Fans of Harley Quinn who don't already have a DC Universe subscription have reason to celebrate. The first episode of the character's new animated series has been made available to stream online, in totally legitimate fashion, via the DC YouTube channel. The series recently premiered and, seemingly to help promote the release, Warner Bros. and DC are letting fans stream the first episode for free.

DC Universe is a streaming service that launched last year and, as the name implies, is dedicated to all things DC. Harley Quinn is the latest original series to be produced for the service and, like most streaming shows, exclusivity is part of the deal, which helps to drive up subscriber counts. In this case, it seems the company may be trying to tantalize people into subscribing to the service by giving them a little taste of what's behind that paywall. In any event, those who have been curious about seeing Harleen Quinzel in her first solo series would do well to check this out while they can. Odds are, this won't stay free forever.

In Harley Quinn, the DC Comics baddie has finally broken things off with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City in this R-Rated animated series. The show is aimed at adults and also features Poison Ivy, as well as many other heroes and villains from the world of DC.

The cast includes Kaley Cuoco as Harley Quinn. Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, Ron Funches, J.B. Smoove, Jason Alexander, Wanda Sykes, Giancarlo Esposito, Natalie Morales, Jim Rash, Diedrich Bader, Tony Hale and Christopher Meloni also star.

When DC Universe launched, it came with the promise of several original shows, with Titans the first to be released. That was followed by Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing, which was canceled after just one season, to the chagrin of many viewers. Over the past handful of months, Warner Bros. has shifted its strategy a bit, with Doom Patrol season 2 also debuting on HBO Max, which is set to launch next year, and Stargirl, another DC Universe original, also set to air on The CW. One has to wonder if Harley Quinn will end up somewhere else as well in the future. Moreover, it's difficult to imagine a smaller service like this lasting in the long run, with HBO Max set to become the top priority for WarnerMedia in 2020.

As far as Harley goes, we'll also be seeing her return to the world of live-action in next year's Brids of Prey, with Margot Robbie reprising her role from Suicide Squad. Robbie will also appear as the character in director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which is currently filming. DC Universe, for those looking to subscribe, runs $7.99 per month or $74.99 annually. You can check out the first episode of Harley Quinn in its entirety in the YouTube link.