Popverse's top stories

• Minneapolis comic & bookstore owner Greg Ketter emerges as a symbol of protest against ICE actions
• Wonder Man is the Andor of Marvel Studios’ modern TV series on Disney+
• With Marvel Tokon, Wolverine, and 1943: Rise of Hydra, 2026 will either be the best year for Marvel Games, or the most disappointing [Gamify My Life]

One of the most interesting things to hear from when we interviewed Helluva Boss star Brandon Rogers was how much creative freedom the animated show got from new producer Prime Video. 

"When Amazon Prime joined," star Rogers told us, "They had their mitts off of the whole thing. I mean, it's unheard of for a streaming service to make that big of an acquisition and let the creator retain full rights for all creative choices."

In a world of tightly controlled studio IPs, that's admittedly just a bit surprising. But according to sereis creator Vivienne Medrano, who also created sister series Hazbin Hotel, the team didn't just get freedom from Prime - they got a massive bump in budget.

Speaking with Animation Magazine, creator Medrano (who has also gone by moniker Vivziepop) revealed that when Helluva Boss switched from streaming on YouTube to Prime Video last year, the transition came with a budget that was doubled what they were previously working with. 

"I think the biggest genuine joy I have is that this success hopefully really opens the door for other really cool indie projects," Medrano said of the upgrade, "And even though indie animation has existed for a very long time and we didn’t invent it, getting picked up like this and having so much ownership in this situation is important. I hope we’ll see studios supporting more indie projects that still get to maintain themselves in the way they were created."

We're hoping so too, Vivienne. Hell, we're hoping your own numbers might go up again.

Hazbin Hotel is streaming on Prime Video.

 Here's how to watch Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel in order.