When it comes to the most exciting upcoming DC television series, I would imagine that the majority of fans’ lists are topped by Colin Farrell’s villainous return for HBO’s The Penguin. And that’s perfectly fine, since the Batman spinoff is absolutely incredible. But let’s not forget everything else arriving later in the 2024 Fall TV season and the 2025 premiere schedule, such as Harley Quinn’s fifth season.
It’s now been more than a year since Kaley Cuoco and Lake Bell were heard voicing the slightly villainous lovers Harley and Poison Ivy in Season 4, though the duo did pop up for a cameo appearance in the similarly excellent Kite Man: Hell Yeah spinoff. Fans are eager to witness the aftermath of the explosive finale “Killer’s Block,” which nearly broke the moon and introduced the Gotham City Sirens.
Speaking with ComicBook.com, co-creators and executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker revealed new details about the biggest change coming to Season 5, though they were unable to speak to exactly when audiences will see it hit streaming. Here’s how Schumacker introduced it:
There's been a teaser that's been presented at Comic-Con so I don't think I'm saying anything out of school when I say a lot of the show this Season 5 takes place in Metropolis. Harley and Ivy decide to spice their relationship up with a change of scenery.
Max & Co. may have first clued fans in on Season 5’s location change at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, but it came without very much additional context. But it sounds like Harley and Ivy won’t just be taking a sabbatical in Superman’s hometown, and the creative team will explore an idea that has definitely bounced around in my brain a lot as a longtime DC Comics reader: why is Gotham City treated so harshly compared to Metropolis?
Here, Justin Halpern explains that the impetus behind the setting switch is a way to explore the stark differences between the Man of Steel’s Metropolis and the Caped Crusader’s Gotham City.
I can say we were very interested in the idea that Metropolis is always this like, beautiful shining city on the hill and Gotham just is, you know, a cesspool and that it almost feels like Gotham is subsidized for Metropolis's gain. So, we were interested in that idea.
Given the ribald and over-the-top way Harley Quinn explores just about every element of Batman’s mythos and beyond, I can only assume the show will skewer the two metro areas’ social and economic situations with an equally sharp and cutting approach. And I can’t wait for them to tackle how wildly varied the cities are shown and described on the page.
Very rarely do DC writers give Gotham City any kind of glitz or glamor when detailing the Bat-Family’s adventures, and it’s usually only when Bruce Wayne has to attend galas and charitable events that readers get to see the nicer parts of the city. By and large, the stories take place in danger-filled areas populated mostly by villains, from Crime Alley to the Narrows to myriad sewer tunnels.
On the flip side of the comic coin is Metropolis, which is so often portrayed as a “city of tomorrow” that Superman keeps safe from apocalyptic threats. A place where even the most infamous big bad, Lex Luthor, is a mega-billionaire whose actions often aim to make the city that much more advanced than other places. I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence that Superman has to leave Metropolis to save so many other places, all while his home stays largely free from the grit and grime that plagues Gotham City.
I cannot wait to see where things go next for Harls and Ives when Harley Quinn Season 5 premieres on Max, with episodes rumored to be debuting before the end of the year.
