Helluva Boss
An imp-run assassination company navigates Hell and Earth.
Helluva Boss is an American adult animated musical black comedy web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It follows the employees of I.M.P., a hitman company in Hell that operates in the human world. The pilot was released on YouTube in November 2019, and the series premiered on the same platform in October 2020.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adult animation
- Black comedy
- Comedy drama
- Musical
- Creator
- Vivienne Medrano
- Writer
- Vivienne Medrano
- Brandon Rogers
- Adam Neylan
- Voices
- Brandon Rogers
- Bryce Pinkham
- Richard Horvitz
- Vivian Nixon
- Erica Lindbeck
- Composer
- Jefferson Friedman
- Matt Novack
- Christopher French
- Brian Sadler
- Sam Haft
- Alexander Arntzen
- Gooseworx
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series centers on I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals), an imp-run assassination company in Hell that provides hitman services in the living world. The team includes Blitzo Buckzo (pronounced "Blitz"), the boss; weapons specialist Moxxie; powerhouse Millie; and Blitzo's adopted hellhound daughter and receptionist Loona. Using an ancient book obtained from the Goetic demon Stolas, they access the human realm to carry out jobs for souls in Hell.
Production and release
In June 2019, Vivienne Medrano revealed she was collaborating with Erica Lindbeck, Brock Baker, and Brandon Rogers on an upcoming project. Voice actor Kellen Goff handled casting for the pilot, while Medrano and Rick Zieff directed the voice work. Screen Rant’s Lucas Bermudez credited the popularity of Hazbin Hotel for getting Helluva Boss approved. Brandon Rogers later asked Jinkx Monsoon to play a named role, but Monsoon chose to voice minor and background characters instead, which she did throughout the first season. The pilot debuted on Medrano’s YouTube channel on November 25, 2019, with Medrano writing and animating it. By December 2019, work on additional episodes had begun, with a total of eight ordered. Horseless Cowboy helped with voice production during season one, and Richard Horvitz joined Medrano as a voice director. Recording wrapped in August 2020. The first season episode aired on October 31, 2020, featuring Rogers and Horvitz as Blitzo and Moxxie, Lindbeck as Loona, Vivian Nixon as Millie, and Bryce Pinkham replacing Baker as Stolas. Guest voices included Monsoon, Mara Wilson, and Maxwell Atoms. On January 31, 2021, YouTube age-restricted the third episode; Newgrounds offered to host an uncensored version with a front-page banner, and Medrano expressed interest. The restriction was lifted the next day and later removed entirely. In September 2021, Medrano appeared on a virtual stage at the Ottawa International Animation Festival’s Animation Exposé alongside Bryan Dimas from Warner Bros. Animation.
LGBTQ+ representation
The series includes several LGBTQ+ characters: Moxxie is bisexual, Blitzo is pansexual, and Stolas is gay. The episode "The Harvest Moon Festival" introduced Sallie May, Millie's sister, confirmed on the show's official Twitter account to be transgender and by her voice actor to be lesbian. In June 2024, the official Twitter account shared a Pride Month image featuring characters wearing or holding colors of various pride flags, including pansexual, bisexual, gay men's, gay, asexual, and lesbian pride flags.
Reception
Helluva Boss received critical acclaim for its animation, characters, voice acting, songs, and humor. In December 2019, CBR's Reuben Baron noted the pilot's "edgy" humor but called it a "clear labor of love from an animation standpoint." Morgan Shaunette of CBR described the series as "underrated" and a "twisted take on the workplace comedy." Tito W. James of Comicon.com said the portal to the human realm "adds a new dynamic" and was impressed with the quality. Zoe Dumas of MovieWeb praised its "emotionally complex" characters, musical voice cast, and "outstanding" animation, calling it "more episodic and character-driven" than Hazbin Hotel. Joshua S. Mackey for Into praised the series for having "three different queer main characters." Animation Magazine reported that the pilots of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss had been viewed over 65 million times by October 7, 2020, calling Helluva Boss "wildly popular" and an "overnight sensation." In February 2021, Medrano told Insider that Helluva Boss remains independent of Hazbin Hotel and that she has "a plan for where the story goes and ends." In 2023, scholar Ben Mitchell described the series as "sensationally popular" and an effective use of Patreon.
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