“Hazbin Hotel,” an adult animated musical series created by Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano, took the internet by storm as its first four episodes premiered on Friday, January 19. The show boasts a talented cast of voice actors, including Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls The Broadway Musical, Girls5eva) as Charlie, Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Encanto) as Vaggie, Blake Roman (Harmony The Musical, Blue Bloods) as Angel Dust, and Amir Talai (Family Guy, What to Expect When You’re Expecting) as Alastor, Keith David (The Princess and the Frog, Rick and Morty) as Husk, Kimiko Glenn (BoJack Horseman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as Niffty, and Alex Brightman (Wicked, Beetlejuice The Musical) as Sir Pentious. These actors bring life to the eccentric characters that inhabit the chaotic and vibrant hell of the Hazbin Hotel.
Originally starting as a pilot on YouTube, “Hazbin Hotel” gained immense popularity and support from fans, leading to the production of a full-fledged series. The show’s journey from a passion project to a fully realized series showcases the dedication and creativity of its creator and the fanbase that eagerly awaited its release. The pilot established the world and Charlie’s goal to rehabilitate the sinners in her kingdom due to a yearly extermination led by Heavens’ exorcist angels over Hell’s problem with overpopulation. The pilot debuted on October 28, 2019, with Jill Harris as Charlie, Monica Franco as Vaggie, Michael Kovach as Angel Dust, Edward Bosco as Alastor, Mick Lauer as Husk, Michelle Marie as Niffty, and Will Stamper as Sir Pentious.
The first episode, “Overture,” introduces viewers to the story of how Hell was created, the beginning of time when Earth was created. Charlie, the princess of Hell, dreams of redemption for the lost souls that reside there. After hearing that the Angels would be making a visit to Hell approximately a week after extermination to talk about a proposal. In the meantime, while Charlie is gone, the rest of the main cast work on making a commercial to promote and draw in more sinners to the hotel in hopes of getting redeemed.
In the second episode, titled “Radio Killed the Video Star” viewers are told that Alastor, a demon of very high power dubbed as “The Radio Demon,” has been absent for seven years before coming back to help Charlie with her project. Three overlords named the Vees are informed of his sudden reappearance, with Vox (Christian Borle) the overlord in charge of television and technology, trying to seek revenge on him. Along with that, Sir Pentious is admitted in the hotel, going undercover to sabotage the project and more.
Episode three, “Scrambled Eggs,” takes the audience on a wild journey as Vaggie is put in charge of teaching everyone about trust and forming bonds between one another. Alastor is reunited with old acquaintances, attending an important meeting with more overlords of Hell about the exterminations, revealing that there is a way to kill Angels but it could lead to war. One of the Vee’s, Velvette (Lilli Cooper) the overlord of social media, argues with another about taking charge and fighting against the angels with this new found discovery.
The fourth episode, “Masquerade,” dives into more mature themes, admittedly the most controversial of the current episodes available. Masquerade focuses on Angel Dust, where he is shown to be overwhelmed physically and mentally due to his work with Valentino (Joel Perez) in the adult film industry. There is no room for imagination as it shows Angel Dust’s abuse and use of addiction in order to escape his problems, Husk taking notice and calling him out on it, but in the end trying to help him out with it. Husk tries to tell him that he may not be able to get rid of his problems, but he can lean on support to make it all more bearable.
Notably, “Hazbin Hotel” also spawned a spin-off titled “Helluva Boss,” which follows the escapades of an imp demon named Blitzo (Brandon Rodgers) and his crew as they run a freelance assassination business in Hell, with the second season still ongoing and a potential third.
The release of the first four episodes of Hazbin Hotel marks a momentous occasion for fans who have patiently awaited the show’s debut for almost five years. The combination of stellar voice acting, engaging storytelling, catchy musical numbers, and unique animation style has solidified Hazbin Hotel as a standout in the world of online animated content, and its impact is sure to resonate with audiences for years to come. Hazbin Hotel will be updating every Friday on Amazon Prime Video until the season one finale, with it already renewed for a season two.
