "Game of Thrones," with similar comparisons being made to the "Harry Potter" franchise. However, much like "Harley Quinn," "Disenchantment" gives a familiar world — that of a Dungeons & Dragons-esque fantasy — a modern twist. "Bean represents the version of feminism Jacobson's Abbi personifies on 'Broad City' — as in, she's a normal flawed human making dumb mistakes, who isn't punished for prioritizing having a good time over fulfilling some duty prescribed to her by others," Salon said of the show. It might not match up to Groening's other shows, but "Harley Quinn" fans will find a lot to love here.
Rick & Morty
Even if you only have a passing interest in animated shows for adults, the chances are you've heard of "Rick & Morty," the mind-bending, Emmy-nominated hit from Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. "Rick & Morty" is what happens when you mix Roiland's irreverent humor with Harmon's analytical storytelling. The show stars Roiland as the voices of both titular characters, dimension-hopping mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his neurotic grandson Morty Smith. "Rick & Morty" premiered on Adult Swim in 2013 and was quickly renewed when the network realized it had a potential pop culture sensation on its hands. Five seasons have aired so far, with a sixth set to premiere in September 2022.
The success of "Rick & Morty" has spawned apps, toys, video games, comic books, and even a spin-off series called "The Vindicators." What makes the show such a fan favorite is the fact that there's way more to it than violence and silly jokes. The show "addresses philosophy as earnestly as any science fiction by Jules Verne or Octavia Butler or Philip K. Dick, with the difference that 'Rick and Morty' is less than completely sold on the rewards of earnestness and more than somewhat alive to the pleasures of shock," raved The New Yorker in a review. Every episode offers a colorful thrill-ride that Harley Quinn herself would no doubt love to be on.
Tuca & Bertie
"Tuca & Bertie" is a cult classic in the making. The series premiered on Netflix in 2019, featuring the voices of comedians Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong as the titular bird besties. Steven Yeun, Richard E. Grant, Reggie Watts, and Patti Harrison play supporting roles. The pilot centers on the best friends and roommates facing a crisis when Bertie decides to move in with her boyfriend, Speckle. However, the two end up living in the same building anyway, to the chagrin of Speckle.
The show has been widely praised by critics for the way it blends adult issues with whimsical humor. A number of reviewers have drawn comparisons with the beloved Comedy Central show "Broad City." Despite the positive feedback, Netflix decided to cancel the show after its first season, which resulted in a massive fan campaign to get the show revived. Adult Swim eventually swooped in and rebooted the show for a second season in 2021, and later renewed it for a third, which premiered in July 2022.
"Tuca & Bertie" has also been compared to "Bojack Horseman," but the former show has a more female-centric angle. Like "Harley Quinn," which centers mostly on Harley's relationship with Poison Ivy, "Tuca & Bertie" focuses on the titular best friends and their wholesome — if sometimes codependent — relationship.
Smiling Friends
Zach Hadel gathered a dedicated online following with his Adobe Flash animations on the website Newgrounds long before he teamed with fellow animator Michael Cusack to develop "Smiling Friends." The series centers on Charlie and Pim (voiced by Hadel and Cusack), who work for a company dedicated to making unhappy people smile. The pilot episode aired on Adult Swim in 2020 and became one of the most-watched episodes of any show on their website. The series proper wouldn't see the light of day until 2022, but it was worth the wait — the show was renewed for a second season after a positive response.
"Smiling Friends" is equal parts gruesome, edgy humor and sincere optimism. The highlight of the first season has to be Gilbert Gottfried's cameo as God, rescuing Charlie from Hell after he dies. What makes "Smiling Friends" unique compared to others on this list is its briefness: Each episode runs for roughly 11 minutes, meaning the entire first season can be watched in full in under an hour and a half. Thankfully, Adult Swim has made it easily available for fans to watch on HBO Max, the same service where "Harley Quinn" currently airs.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
In 2020, fans of the "Star Trek" franchise got their first animated series since 1974 in the form of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," which centers on the low-ranking crew of a Starfleet ship. The voice cast includes "The Boys" star Jack Quaid, "Saturday Night Live" alum Noël Wells, and character actor Eugene Cordero. "Star Trek: Lower Decks" premiered in August 2020 and was soon renewed for three additional seasons, with the third dropping in August 2022. The show has been praised by some critics for its satirical take on the franchise, while others have criticized its shortcomings compared to the rest of the "Star Trek" television canon.
Despite mixed reviews, "Star Trek: Lower Decks" has become a worthy addition to the "Star Trek" world, earning comic book tie-ins and mobile video games. At 2022's San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that the cast of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" will feature in a crossover episode in Season 2 of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," utilizing a mix between live-action and animated characters. While "Strange New Worlds" probably won't interest "Harley Quinn" fans that much, "Lower Decks" takes a similarly irreverent approach and will tick a lot of boxes for fans of the superhero show.
Arcane
"League of Legends" is a MOBA video game released in 2009. It quickly became one of the biggest games in international esports and is just as popular to this day. This type of success has naturally led to spin-offs, including the Netflix show "Arcane," an animated series that dropped to rave reviews in 2021. The series stars "Hawkeye" co-lead Hailee Steinfeld as Vi and explores her relationship with her sister Jinx, voiced by Ella Purnell. Both are playable Champions in "League of Legends."
"Arcane" is one of those rare shows that boasts a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The hit show is "a classic in the making" according to IGN, which praised the voice cast — particularly its stars, Steinfeld and Purnell — in a glowing review. IGN also compared the show to "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," which also happens to feature the voice talents of Hailee Steinfeld.
"Harley Quinn" fans will find a lot to love in "Arcane," from its LGBTQ+ themes to its fresh take on a popular franchise. Perhaps the biggest thing that "Arcane" has in common with "Harley Quinn" is the character Jinx, who is essentially the "League of Legends" version of the DC anti-hero. They share the same style and aesthetic, and both are prone to violence when pushed. In an exclusive interview, Ella Purnell told Looper that her voice performance was inspired by Harley Quinn, saying: "Harley Quinn was definitely a great jumping-off point for that. Especially being pretty much the most famous female, violent villain."
Undone
"Undone" is quite a different animated series from the others on this list. The show's animation is accomplished through live-action motion capture mixed with rotoscope technology, resulting in a series that looks vaguely realistic, with some surreal flourishes to accompany the show's more fantastical elements. The first season premiered on Amazon Prime in 2019, with its second airing in 2022.
The series stars Rosa Salazar as Alma, a woman grappling with the loss of her father, played by Bob Odenkirk. She discovers she has the ability to move through time after a car accident and uses it to understand what happened to him. The show also features Daveed Diggs and Constance Marie in supporting roles, playing Alma's boss and Alma's mother, respectively. Angelique Cabral also stars as Becca, Alma's sister, whose conflict with Alma results in her car crash in the first episode.
Following its premiere, "Undone" received acclaim for both its stunning and innovative visual presentation as well as its moving take on grief and a young woman's existential crisis. It's certainly on the more serious side for fans of "Harley Quinn," but it's from the same team as "Bojack Horseman," and its approach to animation and female-centric storytelling should not be overlooked.
Blood of Zeus
A list of shows suitable for fans of "Harley Quinn" wouldn't be complete without something truly bloody and action-packed. That's the best way to describe "Blood of Zeus," an animated series centered on the world of mythical Greece that premiered on Netflix in 2020. The show is produced by the same animation studio behind Netflix's "Castlevania," featuring a similar tone and animation style. It follows Heron, the demigod son of Zeus, who is chosen by his father to lead mankind in a battle to save Earth.
"Friday Night Lights" star Derek Phillips voices Heron, with other voice actors in the cast including Jessica Henwick, Jennifer Hale, and Matthew Mercer of "Critical Role" fame. The show looks and feels like an anime, though technically it isn't — it's produced outside of Japan. Inverse called it "Netflix's best American anime" in its review, praising its "gruesome and gorgeous" animation style as well as the strong writing. "Blood of Zeus" doesn't have much grounding in actual Greek mythology, but it's highly entertaining nonetheless.
"Harley Quinn" fans will find a lot of joy in the show's action sequences, which make most animated superhero projects look dull in comparison. The show has been renewed for a second season by Netflix, with the creators stating that they have plans to make up to five in total. Hopefully, "Blood of Zeus" doesn't suffer the same premature fate as many other Netflix shows.