Hazbin Hotel (2019 - present)
Hazbin Hotel: A Darkly Funny Dive Into Redemption, Extremism, and the Afterlife
Why VivziePop’s pilot still hits hard — and what it reveals about the world we’re living in.
Introduction
I’m dedicating this review to my sister, who introduced me to Hazbin Hotel and binged the whole thing with me in a single weekend. This series is best consumed with someone ready to laugh, argue, and yell at the screen with you.
Hazbin Hotel is an adult dark-comedy musical animation created by Vivienne Medrano (better known as VivziePop), who began posting her work on YouTube before building an entire animation studio from the ground up. Today, the series streams on Amazon Prime, with 30-minute episodes, 8-episode seasons, and an already confirmed four-season run. For this post, I’m focusing on the pilot — the spark that started it all.
A Hell Full of Heart (and Hellfire)
The pilot introduces us to Hell, reincarnated as a neon-bright, hyper-violent world where Lucifer’s daughter, Charlie Morningstar, has an radical plan: build a hotel where sinners can work toward redemption instead of being slaughtered by Heaven during its yearly “exterminations.” She dreams of proving that demons can change, even if everyone around her thinks she’s delusional.
Heaven, concerned about overpopulation, sends angels down to execute demons in annual “exterminations.” Charlie believes there’s another way — if only anyone would take her seriously. The pilot lays the groundwork for a story about the messy, complicated possibilities of forgiveness — with musical numbers, wild designs, and characters who are equal parts lovable and maddening.
Music Madness: Broadway in the Depths of Hell
One of the pilot’s greatest strengths is its music. The songs are addictive—truly “stuck in your head for days” level catchy. Each number blends pop energy with Broadway theatricality, creating a sound that’s playful, dramatic, and sometimes surprisingly heartfelt.
The lyrics walk the line between humor and honesty, revealing each character’s intentions, insecurities, and backstory far better than exposition ever could. Every musical moment adds another layer to who these characters are, what they want, and how they ended up in this chaotic afterlife.
Hazbin Hotel doesn’t just use music as decoration; it uses it as storytelling. The songs become confessions, warnings, declarations of chaos, and glimpses into the emotional cracks beneath each demon’s snark and bravado. It’s one of the elements that makes the pilot feel so vibrant—and so unforgettable.
Vivienne Medrano: The Independent Animation Blueprint
Before the world knew Hazbin Hotel, Medrano was already creating vibrant, unapologetically stylized worlds online. She launched her YouTube channel, VivziePop, in 2012—creating Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, and even earlier works like Zoophobia. What she’s doing now is monumental:
SpindleHorse, her independent animation studio
SPINDLEROO, its newly opened Australian sister studio
As someone whose sister is now inspired to pursue animation herself, Medrano’s success feels personal. It’s proof that woman can do anything - like become an independent artists and build their own worlds and careers on their own terms.I find myself wondering what characters Medrano relates to personally. Who are her top three favorites? And how many more will we meet in future seasons?
Heaven, Hell, and Real-World Parallels
Although Hazbin Hotel is set in the afterlife, its religious world mirrors dynamics we see on Earth. The pilot portrays angels as self-righteous extremists who weaponize their “purity” to justify violence. This isn’t random — it reflects dynamics seen throughout history (and in certain spaces today), where moral authority becomes a tool for judgment, exclusion, and harm. Time and time again, we’ve seen religious figures use “holiness” as justification for cruelty and superiority — a pattern that feels eerily familiar.
The show’s annual extermination event echoes real-world geopolitical violence. Heaven sends angels to eliminate sinners under the guise of “protection” and “population control” — language often used by governments to justify warfare, occupation, and even genocide.
Viewers may draw parallels to current events as well. Some may interpret Heaven’s actions as similar to how modern states invoke security, purity, or religious identity to rationalize military force — especially when marginalized groups are framed as dangerous, impure, or “sub-human.” Hell and its citizens become the “other,” dehumanized much like oppressed populations throughout history.
Hazbin Hotel doesn’t pretend Hell is good — but it does blur the lines of who gets to call themselves righteous. The show presents both perspectives while highlighting who holds power, who is punished, and who is allowed to write the rules. It challenges us to examine the narratives we accept about good, evil, and righteousness.
It leaves us with a crucial question:
Who gets to claim holiness — and who gets dehumanized in the process?
Can People Change? Hazbin’s Central Question
At its core, the pilot asks:
Is redemption possible?
Can people choose goodness without reward?
Why try to be better when the world feels so selfish?
Charlie believes people can change. Hell disagrees. And Heaven doesn’t care.
The tension between those beliefs is what makes the show so compelling. The pilot sets up two extremes —Heaven and Hell —and asks whether empathy can live anywhere between them.
The Cast of Chaos: Characters Who Steal the Show
The character designs are distinct, vibrant, and instantly memorable. But it’s their personalities that make them magnetic (or infuriating). Here’s a quick dive into the pilot’s standout figures:
Charlie Morningstar
Bright, stubborn, optimistic in a way that feels almost dangerous. She cares deeply about Hell’s citizens and wants redemption for all—even those who don't want it for themselves. Her idealism is both her strength and her biggest weakness. Hopeful to the point of delusion, but earnest enough that you want her to be right.
Alastor (The Radio Demon)
My favorite. The voice filter that makes him sound like an old-timey radio broadcast is genius. He’s one of the most powerful demons in Hell—and one of its greatest mysteries. What is he really getting out of helping Charlie? There is absolutely something up his sleeve.
Katie Killjoy
The news anchor with a voice I love — sharp, sarcastic, and perfectly grating. I miss her pilot voice so much and hope they bring that exact delivery back. Her brutal interview with Charlie exposes the cracks in Charlie’s dream before it even begins.
Angel Dust
Chaotic, hilarious, and absolutely not the redemption poster child Charlie wants. His honesty is refreshing though — he exposes the real question:
Why would anyone bother to become “good” without proof that it matters?
Husk & Niffty
Alastor’s “favors.” They’re hilarious, unfiltered, and I’m excited to see how their forced participation evolves.
Cherri Bomb
Ride-or-die for Angel Dust, but not exactly on board with Charlie’s mission. She’s here for the fight, not the healing.
Sir Pentious
Brilliant but idiotic. I love him, I hate him, and his voice is somehow perfect and unbearable at the same time.
Vaggie
She loves Charlie—but her constant criticism sometimes feels more discouraging than supportive. Her realism is valuable, but it can also be suffocating.
Tom Trench
A perv. Dead last.
My Pilot Episode Character Leaderboard
Alastor (The Radio Demon)
Katie Killjoy
Charlie Morningstar
Angel Dust
Husk
Niffty
Cherri Bomb
Sir Pentious
Vaggie
Tom Trench
Final Thoughts
The Hazbin Hotel pilot is messy, delightful, politically relevant, and emotionally layered. It combine humor, musical theater energy, political allegory, and deep emotional conflicts seamlessly. Most importantly—it lays the foundation for a story about hope in a world built on punishment. But more than anything, it left me with questions I want answered:
Can redemption exist in a world built on punishment? Will the hotel succeed?
What is Alastor really planning?
And can Charlie’s optimism survive Hell?
I can’t wait to find out. One things for sure, we are in for one hell of a ride.
Created by: Vivienne Medrano
