Screen Rant can exclusively reveal that Harley Quinn is more popular than almost all the Arrowverse. In general, the future of the DC Universe streaming service, home to the Harley Quinn series, is decidedly unclear right now; the platform was a very different venture from more conventional streaming services like Disney+, because the former is a niche product targeted at a very specific fanbase. DC Universe was seen as the home of all things DC, but that position is a lot more questionable given the impending launch of HBO Max. The relationship between DC Universe and HBO Max is still being decided, but there's been intense speculation that the former will wind up absorbed into the latter.
Still, it's important to note that DC Universe has been a tremendous success story. Titans was one of the most in-demand digital originals in the United States, and third party analytics suggest demand actually rose as Titans went on. While other DC Universe shows never reached the same level of interest, they were still popular and dearly loved. That's one reason why the cancellation of Swamp Thing was so unfortunate; it was a good series, with a strong fanbase, and there was a three-year plan in the works.
Screen Rant has spoken exclusively to Parrot Analytics, a data analytics firm who measure online demand for TV shows, and they've revealed Harley Quinn was another success. Incredibly, the show was more popular than almost all the Arrowverse — the sole exception being The Flash, which has consistently been the most popular superhero TV series. This is particularly striking given that all of the Arrowverse shows are currently exploring the consequences of the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event, which should really be keeping viewers glued to the screens.
Here's how demand for the superhero genre looked in February 2020:
- The Flash
- Harley Quinn
- Titans
- Supergirl
- Arrow
- Legends of Tomorrow
- Batwoman
- Gotham
- Black Lightning
- Agents of SHIELD
In fact, Harley Quinn was the fourth most popular digital original in February, coming behind cult favorites Stranger Things, The Mandalorian, and The Witcher. It actually beat demand for Lucasfilm's The Clone Wars and CBS' Star Trek: Picard, a remarkable accomplishment.
On reflection, though, there's a sense in which this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The Arrowverse shows typically play the superhero genre straight, but superheroes are now so mainstream there's an interest in a more satirical, deconstructionist approach; that's been key to both Netflix's The Umbrella Academy and Amazon Prime's The Boys. Harley Quinn was essentially a love-letter to the utter insanity of superhero universes; its humor came just as much from things like the media covering the relationships between superheroes and supervillains like celebrity romances as it did from the inclusion of Z-list supervillains like Calendar Man.
Warner Bros. has renewed Harley Quinn for a second season, which will premiere on Friday, April 3, 2020. This speed is possible because Warner Bros. had originally planned to release the first season in August 2019, but it had been pushed back; the delay meant animators had already been working on season 2 for months before it was officially announced. Whatever decision is ultimately made about the future of DC Universe, Harley Quinn and her fellow DC villains can face tomorrow with a smile on their faces.
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