Originally I was annoyed when [adult swim] integrated non-animated shows into their programming block. The point was to showcase adult-oriented cartoons. Hell proved to me that in this case, they’re succeeding by making a live show with cartoonish elements.
The short version of the show is Office Space set in the Judeo-Christian depiction of Hell. It’s not all fire, brimstone, torture, etc. It’s probably what most Westerners would dread today, being stuck in a cubicle doing Sisyphean tasks without sleep, intermittent pointless staff meetings and occasional degrading punishments like the picture above, a bathroom break which is really being the “target” in a urinal for 15 minutes. The devil who bosses them around is a banal middle-manager type who hounds the various characters about getting more souls or high-profile people to convert to satanism.
Hell‘s main character is Gary, an inept demon who can’t keep his mouth shut, can’t carry out a simple task (he doesn’t like to read instructions) and is trying everything to get out of eternal torment. How he got there is a mystery. I have a feeling most people end up in Hell since Gary isn’t necessarily evil, he’s just lazy and not too bright.
The show isn’t for everyone, especially the uber religious. The writers poke fun at contemporary culture (a white trash magician who sold his soul for his powers), marketing (Claude has a social media program to get souls), Heavy Metal music and how everybody in Hell backstabs each other for personal gain, much like people do while they’re alive. Even Heaven sucks, it’s a place with a hundred golf courses and you still have to work in a cubicle ignoring all the prayers coming in on your phone line.
Give it a try. All three seasons are available through Hulu. Those pretty familiar with Dante’s Inferno will definitely get a chuckle.