The loss of an excellent TV series never truly stops hurting. FromFireflytoBetter off TedtoArrested Development(there is no season 5 in Ba Sing Se), many promising young shows were robbed of their true potential by impatient executives and the Fox network. But perhaps more urgent, if not more tragic, is when a show is stuck in limbo while networks and people in suits decide whether to bring them back for another season. Such is the current case with the truly remarkableHarley Quinn, and executive producer Patrick Schumacker isn’t taking the delays laying down.
Schumacker’s effort came in that most eloquent of thought mediums: the humble retweet. The HBO Max Twitter account made a post saying “Reply to this with a show on HBO Max that you’ve been trying to make a friend stream and tag them. If your reply gets 1 like, they have to stream it.” Channeling the righteous energy of a million scorned nerds, the wily executive producer replied “Harley Quinn. Specially season 3 and my friend is named @hbomax.”
RELATED:Suicide Squad: How Harley Quinn and Her Allies Could ‘Kill the Justice League’
As only the latest of passionate pleas to renew DC’sHarley Quinnfor a third season (including Harley herself musing on how"some d***khead"will probably decide whether to bring it back), Schumacker is as eager as the fans to return to Harley’s messed up vision of Gotham. After season 2 concluded on a shot that could work as either a proper ending or the promise of a continuation, viewers everywhere quickly expressed which of those two they’d prefer.
Everyone fromHarley Quinnseries writer Dean Lorey toGuardians of the GalaxyandThe Suicide SquaddirectorJames Gunnhave expressed their wishes for a third season, so at this point it would kind of just be rude not to. It’s honestly not surprising that the show gained so many loyal fans in such a short time. It almost seems like a perfect storm of talent behind it, with hilarious and snappy writing, a killer voice cast, and more heartfelt character interactions than one could expect in a show where a mumbling Bane carries a coffee mug that says “caffeine is my reckoning.”
WhileHBO Maxhas unfortunately made no statements regarding the future of the series, the fact that it now serves asHarley Quinn’s exclusive streaming home might be reason for a bit of optimism. Even when the show was exclusive to the DC Universe streaming service, it gained tons of fans just from its first season, and when season 2 aired less than 2 months later, the devotion only intensified. Now that a wider audience has access to it, increased ratings may be enough to convince HBO Max to order more episodes eventually.
Whatever happens, and even ifHarley Quinngets 10 more seasons, it deserves better. From the flawless implementation of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl to one episode’s self-aware cold open featuring two obnoxious nerds whining about the show, it boasts a versatility far beyond thealready exceptional core story and characters. So keep asking for season 3, and remember, if it never happens, it’s probably some d***khead’s fault.
