Rating: ***
Review Date: 2/9/26
Cast: Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Blake Roman, Keith David,
Kimiko Glenn, Amir Talai
Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen) is the overly cheerful, impossibly optimistic, and aggressively enthusiastic Princess of Hell, who runs a facility for the redemption of sinners called the Hazbin Hotel. You see, Hell has an overpopulation problem, and Charlie wants to give those poor souls a second chance to get into Heaven. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, Heaven is full of elitist assholes who would rather eradicate those souls entirely, and Charlie has her work cut out for her. Thankfully, she has a loving partner/manager/protector named Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz), and a dangerously powerful and mysterious demon lord named Alastor (Amir Talai) as a sponsor. She also has a grumpy bartender named Husk (Keith David), a psychotic murderous maid named Niffty (Kimiko Glenn), and a sole guest named Angel Dust (Blake Roman), who is a burned out porn star seeking redemption. Despite her best efforts, the hotel never takes off or gets the support it needs, and ultimately becomes a target for Heaven's kill squad. Also, it's a musical.
Essentially, imagine if Unikitty was the Princess of Hell instead of Cloud Cuckoo Land, with a lot more sex, drugs, blood, violence, swearing, and singing involved. There's something seriously wrong with the girl, but you can't help loving her. The animation is bright and colorful, and the character designs are outstanding. Charlie is utterly adorable with her wide-eyed feline features and classy wardrobe, which complements Vaggie's equally cute, but more subdued goth appearance. The voice acting really stands out and is on a whole other level, perfectly matching the chaos on the screen. Everyone is top-notch, but Erika Henningsen's performance as Charlie is especially noteworthy. She is just beyond incredible.
As you might have guessed, the themes and subject matter are decidedly adult and can get pretty heavy. Religion is flipped on its head (although I've always thought of Heaven as evil), and hard questions are asked regarding redemption, worthiness, and the value of a being's soul. Despite its attempts at humor, it's a hard show to watch and is very dark, depressing, cynical, and heartbreakingly tragic. The writers are clearly unpacking a lot of trauma. You root for the losers, knowing that they're doomed, and I ended up sobbing through every episode. And while the first season ends with a small victory for our band of misfits and a brief moment of vindication, the war with Heaven is just beginning and will only get worse from here on out. Plus, the uncomfortable parallels to our own current dystopian nightmare give it an extra kick in the balls. So, it's a great show, but don't watch it if you're feeling sad or vulnerable.