Helstrom (TV series)

Cast and characters

Tom Austen plays Daimon Helstrom, an ethics professor trying to protect his loved ones from demons, with Nolan Hupp appearing as the younger version of the character. Sydney Lemmon is Ana Helstrom, Daimon’s sister, who uses her auction house as a front while tracking down people who harm others; Erica Tremblay plays young Ana. Elizabeth Marvel takes on the roles of Victoria Helstrom, also called Mother, Lily, and Kthara, the siblings’ mother who has been confined to a psychiatric hospital for two decades.

Robert Wisdom portrays Henry, known as Caretaker, an occult guardian who battles demons. Ariana Guerra appears as Gabriella Rosetti, a Vatican agent who assists Daimon and Hastings. June Carryl plays Louise Hastings, the director of the hospital where Victoria is held. Alain Uy is Chris Yen, Ana’s business partner at the auction house and a surrogate brother to her.

Daniel Cudmore portrays Keith Spivey, also called Basar, a nurse at the same hospital. Deborah Van Valkenburgh plays Esther Smith, the head of the Blood and Caretaker’s handler. David Meunier appears as Finn Miller, a member of the Blood. Trevor Roberts is Joshua Crow, also known as Raum, a priest possessed by a demon.

Hamza Fouad plays Derrick Jackson, a police officer and Yen’s boyfriend. Sandy Robson portrays Alex Tilden, a trucker possessed by Magoth. Shayn Walker appears as Ellis, a security guard at Saint Teresa’s. Zachary S. Williams plays Bryce, one of Magoth’s vessels. Hiro Kanagawa is Sean Okamoto, a priest and acquaintance of Gabriella.

Camille Sullivan portrays twins Zoe and Aubree Richards, who were impacted by Daimon and Ana’s father. Fiona Dourif plays Kthara, the demon that possesses Victoria. Tom Everett appears as Terrazi, the archbishop to whom Hastings reports. Tarun Keram plays Lee, Esther’s primary subordinate. Mitch Pileggi portrays Marduk Helstrom, a serial killer and the father of Daimon and Ana.

Production

Hulu ordered a series based on the Marvel Comics characters Daimon and Satana Hellstrom in May 2019, though the show renamed them Daimon and Ana Helstrom. Paul Zbyszewski, who had been an executive producer on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., became showrunner and executive producer alongside Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb and Karim Zreik. Co-production involved Marvel Television, ABC Signature Studios, and Lone Lemon Entertainment. Zbyszewski described the series as adding scares to Marvel's usual mix of heart, humor, and action, using the Helstroms' story to explore deep fears, while Loeb said it entered a chilling new corner of the Marvel Universe.

The season had ten episodes. Marvel Television was absorbed into Marvel Studios in December 2019, with some executives like Zreik staying on to finish Helstrom. Marvel ended Zbyszewski's overall deal in April 2020 partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he continued post-production. By July, Disney dropped Marvel's from the title, renaming it Helstrom to separate the brand from the horror content, and the Marvel logo no appeared before episodes.

Zbyszewski called this a way to signal something different. Hulu canceled the series on December 14, 2020, making it the last live-action Marvel series from Marvel Television. The cast was announced in October 2019: Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon as Daimon and Ana, Elizabeth Marvel as their mother Victoria, Robert Wisdom as Caretaker, June Carryl as Dr. Louise Hastings, Ariana Guerra as Gabriella Rosetti, and Alain Uy as Chris Yen. Daniel Cudmore and David Meunier joined in recurring roles in November. Production started October 7, 2019, in Vancouver under the working title Omens, and wrapped on March 14, 2020.

Marketing

In July 2020, the series' cast and Zbyszewski appeared on a Comic-Con@Home panel where the first teaser debuted. An official trailer followed on September 23. Critic Ben Pearson of /Film described it as resembling a cheap, bland CW show from 2006, with little to suggest it was a Marvel property. Hulu later released the opening ten minutes during an early October New York Comic Con online panel.

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 27% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Helstrom strong visual effects can't save it from the fact that its characters simply aren't interesting enough to overcome their familiar setting." Metacritic assigned a score of 40 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Bell from Comic Book Resources called Helstrom "a generic, dull supernatural drama" that "seems to have been completed largely out of contractual obligation", noting pacing issues and a dull color palette.

He enjoyed Lemmon as Ana Helstrom, calling her "more charismatic than Daimon" and "the most prominent LGBTQ character in any Marvel TV series to date", but was disappointed she would not become a fully realized version of her comic counterpart. Charles Pulliam-Moore at io9 said the series barely makes a strong argument for its own existence. Sadie Gennis at TV Guide found Helstrom the "perfect TV cocktail for right now" with compelling mythology and morally complicated characters.