WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Harley Quinn Season 1, streaming now on DC Universe.

One of DC Universe's most pleasant surprises has been the success of the Harley Quinn animated series. It's been a huge hit, so much so that it's already due back for a second season in April with Season 1 ending on a high-octane note only last week. It shows the confidence of the streaming service, matching the hot reception to the character Kaley Cuoco breathed life into.

With that in mind, it's not that the show's merely excellent, it's hands-down the best series the platform has to offer and it's not even a close race. It stands head and shoulders above the likes of Titans and Swamp Thing and a lot of the reason why has to do with the creative team and cast understanding the essence of the character.

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Now, this isn't to knock series like Titans and Doom Patrol. The former dipped a bit in Season 2 but with ten episodes per season and just under an hour for each, that's a lot of story to take in. Budgets come into play and so forth, so you don't get a consistent product, which we'll be better able to judge when Doom Patrol Season 2 rolls around. It's an issue even Netflix runs into, as does much of network TV. Even Doom Patrol's debut season was highly impressive but it also wavered at key moments, while shows like Swamp Thing didn't pan out at all, though, not for a lack of trying. The point is, these live-action shows can be hit-or-miss but an animated series, well, the service has a lot more room to play with and imagine, which allows it to bring forth the character's true self.

This creative space has been smartly used by showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker to unleash hell with Cuoco adding her own spin to Harley. The themes of sex, violence, murder and just about anything obscene have no restraint on the show, which fits the character from the books. While Margot Robbie has done a decent job in the DCEU, her version of Harley was tempered down and not free like this R-rated one.

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Harley's herself in the series, emancipating from the Joker with profanity and style in spades, and at the same time, ensuring the woman empowerment goes beyond skimpy outfits and running around Gotham with weapons. Sure, it's about action but feminism too, and it's done in an undiluted fashion that you can't get on the big screen as these ladies, Ivy included, take back control. Harley bashes heads in and even attempts to kill her own family just to show there are no holds barred in the series.

And the way the humor is blended in, not sacrificing Harley's story too much for that of the Joker or the Bat, let's just say she has enough time in the limelight to get the audience to empathize with her. Basically, it's a character-driven story and in short half-hour bursts, you get all you need to know about her, as well as about her crew through their antics. This provides a foundation to build on and the powers that be don't have to worry about reshuffling -- something that happened with Titans and Swamp Thing -- because this depiction of Harley is true to the character.

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When the dust settles it's also a well-done tale about family too so there's a lot of heart and soul involved, and it tugs at your heartstrings to see her oppressed, manipulated and inevitably, trying to break a vicious cycle and be a better person. It's relatable, and way beyond criminals and vigilantes. In short, this Harley series is surprisingly grounded as it hits all the emotionally resonating notes you never thought it would have: abandonment issues, abuse of women by men of power, systematic racism and so forth. And with that, you get something way beyond a superhero or vigilante story. Ultimately, the series cultivates a character, good or bad, who you can't help but root for, even against the Dark Knight.

DC Universe's Harley Quinn stars Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk, Rahul Kohli, Christopher Meloni, Tony Hale, Ron Funches, Wanda Sykes, Natalie Morales, Jim Rash, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Alexander and J.B. Smoove. Season 1 is available to stream in its entirety, while Season 2 is slated to release on Friday, April 3.

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