HAZBIN HOTEL Season One
A damned good time
UK/US Prime Video, streaming now
Creator Vivienne Medrano
Cast Erika Henningsen, Stephanie
Beatriz, Alex Brightman, Keith David
EPISODES 1.01-1.08 Like Hazbin
Hotel’s protagonist, Princess Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), this animated show is just so damn loveable. It’s the creation of Vivziepop, aka Vivienne Medrano, a Youtuber who set up a Patreon to fund the pilot on which this traditionally produced series is based.
Lucifer’s sweet daughter is keen to make the best of Hell itself, and opens the titular hotel as a place for condemned souls who seek redemption. Despite being Hell’s royalty (and only girlfriend Vaggie having any faith in her abilities), she believes that no one is beyond saving and seeks to keep hope alive.
This proves a challenging sell to a crowd surrounded by blazing infernos who are being intermittently terrorised by angels, led by the douchey Adam (yes, of Adam and Eve fame).
It’s all very silly, packed with jokes about demons doing porn, gratuitous swearing, and Keith David singing about how it’s okay that they’re all a bunch of losers. At times, the show borders on chaos, with pacing so frantic that it can be challenging to absorb the dialogue and plot points before another musical number is launched. But Hell’s inhabitants are revealed to have rich backstories, from addiction to abuse, even if most of their dialogue still consists of roasting Charlie and making jokes about bodily fluids.
A plethora of dick jokes aside, the show is more than just shock value, with vivid, crisp animation, moral ambiguity and tunes that legitimately slap. Episode six contains an unexpected reveal, but it’s not until the finale that Hazbin really shows what it’s capable of, bringing together giant musical numbers, spectacular violence and one hell of a plot twist.
The most hellish thing about watching this show is now having to wait for season two.
Leila Latif
Hazbin Hotel is the first animated television show from independent arthouse production company A24.
It’s all very silly, packed with jokes about demons doing porn