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Helluva Boss

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Helluva Boss
Promotional Poster
Genre
Created byVivienne Medrano
Written by
Story by
  • Vivienne Medrano
  • Brandon Rogers (S2)
  • Adam Neylan (S2)
Directed byVivienne Medrano
Voices of
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes19 (including pilot) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerTimothy Cubbison
Producers
  • Vivienne Medrano
  • Austin Snyder
Editors
  • Vivienne Medrano
  • Nico Colaleo (pilot)
Running time11–30 minutes
Production companySpindleHorse Toons
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseOctober 31, 2020 (2020-10-31) –
present
Related

Helluva Boss is an American adult animated musical comedy web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., a company in Hell that offers hitman services in the realm of the living. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019,[1] while the first episode of the first season was released on October 31, 2020.[2] Set in the same fictional universe as Hazbin Hotel,[3] the show is produced by SpindleHorse Toons. The first season was released exclusively on Medrano's YouTube channel,[4][5] as she has done for other animations.[6][7] The second season premiered on July 30, 2022.[8] On March 27, 2023, the show was confirmed to be renewed for a third season, in active production.[9] On April 26, 2024, a spin-off short series of Helluva Boss titled Helluva Shorts was announced at LVLUP Expo, with the first short being released on the same day.[10]

Premise

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The series follows the employees of I.M.P (Immediate Murder Professionals), an imp-run assassination company in Hell, on their many different jobs.[11][12] The members of I.M.P include Blitzo (pronounced "Blitz"), the boss of the venture, along with weapons specialist Moxxie, powerhouse Millie, and receptionist hellhound Loona. With the help of an ancient book obtained from Stolas, a Goetial demon of Hell, they access the human world to complete their tasks on order from souls in Hell.

The show features a different cast of characters and a different storyline than Hazbin Hotel, another show created by Medrano, despite taking place within the same universe.[13] As Medrano described it, while both shows share the same setting, Helluva Boss follows "characters and societies that already exist in Hell", with the main focus being on interpersonal relationships between characters, while Hazbin Hotel is about redemption and consequences.[14][15]

Voice cast

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Main article: List of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss characters

Main

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Recurring

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Guest

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Season 1
Season 2
Helluva Shorts

Episodes

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Further information: List of Helluva Boss episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
PilotNovember 25, 2019 (2019-11-25)
187October 31, 2020 (2020-10-31)October 31, 2021 (2021-10-31)
1June 24, 2023 (2023-06-24)[a]
212[17]July 30, 2022 (2022-07-30)TBA


Production and release

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The pilot of Helluva Boss was cast by voice actor Kellen Goff and voice directed by Medrano and Rick Zieff. In June 2019, Medrano stated that she was working with Erica Lindbeck, Brock Baker, and Brandon Rogers on a "new project".[18] The company Horseless Cowboy assisted Medrano with voice work during the first season, with Richard Horvitz and Medrano voice directing.[19] Lucas Bermudez of Screen Rant attributed the success of Hazbin Hotel as the sole reason for Helluva Boss being greenlit.[20] At some point, Rogers asked Jinkx Monsoon to voice a character in Helluva Boss, but Monsoon wanted to voice "stock characters" instead, so they did so, voicing various background and one-off characters in the show's first season.[21]

On November 25, 2019, the pilot was released on Medrano's YouTube channel.[22][23] Medrano contributed her writing and animation skills to the episode. Writing production for more episodes began in December 2019, with 8 episodes ordered.[19] In August 2020, the recording for the first eight episodes of season 1 was completed, and Lucas Bermudez of Screen Rant predicted that more episodes of Helluva Boss would be released to YouTube "as a web series" because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[20]

On October 31, 2020, the first episode of season 1 was released. In the episode, Rogers and Horvitz return as Blitzo and Moxxie, and while Lindbeck returns as Loona, she is replaced by Vivian Nixon as the voice of Millie. Baker was replaced by Bryce Pinkham as Stolas. Guest stars of the episode include Monsoon, Mara Wilson, and Maxwell Atoms. On January 31, 2021, the third episode of the series was age-restricted by YouTube.[24] In response, entertainment site Newgrounds offered to host an uncensored version of the episode and promote it with "a front page banner", something which Medrano expressed interest in.[25] The episode's age restriction was lifted the next day.

In September 2021, Medrano spoke on a virtual stage at the Animation Exposé of the Ottawa International Animation Festival about creating Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.[26][27] She was joined by Bryan Dimas, the associate producer of development at Warner Bros. Animation and co-director of a group called LatinX in Animation.[28][29]

In February 2022, the official Helluva Boss Twitter account stated that the season one finale would be out "soon" but that it was taking longer than expected, and noted that season two was in production.[30] On June 3, 2022, the Helluva Boss Twitter account released an update after the final episode of season 1 was delayed, and the series would instead be moving forward with season 2. The original season 1 finale was released a year later on June 24, 2023.[31] The second season premiered on July 30, 2022.[32] The series has included celebrities such as Kesha, Norman Reedus, Mara Wilson, Alex Brightman, and others as guest stars.[33][34] On March 27, 2023, the show was confirmed to be renewed for a third season, in active production.[9] On May 25, 2023, Medrano stated that the series was planned to be "a very set 4 season story".[35] On July 31, 2023, VivziePop posted titles for the upcoming episodes for season 2 on Twitter.[36]

LGBTQ+ representation

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Helluva Boss has various LGBTQ+ characters, specifically Moxxie, who is bisexual, and Blitzo, who is pansexual.[37][38] Another character, Stolas, is queer due to his relations with both men and women.[38][39] The episode "The Harvest Moon Festival" introduced the character Sallie May, Millie's sister, who was confirmed on the show's official Twitter account to be transgender,[37][38] and by her voice actor to be lesbian.[40]

In June 2024, the official Twitter account for the series shared an image for Pride Month which featured Asmodeus, Chaz, Beelzebub, and Blitzo wearing clothes resembling the pansexual pride flag, Loona and Moxxie wearing clothes with bisexual pride flag colors, Stolas and Fizzarolli wearing clothes with gay pride flag colors, Octavia and Mammon wearing clothes with asexual pride flag colors, and Sallie May wearing clothes with lesbian pride flag colors and sitting on a trans pride flag.[41]

Reception

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Helluva Boss was met with critical acclaim for its animation, characters, voice acting, songs, and humor. In December 2019, in an article about the current state of adult animation, CBR animation critic Reuben Baron stated that, while the pilot episode of Helluva Boss has garnered "warranted criticism" because of its "edgy" humor, it is still a "clear labor of love from an animation standpoint".[42] Another reviewer, also for CBR, Morgan Shaunette, described the series as "underrated", said that it is a "twisted take on the workplace comedy", and called it a "helluva strange ride".[43] Tito W. James' of Comicon.com stated that demons having access to a portal that connects to the human realm "adds a new dynamic and is ripe for narrative potential".[44] Jones also said that he was impressed with the quality of the series and stated that "other animated adult comedies should take notes".[45]

Margaret Troup of the Iowa State Daily stated that there are "multiple musical numbers in each episode", similar to Animaniacs and Family Guy, and although the second episode was more serious than previous episodes, there were still plenty of "laughs and raunchy jokes".[12] The same was said about the show's third episode, which one reviewer said had other types of humor like "fourth-wall breaking and blink-and-you-miss-it sight-gags".[46] Zoe Dumas of MovieWeb argued that the series has "emotionally complex" characters, a talented and musical voice cast, and "outstanding" animation.[37] Dumas also argued that the series is "more episodic and character-driven" than Hazbin Hotel, while complimenting the latter.[47] Joshua S. Mackey for Into praised the series for having "three different queer main characters".[38]

Fandom

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Animation Magazine reported that the pilots of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss had been, collectively, viewed over 65 million times by October 7, 2020. It referred to Helluva Boss as "wildly popular" and an "overnight sensation".[48] Others called the series a "YouTube hit".[26]

In February 2021, Medrano told Insider that Helluva Boss remains independent of Hazbin Hotel, stating she intends to keep it that way "as long as the audience wants to keep seeing it", adding that she has "a plan for where the story goes and ends". It also states that she has "carved out a niche for adult animation on the platform".[24] In 2023, scholar Ben Mitchell described the series as "sensationally popular" and an effective use of Patreon to subsidize the show's art "through monthly tiered payments".[49] Zoe Dumas of MovieWeb described the series as a "wild success" with a "superb voice cast".[37]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2020 Ursa Major Awards Best Dramatic Series Helluva Boss for "Murder Family" and "Loo Loo Land" Nominated [50][51]
2021 Helluva Boss Won [52][53]
2022 Helluva Boss for "The Circus" and "Seeing Stars" Nominated [54]
2023 Streamy Awards Subject Award – Animated Helluva Boss by VivziePop Won [55][56]
2024 Queerty Awards Best Web Series Helluva Boss Won [57][58]

Notes

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  1. ^ The final episode of the season was delayed and released in 2023, during the airing of the second season.[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Short, Dan (December 18, 2020). "Helluva Boss". Animated Views. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  2. ^ Vivziepop (November 1, 2020). Helluva Boss - Murder Family // S1: Episode 1. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Medrano, Vivienne (January 31, 2024). Hazbin Hotel Live Q&A with Cast. VivziePop. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "'Hazbin Hotel' Creator and Horseless Cowboy Team on Devilish 'Helluva Boss'". Animation World Network. October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. ^ James, Tito W. (November 3, 2020). "Watch The New Helluva Boss Episode 'Murder Family'". Comicon.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  6. ^ eloiseedgington (March 23, 2020). "7 Animators That You Should Get To Know". Domestika. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  7. ^ Troup, Margaret (November 2, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' creator releases new episode of spinoff series 'Helluva Boss'". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Llewellyn, Tom (July 31, 2022). "The Iconic Helluva Boss Is Finally Back And Season 2 Goes Viral Almost Instantly". HITC. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Streamily.com Presents: The Helluva Boss Live Autograph Signing (17:30)
  10. ^ Mullinax, Hope (April 27, 2024). "'Helluva Boss' Gives Fans One "Helluva" Surprise at LVLUP Expo". Collider. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "Helluva Boss (2019) directed by Vivienne Medrano". Letterboxd. November 14, 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Troup, Margaret (December 10, 2020). "'Helluva Boss' creator Vivienne Medrano releases second episode of her spinoff series". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  13. ^ Pearce, Steven "SP" (August 12, 2020). "Hazbin Hotel". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020. Also set in the same universe is Helluva Boss (2019), a short (11 minutes) animated web-film.
  14. ^ Crusch, Marley (December 13, 2020). "Hazbin Hotel Panel Recap". Bubble Blabber. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Ketchum, Kate (April 22, 2023). "10 References To Naruto In American Cartoons". CBR. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Medrano, Vivienne [@VivziePop] (June 21, 2023). "I think it's safe to say we can FINALLY bring you all Helluva's original 8th episode this SATURDAY ✨❤️ I can't wait to have this one out! Thank you for the patience and understanding 💖 205 will be right around the corner too! 😈 lots of #HelluvaBoss fun this summer!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 27, 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Vivienne Medrano 💖 [@VivziePop] (May 23, 2023). "There are 12 episodes this season! 💕" (Tweet). Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Medrano, Vivienne [@VivziePop] (June 14, 2019). "Today was an absolute dream!! I'm insanely thankful to have gotten to work with @RichardHorvitz! @ericalindbeck and @BrockBaker & I'm thrilled to finally hint at this new project I've been cooking up with the help of the incredible @BrandonLOVESYOU - !! y'all ain't ready 😈 ❤️" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ a b "'Hazbin Hotel' creator Vivziepop teams with Horseless Cowboy on devilishly twisted 'Helluva Boss'". Skwigly. October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Bermudez, Lucas (August 12, 2020). "A24 Is Bringing Controversial Demon Cartoon Hazbin Hotel to TV". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  21. ^ Jankowski, Andrew (February 5, 2021). "Drag Queen Jinkx Monsoon Talks Getting Married in Portland and New Career Moves". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Troup, Margaret (August 12, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' picked up as a full series after fans petition". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  23. ^ Kachel, Brendan (June 30, 2023). "'Helluva Boss' Season 1 episodes ranked". Flayrah. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Asarch, Steven (February 3, 2021). "A cartoon demon musical drew in 53 million YouTube viewers. The creator of 'Hazbin Hotel' says she couldn't have predicted its success". Insider. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  25. ^ Newgrounds [@Newgrounds] (January 31, 2021). "We'd love to host the uncensored version and promo with a front page banner!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Twitter. See her response here.
  26. ^ a b "OIAF 2021 Drops Official Trailer and New Program Highlights". Animation World Network. September 3, 2021. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021. Join Creator Vivienne Medrano (aka Vivziepop) for an intimate conversation about creating her Youtube hit series, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.
  27. ^ "TAC Talks". Ottawa International Animation Festival. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  28. ^ "Ottawa International Animation Festival 2021 shares program highlights and new trailer". AnimationXpress. September 7, 2021. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  29. ^ Dudok De Wit, Alex (September 23, 2021). "6 Unmissable Events At This Week's Ottawa International Animation Festival". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  30. ^ Helluva Boss [@IMPmurderpros] (February 2, 2022). "Hey all! We know it's been a while since we gave a Helluva update so we wanted to let everyone know what's going on. The Season Finale will be out as soon as we can manage! It's very far along but it ended up being a bit more ambitious than we expected. So we are making sure to give the team time n' support they need as they finish up and we get everything settled for it's [sic] release[.] The good news through is we have already made a bunch of progress on Season Two! Season Two episodes are longer as it's a very ambitious season but we are steaming along and are hopeful we can get more episodes out to everyone sooner! Thank you all so much for your patience and support! The team is working very hard to bring you new episodes. But trust me they are coming and they are big!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ Kachel, Brendan (June 25, 2023). "'Helluva Boss' debuts Season 2, despite not technically being done with Season 1". Flayrah. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  32. ^ Schwartz, John (June 7, 2022). "Helluva Boss Season Two Start Date Announced". Bubbleblabber. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  33. ^ Edwards, Eve (June 25, 2023). "Is Kesha really in Helluva Boss? Queen Bee-lzebub arrives with Cotton Candy song". HITC. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  34. ^ Brightman, Alex (August 2, 2022). "Alex Brightman's Blossoming Cartoon Career Has Beetlejuice to Thank". Theatrely (Interview). Interviewed by Caroline Cao. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022. singing Robo Fizzarolli / Fizzarolli in the adult animated Helluva Boss.
  35. ^ "Helluva is a very set 4 season story. We are very far from the end but very determined to tell it one way or another". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  36. ^ Medrano, Vivienne (July 31, 2023). "For some positivity I wanted to share the titles for the rest of #HelluvaBoss S2! Enjoy!". Twitter. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  37. ^ a b c d Dumas, Zoe (July 2, 2023). "Why Helluva Boss Is the Best Web Series Right Now". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  38. ^ a b c d Mackcey, Joshua S. (December 14, 2022). "10 LGBTQ+ Cartoons That We Loved in 2022". Into. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  39. ^ Kachel, Brendan (July 31, 2022). "What the hell is 'Helluva Boss'?". Flayrah. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  40. ^ "Threads".[dead link‍]
  41. ^ Helluva Boss [@IMPmurderpros] (June 26, 2024). "Happy Pride Month from Helluva Boss" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Baron, Reuben (December 2, 2019). "Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?". CBR. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  43. ^ Shaunette, Morgan (January 6, 2022). "5 Underrated Animated Series From 2021". CBR. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022.
  44. ^ James, Tito W. (November 27, 2019). "Hazbin Hotel Creator Release New Cartoon Pilot: Helluva Boss". Comicon.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  45. ^ James, Tito W. (March 15, 2023). "New 'Helluva Boss' Episode Turns up The Heat". Comicon.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  46. ^ Troup, Margaret (February 2, 2021). "Third episode of 'Helluva Boss' released on YouTube". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  47. ^ Dumas, Zoe (July 2, 2023). "How Does Helluva Boss Replace Hazbin Hotel?". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  48. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (October 7, 2020). "'Hazbin Hotel' Creator Vivziepop Teams with Horseless Cowboy on Devilishly Twisted 'Helluva Boss' Series". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  49. ^ Mitchell, Ben (2023). Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 87. ISBN 9781000849189.
  50. ^ "Voting". Ursa Major Awards. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  51. ^ dronon (March 14, 2020). "Voting opens for the 2020 Ursa Major Awards". Flayrah. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  52. ^ dronon (March 18, 2022). "Voting is open for the 2021 Ursa Major Awards". Flayrah. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  53. ^ Perry, Laurence (May 18, 2022). "'Shine', 'Awoo!' take 2021 Ursa Major Awards by landslides; K. Garrison wins three". Flayrah. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  54. ^ "Award Winners 2022". Ursa Major Awards. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  55. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 24, 2023). "Streamy Awards Announce 2023 Nominees". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023.
  56. ^ Rogers, Brandon (August 28, 2023). Helluva Boss WINS!. Retrieved August 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
  57. ^ Medrano, Vivienne (February 23, 2024). "It's so cool to see Helluva included in a queer award show!".
  58. ^ Helluva Boss wins Web Series at the 12th annual #Queerties awards. March 20, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
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