Harley Quinn Creators Explain Season Four's Showrunner Changes
After Warner Bros. Discovery canceled the Batgirl movie and cut multiple animated shows from HBO Max, fans of the Harley Quinn animated series were nervous about the show's fate. Thankfully, it was announced at the end of August that the show will be getting a fourth season. When the news broke, it was also revealed that Sarah Peters (Workaholics, Master of None, Nathan For You), who has written on Harley Quinn since the first season and serves as a consulting producer, will be elevated to executive producer and serve as showrunner for the fourth season. Recently, Peters along with current showrunners Patrick Schumacker and Justin Halpern, spoke with The A.V. Club about these behind-the-scenes changes.
Halpern and Schumaker will be "taking more of a 10,000-foot view of the series," Schumacker explained. "We will continue to act as advisers and facilitators, and will still be weighing in on the season arc, episode outlines, scripts, voice records, and giving feedback on designs, and cuts. We're very aware of what Sarah has in store for season four, and we're thrilled with what she and the team have planned." Schumaker described Peters as an "incredibly influential voice on Harley since season two."
"The show's tone is super specific, and I love the challenge of mixing emotionally grounded relationships, character-driven jokes, and then also, like, parademons and shit," Peters told The A.V. Club. "Harley may be fighting Superman, but she's thinking about an Instagram caption. That irony is my favorite place to draw stories and jokes from."
Peters added, "My main goal as a writer on previous seasons has been to make Harley and Ivy's relationship honest and relatable ... I believe when we run that kind of arc through high stakes stories and queef jokes, that's when the show's at its best." She continued, "I hope to strike that balance with season four: bringing our amazing fans even more of what they love, as well as exploring new territory of what it means for these two badass superwomen, who see the world very differently, to move forward in their relationship."
Part of why Peters is taking over is so Halpern and Schumaker can expand the Harley Quinn series into spin-offs.
"With Sarah as showrunner, the fans can expect a smooth transition into a new regime," Schumacker explained. "Now she has the chance to spread her wings as leader of an incredibly talented season four writing staff. We are lucky to have a true comedy queen in such a key role."
New episodes of Harley Quinn are released on Thursdays on HBO Max.