The popular web cartoon series and musical comedy “Helluva Boss” saw instant success in 2019, capturing over 58 million views with its pilot episode. Directed by host Vivienne Medrano, the series has earned a loyal fan base and carved out a niche for itself by exploring power dynamics and LGBTQ+ themes in a fantastically cinematic way.
“Helluva Boss” boasts a compelling cast of characters brought to life by the animation team at Rocket Horse Cartoons and a diverse and talented group of voice actors. Representation within the voice talent leads to a deeper level of authenticity when the series explores LGBTQ+ themes. The main character, Blitzo, for example, is played by Brandon Rogers, an openly gay creator who claims a massive following on YouTube. Casting a queer person to play a queer character adds an extra layer of representation to the show, allowing LGBTQ+ audience members to identify with the character in a way that feels authentic. This is standard practice for Medrano’s dubbing team. The voice cast includes pop sensation Ke$ha; Richard Steven Horvitz, voice of the main character in “Invader Zim”; Alex Brightman from the hit musical “Beetlejuice”; and winner of the sixth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Jinkx Monsoon.
The show takes place in the rings of hell made by Medrano. Inspired by Dante’s poem “Hell“and The Little Key of the First Book of Solomon”Ars Goétie“, Medrano creates a world where Satan reigns as supreme ruler of Hell and demonic royalty rules their respective rings of Hell. The characters move through the rings during their adventures, also exploring the world The hierarchies created in Hell between demonic royalty and lower-status hell-born demons, such as imps and hellhounds, allow “Helluva Boss” to explore struggles for power and identity between characters of different statuses.
The relationships between the characters are the most compelling elements of the series, and within these are unique LGBTQ+ dynamics – homosexuality is displayed as completely normal. In a refreshing portrayal of bisexuality, Moxxie (Horvitz) casually addresses his father, a mob boss, when he tries to force his son to marry another man. Another episode explores the complex sexual and romantic relationship between Blitzo and the royal demon prince Stolas (Bryce Pinkham) contrasted with the healthy and functional romance between Jester Fizzarolli (Brightman) and Asmodeus (James Monroe Iglehart), the demon of lust.
Blitzo and Fizzarolli are childhood friends turned rivals when the former accidentally sets their family’s circus on fire, burning most of the latter’s skin in the process. Throughout the episode, Fizz and Blitzo are kidnapped and forced to reconcile. Realizing their situations are similar, both romantically involved with higher-class demons, the two offer introspections about their partners while daringly escaping capture. The episode ends with Fizzarolli happily reuniting with her boyfriend, Asmodeus.
While popular media likes to show tragic queer relationships, like the depressing “Call Me by Your Name” or HBO’s “Euphoria,” “Helluva Boss” has no shortage of queer joy. Medrano represents queer relationships as healthy, happy, and normal, even touching on the subject of consent: Asmodeus notes that love and desire are things that “must be earned” and not forced by a love potion.
Medrano’s visionary storytelling has not gone unnoticed. She recently received a Streamy Award for the show’s resounding success, further highlighting the impact of “Helluva Boss” in online entertainment. With the release of each new episode, “Helluva Boss” is trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, with fans posting fan art and discussing the latest episode. While the second season is still in full swing and promising winter distribution Of the remaining episodes, it’s clear that the series’ influence and importance will continue to grow.
“Helluva Boss” not only entertains and captivates its audience and normalizes queer relationships, but it also sets an example of what queer media should be. It’s a palate cleanser for a representation-starved queer audience, free of incredibly intense baggage.
