Popularized by her web-comic “Zoophobia,” Vivienne Medrano descended into the spotlight in 2019 with the pilot premiere of her original animated show Hazbin Hotel. Many characters from “Zoophobia” were recycled into the new YouTube series, which was first posted on her channel under the alias Vivziepop.
Since it was picked up by Amazon, the show has gained a huge fanbase, growing even more since its debut five years ago.
The story follows the journey of Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), daughter of Lucifer Morningstar (Jeremy Jordan), as she struggles against the odds- and the media- to find a way to “rehabilitate sinners.” Since it was created, Hell as a realm has undergone annual ‘exterminations,’ Heaven’s attempt to keep Hell’s population under control. As princess of Hell, Charlie vows to do whatever it takes to save her people when archangel Adam (Alex Brightman) cuts the time between exterminations in half.
Her idea caught the attention of local boogeyman Alastor (Amir Talai), Radio demon. Alastor, a demon with power comparable to Lucifer himself, is quick to fulfill all of Charlie’s requests regarding the hotel- much to the displeasure of her girlfriend and business partner, Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz).
Though it is obvious that Alastor does not believe that a sinner can be redeemed and is only passing the time of his immortal afterlife, Charlie will take all the help she can get, especially with the arrival of the hotel’s first tenant- Angeldust (Blake Roman). Angel is a junkie and sex worker with the slim body and extra limbs of a spider- in life, Angel’s family was involved in a web of crime- you’ll find that Medrano is very fond of her word-plays.
Angel is not too keen on rehabilitation, per se, more interested in the free housing and bar in the lobby. Tending the bar is a cat-like demon called Husker (Keith David) employed by Alastor, apparently having been indebted to the radio demon long ago. The chain of who owns who’s soul runs deep, and will hopefully be delved into further when the show returns for a second season.
With huge names like Alex Brightman(Beetlejuice: The Musical, School of Rock), Jeremy Jordan(Newsies!: The Musical), Christian Borle(Something Rotten, Falsettos), and others, the plethora of musical numbers are sure to be your new earworms. Topping the album with over 44 thousand plays, ‘Poison’ was composed by Andrew Underberg and sung by Blake Roman as the character Angel Dust. Just below it in popularity, with just over 38 thousand plays, is ‘Loser, Baby.’ The song is one of few featuring singer and voice-actor Keith David(The Princess and the Frog, Coraline, Hercules), and has been a fan favorite since its release. Even if you don’t plan on watching the show, I highly recommend taking a look at the official soundtrack on Spotify or Amazon Music.
Overall, the show has insane lore, of which there is no shortage of theories among the fans. Hazbin Hotel is a raunchy cartoon that builds from numerous adult jokes and innuendos, but if that’s something you enjoy, definitely give the show a watch on Prime Video.
