This article was updated on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
If you haven’t been watching “Hazbin Hotel,” you’ve been missing out. The Amazon Prime series appeals to anyone and everyone who has ever identified as a theater kid (whether to the whole world or just that secret place in your heart). The R-rated musical comedy series created by Vivienne Medrano premiered on Jan. 18 with vivid animation, queer-inclusive characters, and unbelievably catchy songs. The show pulled off the largest global debut for a new animated series on Prime Video, according to the series’ official X account. Even though the series already finished its first-season run on Feb. 2, you’ll need to catch up soon because a second season is already in production.
The pilot originally premiered on Medrano’s YouTube channel Viziepop back in 2019, introducing us to Princess of Hell Charlie Morningstar, who’s determined to rehabilitate sinners with her ‘Hazbin Hotel’ before they’re exterminated annually by exorcist angels. After the pilot went viral, A24 helped Medrano and her team finance and develop the project into a series — eventually being bought by Amazon, according to The New York Times.
When my boyfriend introduced me to the pilot, I didn’t think much of it. Charlie had an optimistic, “I have a dream” Rapunzel vibe going for her, and the premise of redeeming colorful, expletive-slinging demons was interesting. But I still wasn’t convinced I was the right age to be watching a cartoon, even if it was geared toward adults. The Amazon Prime adaptation changed everything for me; it revived the theater kid in me.
Truthfully, I wasn’t a traditional “theater kid” growing up, but it’s kind of hard to be when your high school is so cutthroat about it. If the other kids auditioning weren’t going to make you cry, the director of the show certainly was. I promise I’m not an imposter though; I still have one middle school acting credit to my name (that counts right?). Regardless, I love attending musicals, listening to soundtracks, and finding new pop-meets-musical artists on Spotify like Melina KB. (If you haven’t heard of her, you should seriously check out her songs. “Oscar” and “Ex-Girlfriend” are my personal favorites.) My heart stays with songs like “Burn” from “Hamilton,” “The History of Wrong Guys” from “Kinky Boots,” and, of course, “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked.”
“Hazbin Hotel” reminded me that I can still be a theater kid, even if it’s a grown-up one, no matter how much time has passed or how much so-called “experience” I have. If a song can pull you into a story and transform you into a main character taking their moment, it’s magical at any age.
“Hazbin Hotel” brings an all-star cast of Broadway singers and former Disney voice actors including Erika Henningsen (Charlie Morningstar) from “Mean Girls’” original Broadway cast, Alex Brightman (Adam and Sir Pentious) from “School of Rock’s” and “Beetlejuice’s” original Broadway cast, Stephanie Beatriz (Vaggie) from “Encanto” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and Keith David (Husk) known for voicing Dr. Facilier in Disney’s “Princess and the Frog.” Their voices add a richness and undeniable appeal to the series soundtrack.
Now, I know you can have an incredible line-up of talented people and still have a flop on your hands. But I promise that’s not the case here. Let me prove it.
Like anything well-crafted, a worthwhile musical has a recipe of components that hook you from the beginning, hold you through the middle, and leave you touched at the end. You walk away feeling like a different person, and then immediately add every song from the show to your Spotify playlist.
The recipe usually starts with a memorable story, but because I don’t want to give too much away, you’ll have to trust me on that one. The following are the remaining components of a worthwhile musical and how “Hazbin Hotel” delivers on each:
An underdog protagonist you can root for
Even though Charlie is Lucifer’s daughter and the technical “Princess of Hell,” no one takes her seriously. Redeeming sinners is a joke; there are murders and turf-wars and sinners selling their souls to demon overlords every day in Hell. Yet somehow, Charlie has an infectious, unyielding can-do attitude capable of lifting you from your lowest doom-and-gloom mood. Besides her heart of gold, she has the voice of a Disney princess, a smart red suit and black bowtie, and uses real, adult language from time to time — plus she’s queer, which I love.
Lovable side characters
There are SO many of these to choose from. The cast is very well-rounded with many shades of gray; everyone’s a little questionable, a little heartwarming, and a little bit of a baddie (except for Adam, as in Adam and Eve, he’s just a dick). I particularly enjoy Niffty, the one-eyed maid who has an affinity for cleaning, kinkiness, and killing bugs (and that’s not the only thing she kills — gasp). Angel Dust, the four-armed, demon porn star and OG resident of the Hazbin Hotel, and Husk, the winged cat bartender with a hard exterior and teddy-bear center, also have my heart. Don’t even get me started on Sir Pentious who heroically — whoops, spoilers! Sorry…
A dash of romance (or the whole bottle)
Charlie and Vaggie are our main lovebirds. They’re a queer-femme couple, who are the epitome of grumpy-meets-sunshine. But what’s even more adorable is how Vaggie nurtures Charlie’s sunshine spirit. As for other ships, there’s definitely a vibe between Angel and Husk during “Loser, Baby,” and Sir Pentious might just have a shot with Cherri Bomb.
Stuck-in-your-head-worthy songs
The show is packed with a powerful discography of songs that cause you to involuntarily sing into the mirror using your hand as a microphone, using all the expressions your face has to offer. Select songs (“You Didn’t Know” and “Loser, Baby”) have harmonies that scratch that perfect itch in your brain. “Respectless” will make you feel like a real baddie. “You Didn’t Know” will make you feel vindicated when you want to burn everything to the ground. And “Happy Day in Hell” will make you feel like you can do anything. You can find my favorites here (including awesome fan-songs made after the pilot).
The series soundtrack is currently No. 2 on iTunes top soundtracks and No. 10 on iTunes top albums.
“Hazbin Hotel” has all of this with added pizzazz including a kickass villain song courtesy of Alex Brightman (“Hell is Forever”), queer representation (Charlie and Vaggie forever!), shocking reveals (I won’t spoil), a zaddy (Lucifer), and deals with demon overlords. You can see why it’s been confirmed for a second season. There’s so much neatly packed into the eight-episode first season but everything has its place so it doesn’t feel busy or confusing.
The show is definitely adult, so if you don’t like profanity or awesome demon porn stars, this show probably isn’t for you. That’s why it’s for grown-up theater kids. But the message is golden: just because you’ve made some bad choices doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.
Book a room and check-in soon at the Hazbin Hotel. Charlie has plenty of space and always has a smile ready for new arrivals.
“Hazbin Hotel” is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video — free with ads for regular subscribers. Also check out Medrano’s YouTube series Helluva Boss set in the same hellscape.
The character Husk is an anthropomorphic avian cat demon. An earlier version of this article stated he was a raccoon.
Great Article but Husk is a cat, not a raccoon. Just point it out.