After almost four years of waiting, the mega-hit web seriesHazbin Hotelis finally set to come to our screens in Summer 2023. Created by animator Vivienne Medrano, who goes by VivziePop online,Hazbin Hotelfollows the Princess of Hell, Charlie, as she tries to make her dreams of opening the “Happy Hotel” a reality. Every year, Hell’s denizens are purged to make way for the next batch of sinners; instead, Charlie wants to rehabilitate them so their souls can ascend to Heaven. The pilot garnered millions of views and quickly established a sizable and dedicated fan base, which soon ledto A24 acquiringHazbin Hotel.
To keep up fan engagement and explore more ofHazbin’s unique spin on Hell, Medrano and her studio, SpindleHorse Toons, created thespin-off seriesHelluva Boss. While the former show focuses on a linear narrative about redemption,Helluva Bossis more episodic and character-driven. The show follows the members of I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals), assassins who take out humans on Earth for their demonic clients, inevitably adding to the glut of sinners Charlie is trying to help. They’re made up of the boss, Blitzo (the “o” is silent), his adopted hellhound daughter Loona, and married couple Moxxie and Millie; each episode sees the team as they complete their missions and, more importantly, get paid.
Both shows are delightfully absurd and grotesque, showing off the immense talent and passion of the teams behind them. There’s no telling what the newHazbin Hotelwill be, but can it outshine the popularity of its own spinoff?
What Are Hazbin Hotel and Helluva BossAbout?
Medrano describedHazbin Hotel in a 2020 virtual panel as a show about “redemption” and “consequences.” At its core,Hazbin Hotelis aboutLucifer’s daughter Charlie trying to drastically change Hell for the better. Charlie andHazbinhave a clear end in sight, and while we’ll certainly see these characters explore the minutiae of their ring of Hell, most of them can’t travel any lower. Conversely,Helluva Bossis meant to show Hell as it is and in greater detail, focusing on interpersonal relationships and building up the world of both shows.
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This starts with the characters Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie, who are all imps, the lowest level of demon, and essentiallyHell’s working class. Their receptionist Loona is a Hellhound, the anthropomorphic dogs that make up the other half of Hell’s lowest social classes. These aren’t people trying to better themselves; they’re just looking to make some quick cash and survive in the literal Hellhole they call home. That’s not to say we don’t see any of Hell’s more powerful demons. Stolas, the owl demon who lends Blitzo his magical grimoire for Earth travel, is a part of the royal Goetia family and thus has extraordinary magical abilities. Each ring of Hell is also lorded over by one of the Seven Deadly Sins, with Asmodeus ruling Lust and Beelzebub ruling Gluttony.
Helluva Boss Shows More of Hell
Helluva Bosssees its characters moving around the variouscircles of Hell a lot. Thus far, we’ve been given a glimpse of at least most of Hell’s circles and the general theme behind them. Wrath, for instance, is a rural area made up of ranchers and farmers with an old West aesthetic. Greed, on the other hand, is an industrial wasteland that houses much of Hell’s criminal underbelly; one of its cities is literally called “Notamafia Town.” Lust is, appropriately, a collection of clubs and bars perfect for hooking up, and Gluttony is a constant party as demons feed their unending desires. I.M.P. headquarters and the Hazbin Hotel are in the Pride Ring, the first and highest ring of Hell where sinners are confined.
Because the sinner demons can’t leave the Pride Ring, it seems unlikely thatHazbin Hotelwill delve deeper into the bowels of Hell. What we can expect to see, though, is a greater focus on Pentagram City where the hotel is located. More than that,Hazbin Hotelpromises to give viewers a better idea of how Heaven and Earth work in this universe.
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The members of I.M.P. travel to Earth regularly, but typically with the specific purpose of killing people; should Charlie or any of her new friends need to make it topside, we might see a gentler side to humanity. And then there’s Heaven, whichHelluva Bosshas only touched on in the C.H.E.R.U.B. episode. From that, we can gather that Heaven has a company like I.M.P. that saves humans instead of killing them and that angels can apparently be kicked out of Heaven. It’s this latter point that’s especially going to play a part inHazbin Hotel, as it implies that Charlie’s plan might not be as far-fetched as everyone assumes.
The Shows Complement Each Other
Hazbin Hotelgave us our first glimpse of Medrano’s bizarre and studieddepiction of Hell, andHelluva Bosshas since greatly expanded it in the interim. In almost every way, the spin-off series has surpassed the original simply for the amount of content it contains.Helluva Bosshas had more time and space to endear audiences to its characters and their stories and does so from a completely independent team.Hazbin Hotel, while still maintaining an independent spirit according to Medrano, will inevitably be different from what audiences expected after falling in love with the pilot. And even if it’s an amazing show, the newHazbinmust also contend with the stylistic and comedic expectations set by the spin-off.
Still, with Medrano at the helm and many of the behind-the-scenes crew staying on from the pilot, we can hope that the two shows will work as companion pieces that build up the world of Hell and beyond.
