Therapy Costs Extra—Welcome Back to the Hazbin

MOVIE REVIEW
Hazbin Hotel: Season Two
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Genre: Animation, Musical, Dark Comedy, Fantasy
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 8 x 25m episodes
Director(s): Vivienne Medrano
Writer(s): Vivienne Medrano, Sam Haft, Andrew Underberg
Cast: Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Alex Brightman, Keith David, Blake Roman, Amir Talai, Jessica Vosk, Christian Borle, Jeremy Jordan, Kimiko Glenn
Where to Watch: premiering on Prime Video October 29, 2025, with two episodes rolling out weekly through November 19

RAVING REVIEW: HAZBIN HOTEL: SEASON 2 isn’t a continuation—it’s a relapse. A gorgeous, glittering, gloriously depraved relapse. Vivienne Medrano’s chaotic, bloodstained Broadway in Hell returns with sharper claws, higher heels, and more show-stopping numbers than Heaven could ever forgive. After Charlie Morningstar’s little “oops, I accidentally won a war against Heaven” moment, the Hotel is booming. Demons are checking in like it’s a cruise ship for the damned—but most of them aren’t looking for redemption. They’re looking for clout, chaos, and free room service.

Charlie, our perpetually hopeful princess of Hell (voiced with dazzling optimism by Erika Henningsen), is finally living her dream—if her dream also involved managing sinners with social media addictions and unresolved trauma. Her partner, Vaggie (Stephanie Beatriz), tries to keep her grounded while also ensuring the walls don’t literally bleed (eh, and even if they do). But this is HAZBIN HOTEL, every good intention is just a prelude to a power struggle, every hymn ends in a scream, and the carpet’s probably haunted.

Enter The Vees. The overlord trio—Vox, Velvette, and Valentino—run Hell’s media empire, which is basically Fox News if drag queens ran it with god complexes (can you even imagine…). They’re not content ruling the airwaves; they want Heaven itself. And leading the charge is Vox (Christian Borle), a walking television with a smirk that could short-circuit your conscience. He’s the kind of villain who doesn’t twirl his mustache. Every line drips with ego, every scheme sparkles with unholy charisma. Borle devours the role like he’s been waiting his whole life to sing threats directly into your soul.

While Season 1 was a messy but lovable proof of concept, Season 2 is the full infernal production. The writing is bolder, the songs hit harder, and the jokes cut deep enough to draw divine intervention. Vivienne Medrano and her creative team know exactly what they’re doing—this is unapologetically adult animation that refuses to choose between sincerity and sin. The humor swings between witty and wicked, often in the same breath. It’s the kind of show where a heartfelt duet about self-worth can transition into a demonic orgy (sometimes literally) of neon and narcissism, and somehow, it works.

The music remains the show’s lifeblood, and this season cranks it up to divine levels. “Gravity,” the standout ballad performed by Jessica Vosk and Alex Brightman, isn’t just a song—it’s a mic drop. “Hazbin Guarantee (Trust Us)” weaponizes marketing-speak into a gospel of manipulation so catchy it should come with a warning label. Haft and Underberg’s songwriting is pure theater, perfectly capturing the show’s dual nature: gleefully profane but emotionally precise. These aren’t just songs; they’re confessions sung by sinners who still believe they deserve applause.

Season 2 looks like someone poured gasoline on Season 1’s color palette and lit it with a match made of glitter. The animation is crisper and the worldbuilding richer. Heaven gleams like a Pinterest board of repression; Hell pulsates like a rave that’s been going on since the dawn of time. There’s a texture to every frame—a density of detail that demands pausing just to appreciate the madness.

It’s not just about redemption anymore—it’s about who deserves it, who controls it, and what happens when forgiveness becomes a commodity. Charlie’s arc becomes less about saving souls and more about realizing that good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes. Her optimism is both her armor and her curse. Vaggie, ever the realist, tries to keep the dream alive without losing her sanity, while Angel Dust’s ongoing self-reclamation hits deeper this time—less punchline, more poignancy. And that’s saying a lot after the depth of their arcs in season 1.

Heaven, meanwhile, isn’t exactly handling its PR crisis well. Sir Pentious’s redemption has left a celestial hangover, and the angels are scrambling to justify millennia of moral malpractice. The show’s satire of organized religion hits harder here—dark and funny, yes, but uncomfortably honest. The angels aren’t villains, but they’re bureaucrats in denial. When they sing, it’s not about glory—it’s damage control. HAZBIN HOTEL finds heart in the unlikeliest places. Charlie’s belief in redemption, even when surrounded by proof that it’s impossible, gives the show its core. She’s an idealist trapped in a world that feeds on irony.

What keeps the show grounded is its refusal to smirk at its own sincerity. Beneath the filth and fire is a genuine emotional backbone. The characters are broken but striving, vulgar but vulnerable. Even the monsters crave meaning. It’s the kind of complexity few adult animated shows bother to explore, and HAZBIN HOTEL embraces it with its own style of wickedness.

Medrano has crafted something utterly unique—part musical, part moral satire, part fever dream. It’s intoxicating, infectious, and fearless. HAZBIN HOTEL: SEASON 2 is a delirious high note for adult animation—a devilish mix of spectacle and sincerity that laughs at morality while singing about it in four-part harmony. It’s vulgar, vibrant, and unapologetically alive.

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[photo courtesy of PRIME VIDEO, VIVIENNE MEDRANO, A24]

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