What if HKO was founded in 1934?/HKO Animation Studios in 1985?/Helluva Boss

Helluva Boss is an American adult animated musical black comedy web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. Despite taking place within the same universe as Hazbin Hotel, also created by Medrano, the series features a different cast of characters and storyline. As Medrano described it, while both shows share the same setting, Hazbin Hotel is about redemption and consequences, while Helluva Boss follows "characters and societies that already exist in Hell" with the main focus on the interpersonal relationship between characters. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019, while the first episode of the first season, was released on January 20, 2021. The first season was released exclusively to HKO Play, the episodes started airing on HKO@Nite on the MidnightToons block on August 4, 2020.

Premise
The series follows the employees of I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals), an assassination company in Hell, on their many different jobs. The members of I.M.P. include Blitzo (the 'o' is silent), the boss of the venture, along with weapons specialist Moxxie, powerhouse Millie, and receptionist hellhound Loona. With the help of an ancient book obtained from a Goetial demon of Hell named Stolas, they access the living world. Together they attempt to keep their business afloat, getting into many mishaps along the way.

Characters
Main article: List of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss characters

Episodes
Main article: List of Helluva Boss episodes

Production and release
TBA

LGBTQ representation
Main article: LGBTQ representation in Helluva Boss

Helluva Boss has various LGBTQ characters, specifically a bisexual demon named Moxxie, and a pansexual demon named Blitzo. Another demon named Stolas is implied to be a member of the LGBTQ community due to his relations with both men and women. Medrano also reacted positively to a fan idea of a sitcom set in an alternative universe where "Blitzo and Stolas are two single dads getting married".

"Oh Millie" music video
On February 14, 2020, an animated Helluva Boss music video called "Oh Millie" was uploaded on YouTube, centering around Moxxie and Millie's loving marriage. The video features a song written by Parry Gripp, with vocals from Horvitz and Lindbeck.

Voice dubs
TBA

Reception
Helluva Boss was met with critical acclaim, garnering praise for the animation, characters, voice acting, and humor. In December 2019, in an article about the current state of adult animation, CBR animation critic Reuben Baron, stated that while the pilot episodes of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss have garnered "some warranted criticism" because of their immature and edgy humor, they are still "clear labors of love from an animation standpoint." This contrasted with Tito W. James's assessment on Comicon.com that demons having access to a portal that goes to the human realm "adds a new dynamic and is ripe for narrative potential." Similarly, a reviewer for the Spanish site Cafetoons praised the characters for being introduced in a "very appropriate way" while maintaining the adult comedy, and catchy songs. Some even claim that the Helluva Boss pilot was better than the Hazbin Hotel pilot. Other animators praised the show's first episode. Others stated that there are "multiple musical numbers in each episode" like Animaniacs and Family Guy, and although the second episode is more serious than previous episodes, there are "plenty of laughs and raunchy jokes." The same was said about the show's third episode, which one reviewer said had other types of humor like "fourth-wall breaking and blink-and-you-miss-it sight-gags." Grant Nelson wrote in The Clarion that the series is one that "every nerd and goth would love" and said the show hits home on abuse of sex workers and broken families.

Awards
The Helluva Boss episodes "Murder Family" and "Loo Loo Land" were nominated for a Ursa Major Award in the Best Dramatic Series category. The Ursa Major awards are given in the field of furry fandom works and are the main awards in the field of anthropomorphism.

Trivia

 * TBA