I did a full rewatch of Young Justice Seasons 1-3 in advance of the new season that started in October. I highly recommend it. It’s long been one of my favorite shows but it’s always been in a weird limbo. Season 1 got yanked around on Cartoon Network. Season 2 aired inconsistently. It got cancelled and eventually gained an audience on Netflix. Season 3 was a marquee offering for DC Universe streaming which was eventually absorbed into HBO Max. Then Season 4 dropped on HBO Max with no advance notice.
The central story is around sidekicks (“don’t call us sidekicks”): Robin, Superboy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Artemis. Through time skips, we see them grow up and new generations of young heroes emerge. There is a central group of villains with a broad cast of young villains as well. But it’s not villain of the week fare. The result is a huge but well organized cast and complex mature serialized storytelling. It’s a kid-friendly show without being a kids show. Kids probably won’t get all the illusions to sex except a few that are very obvious.
Given the complexity, I knew I should just rewatch before this season but I forgot how much I had forgotten.