This is the article about the series. For the character, see Blitzo. |
Helluva Boss is an American adult animated comedy musical web series and spin-off of Hazbin Hotel.
The series takes place within the same universe as Hazbin Hotel, but features a new cast of characters, a new tone, and a different storyline.[6][7]
The pilot was released on November 25, 2019, on Vivienne Medrano's YouTube Channel.
In 2023, Helluva Boss was nominated and won a Streamy Award in the Animated category.[8][9]
Helluva Boss has a series of shorts titled Helluva Shorts that revolve around one or few of the main characters from the series and features stories told from those characters' perspectives.
Synopsis
- In HELL, imps are the lowest of the low in society, but what happens when one starts an assassin business? This happens!
- Follow Blitzo (the 'o' is silent) as he attempts to run a startup killing company in a very competitive market, along with his weapons specialist Moxxie, his powerhouse Millie, and his receptionist hellhound Loona. With the help of an ancient book obtained by one of the princes of Hell, they manage to make their work possible and together they attempt to survive each other while trying to keep their business afloat.
Voice cast
Main cast
- Brandon Rogers as Blitzo[1]
- Michael Romeo Ruocco as Blitzo (singing voice; "Truth Seekers")[10]
- Mason Blomberg as Blitzo (young)
- Richard Horvitz as Moxxie[2]
- Vivian Nixon as Millie
- Erica Lindbeck as Millie (pilot)[11]
- Erica Lindbeck as Loona[11]
Supporting cast
- Royal Family of Ars Goetia
- Bryce Pinkham as Stolas
- Brock Baker as Stolas (pilot)[1]
- Leander Lewis as Stolas (young)
- Barrett Wilbert Weed as Octavia
- Juliana Sada as Octavia (young)
- Georgina Leahy as Stella
- Jason LaShea as Andrealphus
- Bryce Pinkham as Stolas
- Alex Brightman as Fizzarolli
- Remy Edgerly as Fizzarolli (young)
- Cristina Vee as Verosika Mayday
- Norman Reedus as Striker ("The Harvest Moon Festival" only)
- Edward Bosco as Striker ("Western Energy" onwards)
- Don Darryl Rivera as Wally Wackford
- James Monroe Iglehart as Asmodeus and Vortex
- Employees of C.H.E.R.U.B
- Agents of D.H.O.R.K.S.
- Michael Romeo Ruocco as Agent One
- Erica Luttrell as Agent Two
- Richard Horvitz as Crimson
- Abe Goldfarb as Alessio
- Harvey Guillén as Vassago[14][15]
Minor cast
- Jonathan Freeman as Paimon
- Vivienne Medrano as Deerie
- Martha's family
- Jinkx Monsoon as Martha
- Maxwell Atoms as Ralphie
- Martha and Ralphie's children
- Juliana Sada as unnamed daughter
- Dashiell McGaha-Schletter as unnamed son
- Millie's family
- Su Jan Chase as Lin
- Edward Bosco as Joe
- Morgana Ignis as Sallie May
- Blitzo's family
- Jonathan Freeman as Cash Buckzo
- Jinhee Joung as Barbie Wire
- Mayberry Family
- Mara Wilson as Mrs. Mayberry
- Maxwell Atoms as Jarold Mayberry
- Employees of Loo Loo Land
- Jayden Libran as Big Woobly ("Loo Loo Land"), Unnamed human pedestrian ("The Full Moon"), and Unnamed sex toy shopkeeper demon ("The Full Moon")
- Alex Brightman as Robo Fizz
- Maxwell Atoms as Loo Loo
- Founders of Lyle-Loopty Robotics
- Michael James Ruocco as Lyle Lipton
- Brandon Rogers as Loopty Goopty
- Jinkx Monsoon as Party Girl, Elevator, and Crane[16]
- Don Darryl Rivera as Mister Butler
- Brock Baker as Some Guy (pilot)
- Edward Bosco as Jesse[17], Blonde Spring Breaker, and Unnamed Hellhound
- Morgana Ignis as Catfish Monster[18]
- Monica Franco as Hellhound Adoption Center Lady, Counselor Jimmy, Emberlynn Pinkle, and Gerardo's wife
- Lyle Rath as Producer, CD Guy #1[19], and Lifeguard Dude
- Eric Schwartz as Chazwick Thurman
- Abe Goldfarb as Crimson's unnamed lawyer and "Better than Blitzo" Guy
- Kesha Sebert as Beelzebub
- Rochelle Diamante as Beelzebub (singing voice)
- Michael Cusack as Mammon
- Faye Mata as Glitz and Glam
- Allison Kaplan as Glam (singing voice)
- Jorge R. Gutierrez[20] as Gerardo Velazquez
- John Waters[21] as Rolando
- Jack Plotnick[22] as Musical Announcer and Yogirt
- Erika Henningsen as Bethany Ghostfucker
- Patrick Page[21] as Satan
Undisclosed cast
- Anthony Padilla[23]
- Ian Hecox[23]
- Roland Rusinek[24]
- Paulette Jones[22]
- Joshua Tomar[22]
- Maria Bamford[22]
Miscellaneous cast
- Richard Horvitz
- Elsie Lovelock
- Mara Wilson
- Jinkx Monsoon
- Scratch track
- Krystal LaPorte
- Kestin Howard
- Christopher Ayres
- Vivienne Medrano
- Edward Bosco
- Erica Lindbeck
- Su Jan Chase
- Jayden Libran
- Morgana Ignis
- Vivian Nixon
- Courtney Raine Taylor
Episodes
Production
- Vivziepop revealed the voice cast for an undisclosed upcoming project on June 14, 2019.[2]
- The official SpindleHorse Toons Twitter account announced Helluva Boss as their upcoming series on July 24, 2019.[6]
- The series' characters were revealed on August 04, 2019.[25]
- SpindleHorse Toons announced the pilot would be released approximately at a later date after the pilot for Hazbin Hotel was released.[26] This date would later be revealed to be November 25, 2019.
- Helluva Boss, unlike the Hazbin Hotel pilot, was recorded under SAG-AFTRA, allowing more Hollywood voice actors to be cast for the short. The casting for the pilot was done by Kellen Goff, who frequently visited animator Ashley Nichols animation streams.[27] The pilot's recording sessions were done in ensemble at SPG Studios in Los Angeles[7] while the series' recording sessions were done both remotely and at Horseless Cowboy in Hollywood, whom were also in charge of casting for the series.[28] Voice direction was done by Rick Zieff and Vivienne Medrano for the pilot, then by Vivienne and Richard Horvitz for the main series.
- In an online magazine the first season was said to have eight episodes.[28]
- On April 15, 2020, Vivziepop stated she started writing new Helluva Boss in December 2019.[29]
- She also said that recording for episodes had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[29] However, voice actor Jayden Libran had confirmed that recording officially continued through individual, in-studio sessions, as opposed to group recordings.[30]
- On November 14, 2020, Vivziepop stated that they were writing season two.[31]
- On November 13, 2021, a second season was announced, which Alex Brightman mentioned he recorded a lot for.[32]
- The fastest an episode was created was in about four months, this excluding pre-production.[33]
- According to Vivian Nixon, season two was recorded in 2022.[34]
- On March 27, 2023, a third season was announced to be planned and written.[37]
- According to Vivziepop, the most challenging/longest episode to make was "Queen Bee".[38]
- Of the episodes released at the time, Vivziepop said on the technical side it would be "Exes and Oohs". She added that it was complicated time for "Seeing Stars" and "Exes and Oohs" because production for Hazbin Hotel season 1 had just begun.[38]
- During a stream on August 8, 2022, Vivziepop explained that they had planned for season 2 during writing season 1 and that after recording the first season she began scripting for the second and had locked the scripts in when "Loo Loo Land" came out.[39]
- On July 30, 2023, Vivziepop revealed that season two was written in 2020 and the entire story for the season was locked in by the release of "Loo Loo Land".[40]
- On May 25, 2023, Vivziepop announced that the entire series has been officially mapped out.[41] Vivziepop went on to answer a question about how many seasons Helluva Boss will have, stating that it is "a very set 4 season story" and she is "very determined to tell it".[42]
- Vivziepop also answered a question about if the songs seen so far will one day be on Spotify, saying that a soundtrack is in the works.[43]
- Vivziepop also answered a question about the release of Season 2 episode 7, saying that their realistic goal is to release it in 2023, and that it will be a special. She also mentioned that the rest of the season will come out in 2024,[45] which she later confirmed on February 17, 2024.[46]
- Vivziepop later saying in another tweet on July 28, 2023, that she hopes to release at least episodes six and seven in 2023,[47] and that the episodes are both Fizzarolli related.[48]
- On July 31, 2023, Vivziepop revealed in a tweet the titles for Season two episodes six through twelve.[49]
- On August 23, 2023, Sam Haft made a tweet saying that the first song he and Andrew Underberg co-wrote together would air in the seventh episode, and that due to the song being so well-received by the team they co-wrote six more songs together for Helluva Boss.[50][51]
- On November 16, 2023, the official Helluva Boss Twitter released a teaser for a music video that would release in December 2023.[52][53][54]
- On November 25, 2023, Vivziepop announced that she has a fun little pilot anniversary video in the works.[55]
- On December 11, 2023,[56] Sam Haft released a 7 hour class where he walks through writing songs for Helluva Boss, which with the permission of Vivienne Medrano and Adam Neylan[57] shows Haft write a song from assignment through to the demo for season three.[58][59][60]
- Haft stated that the song is a gag song [61] that stays away from spoiler territory, but you will get to hear and watch a song made for Helluva Boss that probably won't be officially released for maybe a year.[62]
- Haft also explained in an interview that he only had four days to make the song for Helluva Boss season three as well as a song for another project, neither of which he prepared for because he wanted to make the process more real so he first learns about what the songs are on camera.[63]
- According to Haft, the contents of the song are very goofy and hysterical.[64]
- In an interview posted on March 3, 2024, Brandon Rogers stated that episode eight of the second season was done and they had watched it in January 2024.[65] Despite this, Medrano stated the episode was still being worked on as of May 23, 2024.[66]
- In an interview posted on July 5, 2024, Vivziepop mentioned that Helluva Boss is fully planned out.[67]
- In the same interview, Vivziepop stated that half of season three has been written and recorded, and that Skye and Lyle have joined the writing team for the third season.[4] She later explains that whilst not having yet written the scripts for the second half of season three, all it's episodes outlines are done.[68]
- In the same interview, Vivziepop stated she wants Helluva Boss to be fifty episodes long, and because she has a set number, all the episodes are basically mapped out.[68]
- In an Instagram post on August 28, 2024, Brandon Rogers stated that he was co-writing the finale of Season 3 with Vivziepop.[69]
- On Nov 29, 2024, Sam Haft confirmed that he was almost done writing the season finale song for the next season.[70]
Development
- On August 21, 2023, Vivziepop quote retweeted an animatic used in an application into SpindleHorse that used audio from a The Whitest Kids U' Know skit, which according to Vivziepop the original skit was part of what inspired the concept for Helluva Boss.[71]
- On May 2, 2018, before the conception of Helluva Boss Vivziepop had replied to a tweet asking about cameos of demons from mythology, saying that Stolas was 100% going to appear in Hazbin Hotel.[72]
- The demon that bears striking resemblance to Blitzo in the Hazbin Hotel pilot song "Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow" is indeed Blitzo, whose final design was still being worked on at a time when his character was planned to be a recurring comic relief duo along with Moxxie.[73] A silhouette of Moxxie can be seen in the Hazbin Hotel pilot, as well.
- Blitzo and Moxxie were originally intended to be recurring characters for Hazbin Hotel, as an assassin duo specifically designed as comedy relief. But, since the planned dramatic nature of the series wouldn't support too many overtly comedic characters, Vivziepop decided to develop a new, separate concept based around the two, which led to the development of the Helluva Boss series.[74][75]
- In a tweet by Vivziepop, she explains that when she first started working on the Helluva Boss first season she didn't know what the future was for the show.[76]
- In the same tweet, Vivziepop also explains that she had some core episode ideas that existed in the bible she pitched to Brandon that all became episodes; the episodes being "Loo Loo Land", "Truth Seekers" and "The Harvest Moon Festival".
- According to Vivziepop, after the pilot aired and they really sat down to figure out where the series would go it was a very Blitzo focused show, as he is the main character, with Moxxie offering the most play off of him, and Stolas as well because his direction changed and he's important to I.M.P and to Blitzo's story.[77]
- Vivziepop added that while she feels for a traditional small-ensemble animated show it would be wise to establish each major character in the first season in an episode all their own, but with Helluva Boss she had no idea how far realistically the show would go so she went a much more Blitzo story building approach.[78]
- According to Brandon Rogers, the original premise was a workplace comedy with a slapstick Looney Tunes-like repeated style of going to Earth and having a wacky mission, but as Brandon and Vivziepop were writing the first episode of season one they fell in love with the characters and realized there was a strong dynamic between them.[79]
- According to Vivziepop, Brandon Rogers helped her start Helluva Boss, and when she asked him to be part of the project she expected development would take a long time like her other projects that never really manifested, but he was free quite often and they immediately started work on the Helluva Boss pilot, which they wrote during the latter half of production for the Hazbin Hotel pilot.[80]
- Vivziepop also explained that at the time a lot of artists who had just left a studio in Mexico came to her in mass looking for work and wanted to work on the Hazbin Hotel pilot, but as there were already enough people working on it she got them to work on the Helluva Boss pilot instead, which is why they released so close together.[80]
- In a video released on April 23, 2024, Vivziepop teased that they had in the works a way to explore the episodic nature that was originally intended for Helluva Boss outside the series.[81] This came in the form of a series of shorts called "Helluva Shorts" that began on April 26, 2024.
- On June 26, 2024, the Helluva Boss Twitter posted an artwork in celebration of Pride Month 2024,[82] confirming and canonizing several characters sexualities.[83]
Trivia
- Alongside some of the recurring Hazbin Hotel voice alumni, many actors who worked with writer Brandon Rogers on his YouTube channel such as Su Jan Chase, as well as actors whom worked in Broadway shows also contributed voices for the series.
- According to Vivziepop, she was open for Richard Horvitz to voice in Hazbin Hotel, but was discouraged by it since Horvitz is SAG, which was not used in the Hazbin Hotel pilot.[84] This was later foreshadowed for Helluva Boss as Horvitz was acquired to voice Moxxie in the short.
- While Brandon and Richard were personally acquired by Vivziepop and casting director Kellen Goff, Erica Lindbeck and Brock Baker auditioned for their roles.[85]
- Although Helluva Boss still utilizes selective Hazbin Hotel animation talent, it also uses several animators who worked on Villainous,[86] a Cartoon Network Latin America original series, most of whom became a part of the project after leaving the series due to controversial reasons.[citation needed]
- Alan Ituriel, creator of Villainous, is also aware of Hazbin Hotel but refuses to do any drawing requests featuring characters from the series due to copyright reasons with the exception of the FAN SERVICE stream due to the more loose rules of that stream.[note 1]
- Although the show is set in the same universe as Hazbin Hotel, open connections between both shows are kept at a minimum due to legal concerns as Hazbin Hotel was being pitched through networks at the time before the series was acquired by A24, and Vivziepop intended for the show to be more of a standalone independent web series as the comedy nature of the show is far different compared to the comedy-drama nature of Hazbin Hotel.[citation needed]
- Brandon Rogers, who co-wrote and voices in the show, is also known for his Mad Tea Party video on his channel. Coincidentally, a fan of Hazbin Hotel made an animatic with selective bits from said audio and Vivziepop herself commented on it; which may have been an influence for Rogers' involvement in the project.[note 2]
- According to Vivziepop, Helluva Boss has continuity, and she thinks it would be a really fun story to explore, but is much more episodic in nature compared to Hazbin Hotel.[87]
- Helluva Boss was produced faster than Hazbin Hotel as she gained enough experience producing Hazbin Hotel to not only assemble a new crew but also make decisions that made production more effective.[88]
- According to RebelTaxi, who initially applied for storyboard work on the pilot, the tests for the show require artists to interpret excerpts from Brandon Rogers' work in order to be inquired.[89]
- Jayden Libran previously worked with Vivziepop and Maxwell Atoms as a puppeteer on Atoms' shelved series, Dead Meat.
- Jefferson Friedman, Matt Novak and Christopher French, composers whom are known for their work on DC's Harley Quinn, one of Vivienne's favorite shows, also score for the series.
- According to Vivziepop, Brandon and herself initially wrote the episodes simultaneously by meeting once a week during lunch.[90]
- On September 8, 2020, Vivziepop tweeted that Hazbin Hotel is a non-diegetic musical in contrast to Helluva Boss being more of a diegetic musical.[91][92] This is shown with how in Helluva Boss the songs and music are knowingly performed and heard by the characters and world.
- In the same tweet, Vivziepop mentioned that Helluva Boss wasn't originally intended to be musical.[91]
- Vivziepop explains in a 2022 stream that for Helluva Boss she has to find an excuse for a song number to exist in the universe, however mentions that as the series continues there is a part of her that is starting to not care as much which may lead to non-diegetic musical numbers happening.[92]
- In a 2024 panel, Brandon Rogers explained that in Hazbin Hotel when a character starts singing the music comes out of nowhere, whereas for Helluva Boss the music for the most part exists in the world.[93]
- In an interview with Insider, Vivziepop spoke how she and her team had to learn the limitations of the YouTube platform, with how nudity can't be shown, certain swear words will trigger YouTube's hate speech algorithms, and the first 30 seconds have to be clear of any controversial content.[94]
- Three days after the interview, Vivienne tweeted that YouTube had censored the episode "Spring Broken" in searches and she was going to make a few edits and release a new version,[94][95] however, several hours later it was allowed to be searched for again.[96]
- The series was mentioned on a Broadway playbill for the reopening of the Beetlejuice musical.[97]
- From the episode "The Harvest Moon Festival" onwards, the episode thumbnails no longer have the episode titles on them, which continues into the subsequent seasons.
- From the second season onwards, the SpindleHorse logo at the end of every episodes' end credits now has an animated sequence.
- In a tweet by Vivziepop, she explains that Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are two sides of a coin in the Hellaverse and that they take up similar brain space for her, even though they should be treated more separate, as they are also structured very differently.[98]
- Vivziepop also explains that Hazbin Hotel has always had a heavier emphasis on women-led stories, while Helluva Boss has steered more towards male-led stories.[99]
- In an interview on October 17, 2023, when talking about the Hellaverse having many sides, Vivziepop explained that the main side deals with Lucifer, and Charlie being the princess of Hell, and Heaven, and kind of big grand themes of redemption, and is much more biblically sourced, whereas Helluva Boss deals with the sins and the Hellborn species, and exists separately to the things happening in Hazbin Hotel.[100]
- In an early-2024 interview, Vivziepop explained that Helluva Boss, alongside being much more intimate and realistic, feels kind of like a soap opera and a workplace comedy, and centers around things that has to do with class systems, and flawed dysfunctional relationships, and people.[101]
- Vivziepop explains in a tweet that Hazbin Hotel has a grander narrative with a bigger theme, while Helluva Boss is intimate with a smaller scale story and zanier goals. She also states that the tones are similar but they are very different stories.[102]
- According to Vivziepop, the characters of Helluva Boss are aware of the existence of Charlie's Hotel.[103]
- According to Vivziepop, Helluva Boss has always been about Blitzo and his relationships, business, growth, and the society he exists in, and will continue to be what the series is about.[104]
- Vivziepop explained that the main heart of the show is Blitzo and Stolas' relationship, and every other character and their relationship to Blitzo is what the show is about.[105]
- Vivziepop also brought up how fans comment asking why the characters don't go on missions when the show is called Helluva Boss, which she explains that the show is about the Helluva Boss, which is why the show is called "Helluva Boss" and not called "I.M.P".[105]
- In response to a question about character focused episodes, Vivziepop stated that, while the series focuses on Blitzo, the characters important to him all have arcs and things to spend time on as the show progresses.[106]
- Vivziepop explained that the main heart of the show is Blitzo and Stolas' relationship, and every other character and their relationship to Blitzo is what the show is about.[105]
- On July 11, 2023, Vivziepop stated that guest voices, such as Norman Reedus and Kesha Sebert, were not paid more than the main cast, and everyone agreed to be in the show fairly.[107]
- As of November 6, 2023, the pilot episode has been removed from the official Helluva Boss YouTube playlist,[108] and on November 17, 2023, was confirmed to be non-canon to the main series.[109]
- From the episode "Oops" onward, Vivziepop has started uploading the official music videos of the songs that premiere during their respective episodes, with Look At This! being the first.
- According to Sam Haft, the recording side of things has become like a very insular family environment where all the actors, Vivienne Medrano, and the song writers have such a clique that everyone is very comfortable with each other which makes the process smooth and easy, which Haft adds is rare in this type of business.[110]
- According to background designer Katie Elle, background's go through a few hands for revisions and touch ups so they're never a 100% solo effort.[111]
- According to Sam Haft, Hazbin Hotel is very insulated from the outside world and everything needs to go through a lot more layers of approval, whereas Helluva Boss is independent and self-funded so there's no one they are accountable to which gives total creative control.[112]
- From the Just Look My Way music video onwards, every Helluva Boss media (episodes, shorts, music videos, etc.) is accompanied by a wave of official merchandise based on said media being sold at SharkRobot's online store.
- According to Richard Horvitz, they might eventually re-record Oh Millie with Vivian Nixon.[114]
Gallery
Pilot
Season 1
Season 2
Helluva Shorts
Videos
Miscellaneous
External Links
References
- Notes