The Big Picture

Hazbin Hotel exceeds expectations with its stellar ensemble cast and music, exploring a wide range of genres. The sound design enhances the music and adds depth to the animated world, creating a phenomenal experience. The absence of Cherri Bomb in the first five episodes feels like a significant gap in the story, but her appearance is anticipated later in the series.

Prime Video’s Hazbin Hotel is finally almost here. The adult animated musical series follows the journey of the Princess of Hell, Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), as she tries to save the lives of her people by rehabilitating them in her hotel. The indie pilot garnered millions of views on YouTube, spun off a sister show set in the same universe, Helluva Boss, and created a vibrant following as both became smash hits. These two shows helped set the stage for a renaissance of indie animation exploding on YouTube, with series like Lackadaisy, The Amazing Digital Circus, and Murder Drones finding millions of viewers away from traditional cable or streaming services. However, Hazbin Hotel has made the jump to streaming. After four years of development, how did the series fare in its new home?

To put it simply, Hazbin Hotel was worth the wait. Expectations were heaven-high going in, and they were easily smashed like Sir Pentious’s Eggy Boys, thanks to the showstopping music, stellar ensemble cast, and excellent design choices for the show.

Hazbin Hotel In an attempt to find a non-violent alternative for reducing Hell’s overpopulation, the daughter of Lucifer opens a rehabilitation hotel that offers a group of misfit demons a chance at redemption. Release Date October 28, 2019 Creator Vivienne Medrano Cast Erika Henningsen , Christian Borle , Alex Brightman , Amir Talai Rating TV-MA Seasons 2

The Ensemble and Music are ‘Hazbin Hotel’s Best Qualities

Hazbin Hotel’s talent is gained from Broadway’s best, who bring everything they have to these characters. Sam Haft and Andrew Underberg’s music is a triumph. Each character has their own style of music, from Charlie’s joyous showstoppers to Velvette’s (Lilli Cooper) more hip-hop-inspired songs. From the first five episodes, a wide range of genres are explored, leaving me excited to see what’s next for the rest of the season.

Blake Roman is an instant star as Angel Dust. It’s hard to believe this is one of his first acting credits fresh out of school. His performance is complicated and uncomfortable exactly when it needs to be. While every character pulls strong emotions out of the audience, Angel’s episode is raw and earned. Fans of the “ADDICT” music video should be excited. Roman picks up the mantle of Angel from Michael Kovach and crafts a truly award-winning performance, especially when paired with the legendary Keith David. Jeremy Jordan’s Lucifer also stole every single scene he was in. I did not know what to expect from the King of Hell, but he got the biggest laugh out of me by far.

The sound design is phenomenal, especially with Alastor (Amir Talai) and Vox (Christian Borle). The shifting static of radio and VHS tracking buzz from nostalgic television sets heightened and hinted at their subtextual emotions. It is genius work. The big bursts of distorted voices balanced well with the minute crackling electrical hums constantly around these two characters. Pair it with Haft and Underberg’s music and Alastor and Vox (along with Lucifer) had my favorite songs of the season thus far.

‘Hazbin Hotel’s Story Is Unexpected in the Best Way
Image Credit: Prime, A24, Bento Box

Two of the biggest questions going into the series that I had were how the pilot would be incorporated and what this new Hazbin Hotel is actually about. The pilot episode and the “ADDICT” music video from YouTube are still very much in play. However, the series does an excellent job of covering these entries’ basic groundwork. They’re not required to get into the Prime series, as anyone could jump in just fine. Still, it would be recommended to check out the pilot at least for a fuller picture.

It should also be noted that Hazbin’s sister show, Helluva Boss, is not required viewing either. However, seeing the nods and Easter eggs slipped in for fans to point out and make plenty of YouTube videos was still delightful. The two shows are like a pair of siblings in the back of a car. They share the same space while hovering their hands around each other’s faces, saying “I’m not touching you!”

Fans only knew Charlie’s goals coming out of the pilot, while the rest of the cast was relatively a mystery, especially Alastor’s motives in joining her venture. Five episodes into this series, and the story was not what I was expecting at all. While Charlie’s goal to rehabilitate demons is the core narrative, the subplots are where the juiciest mysteries lie. Alastor is the most delightful enigma that keeps the audience guessing if he’s a friend or an antagonist waiting in the wings. Or both! The first episode clearly lays out the stakes for the following episodes to build upon. While the ensemble’s character development is heartfelt and often hilarious to watch, it is all driving towards what is set to be an exhilarating back half of Season 1.

Where Is Cherri Bomb in ‘Hazbin Hotel?’
Image Credit: Prime, A24, Bento Box

One point that surprised me is the lack of Cherri Bomb in the first 5 episodes. Krystina Alabado picks up the role from Krystal LaPorte and Kelly Boyer, who voiced the character in the pilot and the “ADDICT” music video. While we know from the full trailer that Cherri will show up at some point in the show, this character was featured prominently in prior entries. She is the best friend of Angel Dust, taking care of him in “ADDICT,” while half of the song touches on her backstory. She is also a rival of Sir Pentious (Alex Brightman), battling him for territory in the pilot.

I was under the notion that Cherri was going to be a major player in the overall story. However, when her voice actor announcement came so late, it became clearer this wasn’t the case. It’s not a criticism, per se, and more a surprise I was not expecting. Cherri is a wonderful, positive force in Angel’s life and a thorn in Pentious’ side. With those two being the main residents at the Hazbin Hotel, the lack of Cherri Bomb did feel like a gaping hole in the story.

‘Hazbin Hotel’ Is a Delightful Toe-Tapping Trip to Hell
Image via Prime Video 

Hazbin Hotel outperformed every expectation I had for the series. It builds wonderfully on the groundwork of the pilot and Helluva Boss, driving a truly unique story about redemption while laying out interwoven mysteries. The cast shines, bringing to life creator Vivienne Medrano’s world in something so special. Alastor’s voice actor Amir Talai shared on Twitter that Hazbin’s performances and music were so good that the “Emmys are gonna have a problem.” He’s right. All the award shows better watch out as Hazbin Hotel is coming for them.

Hazbin Hotel REVIEWHazbin Hotel is everything fans could hope for and then some, with a stellar ensemble cast who bring all the wonderful music to life. ProsHazbin Hotel successfully makes the leap to streaming, building upon all that came before while setting out in exciting new directions of its own It explores a wide range of musical genres with ease, giving each character their chance to shine The sound design is phenomenal, enhancing the music and bringing greater depth to this animated world ConsWhile she is set to appear later in the series, the lack of Cherri Bomb in these first five episodes felt like a gaping hole in the story

Hazbin Hotel’s four-episode premiere will be able to stream on Prime Video in the U.S. starting January 19. The season will debut two episodes per week until its finale on February 2.

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